Construction Employment Up in 30 States From January to February

Construction firms added jobs in 37 states over the past 12 months and in 30 states between January and February according to an analysis today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said the jobs gains came even as many parts of the country experienced unusually severe winter weather, include cold and snowy conditions in the Northeast and Midwest, and warm and unusually dry conditions in much of the Southwest. “Considering the mix of states adding and losing construction jobs for the month and year, it seems winter conditions had less of an impact than many had expected,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Instead, what appears to be driving construction employment is differing levels of demand for new buildings and infrastructure amid a relatively uneven economic recovery.” Florida led all states in both percentage and total construction gains with an 11 percent rise and 39,200 new jobs between February 2013 and February 2014. Other states adding a high percentage of new construction jobs for the past 12 months included Nevada (10.4 percent, 5,800 jobs); Oregon (9.8 percent, 7,000 jobs) and Minnesota (8.1 percent, 7,900 jobs). After Florida, California added the most new construction jobs for the year (38,800 jobs, 6.2 percent); followed by Texas (23,700 jobs, 3.9 percent) and Minnesota. A total of 10 states plus D.C. shed construction jobs between February 2013 and February 2014, while employment was constant in three other states. The largest number of losses occurred in Indiana (-3,300, -2.6 percent), followed by New Jersey (-2,800 jobs, -2.1 percent) and West Virginia (-2,300 jobs, -6.5 percent). West Virginia had the highest percentage decline in construction employment, followed by the District of Columbia (-5.0 percent, -700 jobs); Montana (-2.9 percent, -700 jobs) and Indiana. California (14,100 jobs, 2.2 percent) added the most jobs between January and February, followed by Florida (7,200 jobs, 1.9 percent); Texas (5,700 jobs, 0.9 percent) and Georgia (3,500 jobs, 2.4 percent). Wyoming 3.3 percent, 700 jobs) had the highest percentage increase for the month, followed by Missouri (2.8 percent, 2,900 jobs); Connecticut (2.5 percent, 1,400 jobs) and Michigan (2.5 percent, 3,300 jobs). Twenty states and the District of Columbia lost construction jobs between January and February with Ohio (-8,100 jobs, -4.2 percent) losing the most. Other states experiencing large monthly declines in total construction employment included Maryland (-3,900 jobs, -2.6 percent); Kansas (-3,000 jobs, -4.9 percent) and North Carolina (-2,300 jobs, -1.3 percent). Kansas experience the highest monthly percentage decline, followed by Ohio, Alaska (-3.4 percent, -600 jobs) and South Dakota (-3.2 percent, -700 jobs). Associated officials said that even as construction employment slowly recovers in certain parts of the country, total construction employment remains below peak levels in every state and the District of Columbia. They urged Congress and the administration to avoid letting the federal highway funding lapse this summer when the federal Highway Trust Fund balance is expected to reach zero, which would undermine the industry’s recovery. “Congress and the administration should be focused on writing legislation to fix the Highway Trust Fund and put in place a long-term transportation program,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Given how fragile the construction industry remains, the last thing we need is for billions of dollars worth of highway projects to get put on hold this summer.” View the state employment data by rank, by state.

General Shale Wins Three Addy Awards for Marketing Material

General Shale, a brick manufacturer, was honored with three ADDYS at the Northeast Tennessee Chapter of the American Advertising Federation Awards.

Conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the regional awards are the first of a three-tier, national competition. Winners of Gold Addys locally are forwarded to the district competition, and winners there compete nationally for recognition.

General Shale, the North American subsidiary of Wienerberger AG, won a gold Addy for a mobile phone app for smartphones and tablets. The award-winning app is the first of its kind to assist construction professionals and architects with designing buildings, selecting products, calculating costs and purchasing materials for their projects. The app allows users to browse General Shale's extensive line of product colors and sizes in brick, thin brick, pavers and do-it-yourself outdoor living kits, and then email favorite selections or final cost calculations without leaving the app.

The company also won two silver Addys. One silver Addy was for General Shale's Outdoor Living Brochure, highlighting the many new products in the Outdoor Living Product line that includes firepits, mailboxes, outdoor kitchens and pavers. A silver Addy was also presented for the company's third edition of Great North American Homes Magazine. The coffeetable-style book is full of design ideas, photos of beautiful architecture and interviews with homeowners who have chosen to use General Shale products.

"We are excited and honored to be recognized for these marketing materials," says Dawn Henning, director of marketing and retail sales. "Our focus is to provide our customers with communications tuned to the way they like to use the information. From a printed magazine to a mobile app, General Shale wants to be the best at utilizing appropriate technology for the user."

General Shale worked with Johnson City's Creative Energy, a full-service advertising and marketing agency, on the award-winning entries. This year's theme for the advertising awards program was "Deep Fried ADDYS."
 

Masonry Association of Florida 'Masonry Excellence Awards Program' Deadline Approaching

The deadline for awards submissions to the Masonry Association of Florida's (MAF) Masonry Excellence Awards Program is May 1.

