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Residential construction spending on upswing
Construction spending inched down less than 0.1 percent in January, following a large upward revision in December and November, according to an analysis of federal data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. All forms of residential construction did well for the month and year over year, while private nonresidential spending was mixed and public construction declined amid continued congressional delays in passing a host of long-term infrastructure and tax measures. “The strong gains in single-family homebuilding in December and January probably have a lot more to do with the unusually mild weather compared to year-ago conditions, than surging demand for new homes,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Meanwhile, private nonresidential activity dropped after an exceptionally large jump in December, but the January total was still up an impressive 17 percent from a year ago.” Simonson noted that private residential spending, which climbed 1.8 percent for the month and 6.7 percent compared with January 2011, was higher across the board. New single-family construction posted gains of 2.5 percent… Keep Reading
Stedman appoints central U.S. sales manager
Jim Suetholz was appointed as the central U.S. sales manager for Stedman Machine Co., the company announced. He has more than 17 years of experience in capital equipment sales in the mining, steel and various other heavy industries throughout North America. Suetholz’s responsibilities include selling crushing equipment and size reduction systems. Keep Reading
KPI-JCI marketing manager to lead an AEM committee
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) selected Lisa Carson, marketing manager for KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, to serve as the head of the Aggregates Statistics Committee for 2012, KPI-JCI announced. The Aggregates Statistics Committee, which consists of 13 reporting brands, is designed to provide the most accurate and timely industry data available to be used for market share calculation, forecasting and resource planning. As chairwoman of the committee, Carson is responsible for leading each meeting, webinar and teleconference, as well as providing agendas and minutes. Carson, who has led KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens’ marketing department for the past four years, said she is eager to take on additional responsibilities in the industry and work together with other manufacturers to provide important industry data. Keep Reading
Trio opens manufacturing facility in California
In response to worldwide sales growth, Trio Engineered Products opened a new manufacturing facility in Adelanto, Calif., the company announced. Joining existing American facilities in California, Alabama and Florida, the new facility will help expand the company’s material handling equipment portfolio and provide expansive fabrication capacity. The new facilities brought 30 new jobs into the local community – an addition that brings Trio’s worldwide workforce to nearly 1,000 professionals. According to Mike Burke, Trio’s CEO, “We expect more expansion in the near future as we work to meet increasing demand in the U.S. and abroad.” Keep Reading
House keeps five-year highway program in sight
A five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill remains under consideration in the House, despite Republican leadership pulling its five-year, $260 billion legislation from the floor, according to NSSGA. One unpopular part of the proposed bill was the elimination of the mass transit account from the highway trust fund. House Speaker John Boehner supports a five-year bill, NSSGA reported. Boehner had said earlier that a shorter, less expensive highway bill would not gather enough votes. Meanwhile, the association said it continues to engage members of Congress, leadership, staff and the committees of jurisdiction in the ongoing process. The current extension of the highway bill expires on March 31. Keep Reading
ROCKPAC donors and recipients
As we move through the year toward the November elections, Pit & Quarry will be reporting on the contributions of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association's ROCKPAC political action committee. To date, ROCKPAC has donated $115,500 to congressional candidates – $90,500 to House candidates and $25,000 to Senate candidates. The PAC has given 79 percent of its contributions to Republicans and 21 percent to Democrats, the highest percentage it has given Republican candidates in 10 years – since the 2002 cycle. The PAC's largest contributions thus far have gone to: • House: Tom Latham (R-Iowa) $5,000; Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) $4,000 • Senate: Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) $3,750; Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) $3,250; Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $3,250 Click these links for an up-to-date list of: • Individuals donating to ROCKPAC • Candidates receiving money from ROCKPAC We will keep you updated on ROCKPAC contributions through this election year. Keep Reading
Rise of ‘rock and roll’
We first reported in January on The Freedonia Group’s World Construction Aggregates study. The group concluded that the global market for construction aggregates is expected to rise an average of 5.2 percent per year through 2015 and, more specifically, the North American market is expected to increase 4.3 percent per year. This is good news compared to the average annual decline of the North American market by 1.7 percent per year from 2005 to 2010. And owing to more restrictive land use and environmental regulations, as well as the depletion of natural aggregates reserves, sales of recycled, secondary and other aggregates will climb at an above-average pace during the 2010 to 2015 period. So “rock” is on the rise. What about the “roll”? Well, The Freedonia Group also did a study on the global demand for mining equipment, including “nonmetallic minerals mining machinery.” In World Mining Machinery, the group projected that the world market will increase an average of 8.5 percent annually through 2015. This is consistent with what I… Keep Reading
Brighter days ahead?
And now for some good news. Construction contractors and equipment distributors are optimistic local non-residential activity will improve in 2012, according to a recent survey by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Inc., part of Wells Fargo & Co. In the company’s 2012 Construction Industry Forecast, Wells Fargo’s Construction Optimism Quotient (OQ) – the survey’s primary benchmark for measuring contractor and equipment distributor sentiment – is at 114 for 2012, marking a material increase from 96 in 2011. An OQ over 100 is considered optimistic of year-over-year improvement in local non-residential construction activity. Highlights of the 2012 Construction Industry Forecast • The worst is behind us. The OQ of 114 is a strong indicator that the industry expects 2012 non-residential construction activity to improve from last year. The 2012 OQ exceeds the score of 109 recorded in 2005, near the height of the construction boom. After falling to an all-time low score of 42 in 2009, the OQ climbed to 66 in 2010 and 96 in 2011. • Overall numbers of contractors remain a concern. In spite of rising… Keep Reading
Quarry field trip comes to the students
Pennsylvania fourth-grade science curriculum includes the study of rocks and minerals, their uses, and the resulting impact on the economy and the environment. With a quarry located in Washington Township, Pa., Martin Stone Quarries Inc. has partnered for many years with Washington Elementary School to enhance the students' learning experience by hosting a specially designed field trip to their site. When budget cuts to Pennsylvania schools forced the cancellation of the 2011 field trip, the company offered to come to the students. Programs were presented to the school's fourth-graders. Rod Martin spoke about the quarry and the production of stone, while Eric Gehman presented an introductory program about wetlands and the huge project undertaken by Martin Stone Quarries when they created a large wetlands area adjacent to one of their operations. Keep Reading
