Sales of new homes shot up to a record high in July, the Commerce Department reported in August.

The International Firestop Council has unveiled its new Web site, www.firestop.org. The site features online training modules and comprehensive industry information, such as updates on codes and inspection, and installation guidelines.

Sto Corp. announces the formation of a business alliance with Cortec Corp., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of specialty protection coatings and products that mitigate the effects of corrosion.

According to statistics compiled by the Gypsum Association, the United States gypsum board industry shipped a total of 9.220 billion square feet of material during the second calendar quarter (April through June) of 2005. During the same period, Canadian manufacturers shipped 922 million square feet of material.

Pittcon Industries has acquired Architectural Art Manufacturing Inc., a producer of building expansion joint and trench covers.

BPB America's products were acknowledged at the recent 2005 ADEX awards.

Plans for the International Masonry Institute's new National Training Center were formally launched at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Bowie, Md., site. The two-building complex, totaling 106,000 square feet, will serve as the flagship training center for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, which represents masonry craftworkers in the United States and Canada.

In a landmark decision, members of the Light Gauge Steel Engineers Association provided approval in June to a proposal by the Steel Framing Alliance for LGSEA to become an operating council of SFA. The ballot, which received a "yes" by 75 percent of LGSEA voting members, adopts a set of operating procedures that provide autonomy over technical issues, including technical notes, design guides, and other products and activities intended for design professionals.

A Building Products Customer Information Center Spanish-language representative can be reached by calling (800) BUILD GP daily between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

Marino\Ware and Allied Studco, a division of Allied Tube and Conduit Corp., are joining to expand distribution of steel truss systems. Marino\Ware is incorporating Allied Studco's AmKey System as TrussRite, one of its components in its FrameRite Building System.