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October 2009 News

First stage of superlock construction underway
Construction of coffer dams is now underway on the American side of the St. Marys River as the first stage of a new $490 million superlock.

Obama Trumpets Energy Grants
Unveils $3.4 billion in stimulus grants for advanced electricity-grid projects.

IBC Adds Highlander Tool as new Member
Cutting tool distributor joins IBC's IndustrialSupplyPlus division.

Cologne Show Issues Attractions Guide
International Hardware Fair publishes listing of Cologne-area attractions during the Fair.

New Home Sales slide 3.6%  in September
Pace falls to 7.8 percent off September 2008 volume.

Topcon office software provides construction survey solution
Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) introduces two new products in its office software ‘Master’ series – Topcon SiteMaster and Topcon SiteMaster Lite. 

International Hardware Fair Cologne issues travel tips and offers
Special deals on airfare, hotels and local travel in Cologne for IHF attendees.

MSC announces financial results, promotions
MSC Industrial Direct reported Q4 net sales of $354.1 million, compared with $448.6 million in the prior year period, a 21% decline.

Half of States Avoid Big Housing Drop
Parts of the U.S. with plenty of open space and moderate prices have mostly escaped the housing meltdown.

Big Rebound in Existing-Home Sales
Existing home sales jump 9.4 percent in September.

Construction Market Forecast to Increase 11 Percent in 2010
New economic cycle is beginning, expert says.

Airport panel approves $1.13-billion upgrade at LAX
Walsh Austin Joint Venture is awarded two contracts to build new concourses and upgrade the Tom Bradley International Terminal to handle larger jets.

Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards Project Hit with New Lawsuit
Suit claims developers are abandoning project's original purpose.
Cargo trucks, cruise line buses would use dedicated route to seaport.

Harvey Gerstman Launches Redesigned Web Site
Rep agency site reinforces its market capabilities.

Building Permits Slide 1.2 Percent in September
Single-family housing starts rise 3.9 percent for month.

Bailey Tools & Supply acquires Capital Drilling & Contractors Supply
Lousiville distributor buys Indianapolis supply company. 

Klein Tools Promotes Mark P. Klein to Director, North American Sales
Will oversee Klein's North American sales force and rep organizations.
Figures only reflect jobs linked to federal contracts.

Federal contractors report 30,000 stimulus jobs

By The Numbers: Recovery.Gov Issues Stimulus Recipient Report

States report impact of Stimulus so far.

Applications pour in for high-speed rail grants
24 states submit applications totaling about $50 billion.

U.S. Construction Exceeds Estimate in August
But remains nearly 12 percent below 2008 levels.

Excitement Builds Around International Hardware Fair
Leading international manufacturers and buying groups gear up for world's largest tools show in Cologne.

N.J. awards $104M in state aid for road construction
Program will benefit 457 of the state’s 566 municipalities.

Contractor Supply's Huge STAFDA Special Issue is Here!
Complete guide to STAFDA 2009, educational session previews, dozens of expert comments, new products and more!

RIDGID Launches Redesigned Web Site
Expands Online Interaction Through Social Media Sites.

Chinese Drywall Is a Growing U.S. Problem

Could force demolition of up to 100,000 U.S. homes.

Two STAFDA Hotels Fill Up
Two hotel room blocks nearly gone; new savings announced.

Take Contractor Supply's Social Media Survey!
How are construction tool and supply distributors and manufacturers using (or not using) social tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter?

40,000 Wind Turbines to Power Up North America by 2015

Construction predicted to accelerate by 2011.

Caterpillar to raise prices worldwide in 2010
Heavy equipment maker to raise prices by 2%.

Construction on Florida 9B from U.S. 1 to 9A advances
Jacksonville roadwork goes up for bids.

Seattle to Sign Deal for Viaduct Replacement Tunnel
Seattle to ink deal on $1B in projects to replace Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

Des Plaines casino construction to start in March 2010
Casino on 21-acre site to be completed within 16 months.

Construction begins on $750M Devon tower in OKC

Oklahoma City tower project is self-financed by oil and gas company.

AGC Offers Integrated Project Delivery Webinar
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Webinar: Thursday, Oct. 29, 1-2:30 p.m.

Simpson to Stage Live Deck Collapse
Will present new DeckTools software and seminars at DeckExpo in Indianapolis, October 28-29.

IBC Adds Vargus USA as Preferred Supplier
Milling tool supplier joins industrial buyer's group.

