04/06/2009

Small Contractors Get a Break on Surety Bonds

Thanks to the federal Recovery Act, the Small Business Administration has more than doubled its guarantees for surety bonds that small construction contractors must post to qualify for public construction and service contracts. The SBA will now guarantee $5 million, up from $2 million, on the bonds issued by insurance companies to protect construction project owners if contractors fail to perform. The SBA says it will soon be able to guarantee up to $10 million in some cases, as part of the new stimulus spending. You can apply online for a surety bond with the SBA.
--Jeff B. Copeland, Content Product Manager

03/16/2009

National Hardware Show Reorganizes its Toolbox

Retail buyers returning to the 2009 National Hardware Show will encounter a strikingly different experience than they did in 2008. Conference organizers have completely redesigned the layout of their show floor this time out. With the needs of buyers and distributors in mind, they have put their home improvement product categories front and center. The goal is to provide retail buyers and distributors with easy access to the nearly 3,000 sellers scheduled to attend the show, with brand introductions and product demonstrations consolidated into a single, cleanly organized area. -- Jason Agard, Sr. Associate Editor

03/16/2009

Nonresidential Construction Jobs Comparatively Safer

According to a recent analysis of job loss data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a troubling picture, not all sectors of the construction industry are created equal. Predictably, cutbacks are rampant and have accelerated over recent months. Overall employment in the industry recently dropped below 1999 levels, and could drop further. But the comparison between residential and nonresidential by Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. clearly shows a faster decline in residential construction jobs. While the nationwide credit crunch is clearly creating a significant slowdown in commercial construction activity and is anticipated to continue to do so for some time, it appears that homeowners are cutting back even more quickly. -- Jason Agard, Sr. Associate Editor

03/16/2009

Reed Construction Data Delivering Federal Stimulus Package Project Leads

Commercial construction project lead provider Reed Construction Data is aiming to help put some government money in your pocket. Their recently released lead database, Connect 3.5.4, includes over 18,000 project proposals put forward by the U.S. Conference of Mayors as part of the government's new Federal Stimulus Package. Typically Reed Connect researchers verify the scope and specifications of their leads, but have opted to provide early-availability data in this release, with their researchers confirming the information as it solidifies, then adding, editing, deleting, and recategorizing data as needed. -- Jason Agard, Sr. Associate Editor

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CARPETS AND RUGS

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Pricing and Costs of Carpets and Rugs

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Building Supplies News and Views

Small Contractors Get a Break on Surety Bonds

National Hardware Show Reorganizes its Toolbox

Nonresidential Construction Jobs Comparatively Safer

Reed Construction Data Delivering Federal Stimulus Package Project Leads

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