For more information, contact Deb Bartolucci, 954-295-9926.

Link to more information is also here.

Here is a link to the awards application.

Reorganizations at Hyster, Yale

NACCOMaterials Handling Group (NMHG), the parent company of Hyster Co. and Yale Materials Handling Corp., has announced a corporate reorganization. The reorganization is being made to strengthen the Hyster and Yale lift truck brands, enabling them to provide greater materials handling solutions and value to customers and dealers.

“At NMHG, we have two industry-leading lift truck brands in Hyster and Yale—brands that have stood the test of time and have consistently delivered high productivity and product quality, while reducing operating costs,” says Chuck Pascarelli, president of sales and marketing for NMHG. “These changes were implemented to create a more focused and customer-centric organization that will allow us to execute in a more nimble and responsive manner to the needs of our customers. Because our product offering extends well beyond lift trucks, our goal is to provide solutions to our customers that will help them be more productive and efficient, delivering a lift to their bottom line.”

NMHG will focus on meeting the materials handling needs and challenges of end-users in specific industries and market segments through the creation of three specialized teams—Warehouse, Counterbalance and Big Trucks. These specialized teams will be led by Jonathan Dawley, president, Big Trucks, and Bill Pfleger, vice president, Counterbalance Solutions. The leader of Warehouse Solutions has yet to be named.

The sales effort will be led by David Furman, recently appointed president of NMHG sales. Under Furman’s leadership, the Hyster and Yale sales teams are being aligned under three geographic North American regions—as well as Latin America and national accounts. This new structure is made to strengthen the alignment between NMHG and the Hyster and Yale dealer networks to effectively solve end-users materials handling challenges. Each region is led by a vice president responsible for maximizing the value the company delivers to customers through the deployment of its industry leading Hyster and Yale lift truck, aftermarket, financing and fleet management programs.  

Masonry Heater Association Workshop April 14-20

The Masonry Heater Association ofNorth America will present a masonry heater, bake oven, and masonry skills workshop at Wildacres Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains north of Asheville, N.C., April 14 – 20, 2014. 

Masonry heaters are site-built, wood-burning appliances that radiantly heat a home with wood. They are efficient and use relatively small amounts of wood heat without the use of electricity, gas, fans or ducts. Wood is burned in a firebox, which connects to channels inside a large thermal mass. After the fire is out, the appliance gradually radiates heat to the living space for many hours without causing large temperature fluctuations or drafts.

The annual meeting and workshop will include hands-on training for a Kachelofen (tile) heater with Jessica Steinhauser and Mario Zauner; A Five Run Masonry Heater with Testing Demo by Doug Hargrave and Norbert Senf; A Finnish Heater for Beginner Masons by Marty Pearson and Jeff Owens; A Bake/Pizza Oven by Pat Manley; a Small Guastavino Vault Demo by Tony Bioundo, a Bricklaying Clinic by Tom Trout and Pat Jenkins, a Grundofen J Loop Masonry Heater with Domestic Hot Water by Eric Moshier, Dan Givens, and Joe Copeland; and A Brick Hammer and Trowel Only: 36” Diameter Clay Brick Dome Oven by Alex Chernov and David Moore. 

Classroom seminars include Google Sketch-up Clinic with Boris Kukolj; What Does it Mean? By the Technical Committee; A Unique and Challenging Heater Built by Jerry Frisch, Masons on a Mission Presentation by Pat Manley, and Untold Stories and Ooops that Confront a Masonry Heater Builder.  The Heater Mason Education and Development class will be held throughout the week.

The annual Design/Build Contest for masonry heaters, bake ovens and masonry will be judged during the week and trophies will be awarded on Saturday night at the final meeting.

An auction will be held on Thursday night, and the Pizza Party, where participants can sample pizza from the wood-fired ovens is held on Friday afternoon.

For more information contact Richard Smith, Executive Director, at 520-883-0191 or e-mail execdir@mha-net.org or visit www.mha-net.org.

Construction Employment Increases in 27 States From December to January

Construction firms added jobs in 38 states between January 2013 and January 2014, while 27 states experienced construction employment gains between December and January, according to an analysis today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said the fact so many states added construction jobs for the year and month, despite harsh winter conditions in many parts of the country is a sign that demand appears to be recovering.

“Especially considering the fact many parts of the country experienced very harsh weather in January, these construction jobs figures are particularly robust,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Yet some of these gains will be at risk if federal transportation funding comes to halt this summer as predicted."

Kansas led all states with a 10.7 percent rise (5,900 jobs) in construction employment between January 2013 and January 2014. Other states adding a high percentage of new construction jobs for the year included Oregon (9.4 percent, 6,600 jobs); Florida (9.2 percent, 32,700 jobs); Minnesota (9.2 percent, 8,900 jobs) and Alaska (9.1 percent, 1,500 jobs). Florida added the most jobs for the year, followed by California (27,300 jobs, 4.4 percent); Texas (26,000 jobs, 4.3 percent) and Ohio (11,600 jobs, 6.3 percent).

