Construction Employers Add Jobs in September, Unemployment Rate Declines

Construction employers added 16,000 jobs and the sector’s unemployment rate fell to 7 percent, the lowest rate for September in years, according to an analysis released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the construction employment gains come as more firms report having a hard time finding enough qualified workers to fill available positions, citing the lack of local vocational training programs, especially at the secondary level. “While we are eager to see even more construction employment gains, there is no denying the fact that the industry has been in recovery mode for much of the past … Read more

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Q4 Economic Outlook Increases 2014 Equipment and Software Investment Growth Forecast to 5.5%

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Investment in equipment and software is expected to grow 5.5 percent in 2014, according to the Q4 update to the 2014 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook released by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation. The Foundation revised its 2014 equipment and software investment forecast to 5.5 percent, up from 2.6 percent growth forecast in its Q3 Update to the 2014 Annual Outlook released in July. Equipment and software investment is expected to steadily grow over the next six months across most verticals due to a gradually strengthening economy and continued replacement demand. The Foundation report, … Read more

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Retiring Executive Director to be Honored at Winter Tilt-Up Jubilee

MT. VERNON, Iowa — The Tilt-Up Concrete Association will be honoring Ed Sauter, the association’s longstanding executive director, at their Winter Tilt-Up Jubilee during World of Concrete Feb. 4, 2015. Sauter will enter part-time retirement at the end of this year and step down as TCA executive director. He began his tenure at the association in 1992, when — attending a meeting also held at WOC — he agreed to take over as interim director. He continued in the position for 23 years, bringing passion, commitment and leadership to the organization. “Ed has been an extraordinary asset to this association … Read more

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Brasfield & Gorrie Reaches Construction Milestone at New Medical School

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Brasfield & Gorrie announced the company recently celebrated a construction milestone at the new Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine campus in Auburn, Alabama. A topping out ceremony was held on Oct. 2 to mark the recent structural completion of the facility, which is located on a 15-acre site in Auburn University's Research Park. The new facility will house programs from VCOM at Auburn. The $20-million project includes a new 92,000-square-foot, four-story building that will include classrooms, small-group learning rooms, laboratories and a technology center. In addition, VCOM will collaborate with the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation … Read more

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U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition Open for Entries

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council congratulated the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the formal launch of the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. The competition invites U.S. developers, institutions, organizations and design teams willing to undertake an alternative solution approach to designing and building taller wood structures to submit entries for a prize of $2 million. Following a funding initiative announced by the Obama Administration and the U.S. forestry industry through the USDA, SLB and BSLC earlier this year, the goal of the prize competition is to link rural U.S. technical expertise … Read more

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