News
Builder Confidence Decreases Slightly in January
U.S. builder confidence for new single-family homes in January decreased one point from December 2021 to 83, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI component gauging current sales conditions remained at 90 and the measurement of sales expectations in the next six months dropped two points to
U.S. Housing Starts Increase in December 2021
U.S. housing starts in December 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70 million, up 1.4% from the November estimate and 2.5% higher than the comparable month in 2020. Single-family housing starts decreased 2.3% from November to 1.17 million. U.S. building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.87
Remodeling Industry Confidence Up from Q4 2020
U.S. remodeling confidence in the fourth quarter 2021 decreased four points from the previous three months to 83, but was four points higher than 2020, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB)/Royal Building Products Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The current market conditions indicator rose four points to 89 and the future indicators index
CPA Signs EPA Letter Addressing Formaldehyde Risk Assessment
CPA was a signatory to an American Chemistry Council (ACC) letter to the U.S. EPA related to the draft formaldehyde Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment, originally released in 2011, which was resurrected by the Biden Administration in 2021. EPA now plans to use this Assessment to inform the agency’s ongoing effort to prepare a
Supreme Court Stops OSHA COVID Vaccine and Testing Mandate
On January 13, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision preventing implementation of the OSHA COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS). The ETS would have mandated that employers with more than 100 employees require staff to be vaccinated by January 10 or otherwise implement a weekly testing regime for unvaccinated employees. The debate
CPA Welcomes New Member
The CPA Board of Directors recently voted to approve the following new Associate Member. Specialty Organics Inc., Adelanto, CA, is a manufacturer of a plant-based, sustainable, non-detectable VOC hot press patented adhesive named BreeseBond. The membership will be represented by Joe Seruto, CEO. See Specialty Organics. More Info: Jeannie Ervin
July Safety Report Now Available
The July Safety Report Is Now Ready for Members to Download
Fall Meeting Attendee List Published; Hotel Reservation Deadline Extended
The Fall Meeting attendee list is now available online, featuring representatives from more than 60 member companies. Rooms for the September 27-29 meeting at the Hyatt Regency Savannah must be reserved by September 9 to secure the discounted group rate. Current meeting details and hotel reservation information are available online. See Annual Meetings. More Info: Anna
Unilin Names New CEO
Unilin announced the appointment of An Nuyttens as CEO. She will join the company in mid-October, succeeding Paul De Cock, who will become CEO of Mohawk Industries on September 30. Nuyttens brings over 30 years’ experience to the role, most recently serving in executive positions at Solvay. Unilin is a global manufacturer of panels and
August U.S. Consumer Confidence Dips
U.S. consumer confidence measured 89.4 in August, a decrease of 0.8 points from the adjusted July reading, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The index gauging current business and labor market conditions climbed 6.8 points in August to 121.2. The short-term outlook index for income, business, and labor markets slid 5.8 points to
U.S. New Home Sales Down in July
U.S. sales of new single-family homes in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 607,000, falling 10.5% from June and 6.3% below the comparable month in 2025. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new homes for sale in July was 488,000, representing a 9.6-month supply at the existing sales rate. This is 1.9% higher
July U.S. Construction Spending Weakens
U.S. construction spending in July reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.16 trillion, decreasing 0.5% from June and 3.8% year-over-year. Total public and private residential spending declined 1.3% month-over-month and 7.3% from July 2025 to $871.21 billion. Non-residential spending totaled $1.29 trillion, 0.1% higher than June but down 1.3% from the same month last