Nine states and the District of Columbia lost jobs between January 2013 and 2014, while construction employment was un-changed in three other states. Wyoming (-5.9 percent, -1,300 jobs) experienced the largest annual percentage loss, followed by West Virginia (-5.4 percent, -1,900 jobs); New Hampshire (-4.4 percent, -1,000 jobs) and D.C. (-4.3 percent, -600 jobs). Indiana (-3,700 jobs, -3.0 percent) lost the most jobs for the year, followed by West Virginia, Wyoming and New Jersey (-1,300 jobs, -1.0 percent).

Idaho (5.8 percent, 1,900 jobs) added the highest percentage of new construction jobs between December and January, followed by Arkansas (5.0 percent, 2,300 jobs); Kansas (4.6 percent, 2,700 jobs) and New Jersey (4.4 percent, 5,700 jobs). Ohio (8,000 jobs, 4.3 percent) added the most jobs for the month. Other states adding a high number of jobs for the month included New York (7,900 jobs, 2.5 percent); Pennsylvania (7,500 jobs, 3.4 percent) and North Carolina (6,400 jobs, 3.7 percent).

For the month, 21 states and the District of Columbia lost construction jobs while employment levels were unchanged in two others. Vermont (-5.5 percent, -800 jobs) experienced the largest percentage decline, followed by Iowa (-3.8 percent, -2,600 jobs); Indiana (-3.4 percent, -4,300 jobs) and Missouri (-3.1 percent, -3,300 jobs). California (-6,600 jobs, -1.0 percent) shed the most construction jobs for the month, followed by Indiana, Missouri and Iowa.

Association officials said the construction employment figures were an encouraging sign that demand was rebounding after years of weak demand. But they warned that new predictions that the federal Highway Trust Fund, which finances highway, bridge and transit construction across the country, would hit a zero balance by this summer could undermine the sector's recovery during the middle of the construction season.

“Right now demand seems strong enough in many parts of the country to keep many people working in harsh, wintery condi-tions,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO. “But demand for new workers will certainly cool this summer should Congress and the administration fail to address the looming transportation funding shortfalls that threaten billions of dollars worth of construction projects.”

View the state employment data by rank, by state.

News for Masons: OSHA Begins Public Hearings on Silica Proposal

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has begun holding public hearings for the notice of proposed rulemaking on occupational exposure to crystalline silica. This marks the beginning of three weeks of public comment on the proposal, with hearings scheduled through April 4.

Members of the public may attend the sessions to listen to testimony from OSHA and other hearing participants. To learn more about the hearing procedures, visit http://www.osha.gov/silica/hearing_procedures.html. To view the hearing schedule, visit http://www.osha.gov/silica/hearing_schedule.html. 

Members of the public who filed a timely written notice of intention to appear can also ask questions of agency officials and other witnesses during the hearing. Following the hearings, OSHA will publish a transcript of the hearings and make it available to the public in the rulemaking docket, and hearing participants will have an opportunity to submit additional evidence and comments.

Redi-Mix Earns 2014 Concrete Cares Award

Redi-Mix, a business unit of U.S. Concrete Inc., was awarded the 2014 Concrete Cares Award from the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association in recognition of its longstanding commitment to giving back to its community and, specifically for this past year, for its work on behalf of the Clayton Dabney Foundation for Kids with Cancer. For the last 18 years, Redi-Mix Concrete has held a golf tournament with proceeds benefiting those less fortunate in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. 

Over the years, Redi-Mix Concrete has raised close to $750,000 for various charities. Last year was the fourth year the Redi-Mix Charity Classic benefited the Clayton Dabney Foundation, which was named in memory of a six year old boy who died from a rare form of terminal cancer. In 2013, at the 18th Redi-Mix Charity Classic, over $92,000 was gifted to the foundation. More than 100 employees gave close to 1,000 man-hours combined of their time through labor, fundraising and volunteering to make this event a success.

"Our mission is to be a responsible corporate citizen but our work with the Clayton Dabney Foundation is so much more personal to our company," said U.S. Concrete President and Chief Executive Officer William J. Sandbrook. "All of our employees take great pride in the difference they make in these families' lives."

The Clayton Dabney Foundation anonymously assists needy families with children in the last stages of terminal cancer. The Foundation often provides gifts of last wishes to a child that may be out of financial reach of the parents. In some cases, financial assistance has been provided to ease the heavy financial burdens of families such as car, house, utility payments and other obligations so the parents can spend more time with their dying child. A contribution will be made in Redi-Mix's honor to the foundation by the members of NRMCA's Manufacturers, Products & Services Division.

NRMCA, based in Silver Spring, Md., represents the producers of ready mixed concrete and the companies that provide materials, equipment and support to the industry. It conducts education, training, promotion, research, engineering, safety, environmental, technological, lobbying and regulatory programs.