News
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
Apartment Conversions on the Rise
Adaptive reuse apartments increased 25% in the US, representing 28,000 new rentals in 2020-2021, up from the 22,300 available in 2018-2019. In contrast, new apartment construction grew by 10% over the same period. Office building to apartment conversions remained the primary source, resulting in 11,000 apartments becoming available over the last two years, 40% of
RV Industry Stabilizing
With higher interest rates and a softening economic outlook, year-to-date RV shipments are down 8.2% compared to last year’s record-breaking total. The RV Industry Association predicts almost 500,000 units will be shipped by year-end and 419,000 units in 2023, a 16% drop from the forecasted 2022 shipments. See RV Industry Association
Q3 Canadian Hotel Construction Projects Grow
Canadian hotel construction projects in Q3 reached 263, representing 34,825 rooms. The total number of projects and rooms in the pipeline increased by 2% compared to the same period last year. Projects planned for the next 12 months rose 24% over Q3 2021, with 105 projects and 14,270 rooms anticipated. See Canadian Lodging Econometrics
September U.S. Construction Spending Increased
U.S. construction spending in September was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.811 trillion, up 0.2% from August and growing 10.9% over the year prior. Year-to-date spending was 11.4% higher than 2021 at $1.354 billion. Private construction spending was $1.450 trillion, 0.4% above August’s seasonally adjusted annual rate. Residential totals for September remained
U.S. Manufacturing Index Lower in October
The seasonally adjusted S&P Global U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in October was 50.4, dropping 1.6 points from September. Manufacturers reported a reduction in client demand due to lower market confidence. The PMI index comprises five sub-indices tracking changes in new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery times and stocks of raw materials. A reading
September U.S. Manufacturing Shipments Climb
Seasonally adjusted shipments for all U.S. manufacturing industries in September rose 0.2% from August to $550 billion. Wood product shipments were up 0.3% in September to $12.8 billion compared to the prior month. Shipments of furniture and related products fell 0.1% from August to $6.2 billion. September new orders for all U.S. manufacturing increased 0.3%