James V. Christianson, vice president, Government Relations, for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the nation's leading construction trade association, urged Congress "to reform the nation's immigration system." Christianson released a letter he sent today a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on behalf of the association's 27,500 firms, including America's leading general contractors, specialty contractors, service providers, and suppliers.

Ben Hur Construction has partnered with Ideal Contracting on the new $150 million Amazon fulfillment center in Gaines Township near Grand Rapids, Mich. 

Providing a high-performance layer of moisture and air protection is critical in new construction or renovation projects, and the specific qualities needed vary greatly with each unique application. Kingspan offers a complete approach to moisture management with its combination of the right building wrap, flashing and tape to help keep water out of the wall system, provide an air barrier, and even allow moisture vapor to escape. 

Raths, Raths & Johnson, Inc. (RRJ), a national architecture, engineering and forensics consulting firm headquartered in Willowbrook, Illinois is pleased to announce that Almir Maksumic, an accomplished construction specialist with nationally recognized forensic engineering consulting firms and testing laboratories, has recently joined the firm.

ClarkDietrich Engineering Services has been recognized for its design expertise with a first-place award in the Design Excellence category (Residential Division) from the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI). 

Festool just announced its new media and content partnership with This Old House (TOH), America’s No. 1 multimedia home-enthusiast brand. The partnership will include PBS television underwriting spots, video content creation and distribution, events, category exclusivity on the New Yankee Workshop channel, and participation by the leading This Old House talent.

Simpson Strong-Tie, the leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to assist relief efforts in Guatemala after the deadly Fuego volcano eruption on June 3.

Gebr. Knauf KG (“Knauf”) and USG Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Knauf will acquire all of the outstanding shares of USG in a transaction valued at approximately $7.0 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, USG shareholders will receive $44.00 per share, which consists of $43.50 per share in cash payable upon closing of the transaction and a $0.50 per share special dividend that would be paid following shareholder approval of the transaction. 

GMS Inc. announced the successful completion of its previously announced acquisition of WSB Titan (“Titan”), the largest wallboard distributor in Canada.

The completion of this acquisition further strengthens GMS's position as one of the largest wallboard distributors in North America, with combined revenues of approximately $3 billion and more than 240 branches throughout 42 states and 5 provinces in Canada.