NetPlus Alliance Adds New Suppliers: BVA Hydraulics and Materialogic, Inc.
Suppliers join $5B industrial and contractor supply distributor alliance.

Corps Awards $333M Contract to Build New Benning Hospital
New Fort Benning hospital contract goes to Turner Construction.

RFP for $2.3B FasTracks contract goes to 3 bid teams
Rail ines to link downtown Denver and Denver International Airport.

AGC Unveils Construction Recovery Plan
Construction Employment Declined in 324 Cities in August.

New Residential Construction Climbs in August
Permits and starts both up for month.

IDEAL Releases 2010 Collectable Model Truck
Limited quantities available for qualified purchases.

New Study Finds Construction Equipment Workers in Economic Depression
Start Us Up USA! campaign launches to pass transportation bill, spur jobs recovery.

ProBuild Launches Specialty Building Products Business
Hal Look, current STAFDA president, picked to helm.

Midwest Snips Acquires Retterer Mfg.
Retterer manufactures specialty hand tools for siding, fence and HVAC pros

ABC: Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) up 8.9%
Nonresidential Construction Industry May Have Hit Bottom.

ISA introduces major changes to annual conference
New name, two-day trade show format and reduced registration fees among changes.

Sinking Texas Gulf Coast condos to be demolished
151-unit luxury project started construction in 2006.

Miami-Dade County passes measure for port tunnel
Approves measure to establish a $75 million letter or credit.

Panel to meet to discuss $4B Ind.-Ky. bridges
Hope to jump-start embattled $4.1 billion construction project.

Topcon announces joint marketing agreement with Geospatial Holdings
Combined technologies enables gathering and managing 3D geo-referenced surface features and 3D underground pipeline data.

Railyards project back on track

Bullet train development gaining speed
California project could break ground in 2012.

Excitement Builds for International Hardware Fair
Show runs February 28- March 3, 2010 at the Koelnmesse Fairgrounds in Cologne, Germany.

CSV Marketing Opens New Midwest Warehouse
Facility will serve Great Lakes area distributors.

Eye on the Economy: Lots of Encouraging Housing News, But…
NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe says optimism must be cautious.

Celebrated Humorist Dave Barry to Kick Off 2010 Builders’ Show
Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist, will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 19-22.

Builders Step Up Campaign to Revive Housing, Create Jobs
Extending home buyer tax credit could create 347,000 jobs and $16B in revenues in 2010 alone.

A Good Day's Work: Tutor Perini Wins 4 Construction Contracts Totaling $343M
New contracts cover work on Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Long Island Rail Road, the Shasta County Interstate 5 Bridge project in California and a Department of the Navy project in the Indian Ocean.

Hyster names Papé “Dealer of Distinction”
Exceptional commitment to customer service and employee satisfaction help Hyster dealer earn prestigious award.

40 percent of manufacturing jobs to return
Fewer than half of the manufacturing jobs lost during the current economic downturn will be regained by 2014, according to a new report by The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

John Benetti Hired as Sales Manager at Papé Machinery
Will drive equipment sales in California’s Bay Area region.

Veto Pro Pac Wins Best of Show
HVAC trade show picks toolbag as best new tool.

AGC offers Construction Manager Course
October 4-9, 2009, Indianapolis, IN

JCB's North American Dealer Coverage Climbs Despite Economy
New standards and continued support critical to dealer success.

Construction to begin on Michigan casino
Project will be built in phases because of the economy.

D/FW airport OKs $1.5B facelift program
Construction expected to begin in 2011.

Job Losses Hammer Construction Industry
Critics say recovery package hasn't stemmed layoffs.

Solyndra starts 2nd solar panel plant construction
Construction to create more than 3,000 jobs; plant will employ 1,000.

Manufacturing rebounds in August
Manufacturing's 18 consecutive months of decline ended in August as the PMI registered 52.9 percent, which is 4 percentage points higher than the 48.9 percent reported in July.

July 2009 Overall Construction Slips 0.2 Percent
Private construction rises 0.1 percent in same period.

Private equity group backs Carlson
Private equity firm Industrial Opportunity Partners has partnered with existing shareholders and senior management in an investment in Carlson Systems Holdings Inc.

Bostwick-Braun acquires Moore-Handley
Bostwick-Braun plans to acquire substantially all of the assets of Moore-Handley and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hardware House Inc. 

IDEAL announces pricing program
IDEAL offers recession-busting pricing on its most popular apprentice electrician tool kits.