Florida stays on top of ABC construction business climate survey

Sources: Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Associated Builders and Contractors’ seventh annual Merit Shop Scorecard salutes the Sunshine State for fostering a climate friendly to construction interests and their clients. The group determines the ranking on state policies and programs that encourage workforce development, grow career and technical education, strengthen careers in construction, and advocate for…

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ACI finalizes Orlando Concrete Convention agenda

Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich. Engineers, contractors, educators, manufacturers, and suppliers will muster at the ACI Concrete Convention in Orlando, March 27-31, to collaborate on concrete codes, specifications, and practices. Technical and educational sessions will provide attendees with the latest research, case studies, best practices, and the opportunity to earn Professional Development Hours. Select programming will also be…

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Advisor FMI factors IIJA, labor, M&A in 2022 Construction Materials Outlook

Sources: FMI Corp., Raleigh, N.C.; CP staff FMI Capital Advisors, a leading investment banking firm for aggregate, concrete, asphalt producers and their customers, examines key drivers and challenges its 2022 Construction Materials Outlook. Themed “Seizing the Opportunities Ahead,” the report also assesses 2021 producer and contractor merger & acquisition activity.

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New owner Westlake formalizes Boral Building Products rebranding

Sources: Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston; CP staff Two years of strategic geographic and category acquisitions across North American residential and commercial building markets—capped by a $2.15 billion deal in October 2021 for the Boral Building Products business—has culminated in the Westlake Royal Building Products launch. The new brand spans precast Cultured Stone, Eldorado Stone and StoneCraft veneer series for exterior…

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Investigators test fiber from THC-lite hemp with eye to rebar

Sources: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.; CP staff One of the first projects at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (RPI) new Institute for Energy, Built Environment, and Smart Systems centers on innovative, cost-effective hemp processing technologies, leading to development of a conventional concrete rebar alternative. Researchers characterize hemp as yielding some of the plant kingdom’s strongest fiber, matching glass fiber pound for…

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