Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry Confidence at Two-Year High for Third Successive Month

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation recently released the May 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $827-billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 65.4, relatively unchanged from 65.1 last month, peaking at the highest index level in two years for the third consecutive month.   When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI survey respondent, Valerie Hayes Jester, president, […]

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Construction Materials Prices Increase for Fifth Consecutive Month

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Overall construction materials prices increased 0.4 percent in April and are up 1.5 percent year over year, according to the May 14 Producer Price Index released by the U.S. Department of Labor. Nonresidential construction material prices were up 0.5 percent for the month and are 1.4 percent higher than the same time last year. “Construction materials prices have increased for five consecutive months, the longest streak in more than two years,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While some may interpret this increase as the onset of a period associated with significantly higher inflation, it seems more […]

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Industry Employment Increases, Recovery Continues

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Construction firms added jobs in 39 states and the District of Columbia over the past 12 months and in 29 states and D.C. between March and April according to a recent analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials welcomed the mostly positive figures but cautioned that the industry's recovery remained fragile, with construction employment levels below prior peaks in every state except North Dakota. “Growing demand for a range of construction services and better weather helped boost construction employment in most states in April,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “But we […]

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The Dirt on Below-Grade Insulation

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Understanding rigid foam insulation for foundation and under-slab applications By Ram Mayilvahanan Up to one-quarter of a building’s energy loss is due to lack of insulation in below-grade areas, including the foundation and under slabs. Now that high-performance building envelopes are common above ground, the relative amount of total heat lost below grade will grow if these spaces are not addressed. As a result, superintendents increasingly will encounter below-grade and under-slab insulation on all building types. To help increase understanding of how two common rigid-foam insulations perform in these settings, this article evaluates moisture absorption and thermal performance. It also […]

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San Diego Airport Receives Premier LEED Platinum Certification

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. — PCL Construction recently announced that the San Diego Airport Terminal 2 expansion has become the first commercial airport terminal in the world to receive LEED Platinum certification. Working with joint venture partners, Turner Construction and Flatiron Construction, the project initially targeted LEED Silver certification. The San Diego Airport Authority focused heavily on involving local contractors and vendors throughout, to ensure the entire project was a community effort. Project teams must follow strict guidelines during construction to obtain LEED certification. The team incorporated 20,000 tons of recycled aggregate into 1.5 million square feet of taxiway and airport […]

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