Felice Farber has been appointed as Executive Director of the Subcontractors Trade Association, breaking barriers as the first woman to hold this leadership role in the Association’s 66-year-old history. Farber will replace retiring Henry “Hank” Kita, who has served as STA’s Executive Director for nearly a decade.

The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association has a new face! STAFDA’s blue triangle logo with “Stan the STAFDA Man” was recently updated to give it a more contemporary look. STAFDA’s traditional logo has tremendous brand recognition with Stan and the late ’70s groovy script, but for 2023 and beyond, Stan Jr. will now be the face of STAFDA with a modern image and font.

The Waterproofing Company, the nation’s oldest waterproofing contractor, announced its acquisition of Phoenix Bay State Construction Company, Inc. in Boston.

KAI is pleased to share the hiring of Andrew Kerr-Grant, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, as its newest Senior Project Architect at its St. Louis office.

Construction contractors are less optimistic about many private-sector segments than they were a year ago, but their expectations for the public sector market have remained relatively bullish, according to survey results released Jan. 4 by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage. The findings are detailed in High Hopes for Public Sector Funding Amid Workforce and Supply Chain Challenges: The 2023 Construction Hiring & Business Outlook.

Bentley Systems announced that Brock Ballard, previously vice president and regional executive of Americas, has been promoted to the role of Chief Revenue Officer, and that Eric Boyer has joined as Investor Relations Officer.

Dodge Construction Network’s year-end report analyzes key trends across the industry throughout 2022 and provides industry insights into 2023.

JLG announced Jan. 4 that its latest white paper, “5 New Global Megatrends Impacting the Construction Market,” is now available for free download on #DirectAccess.

OPCMIA General President Daniel E. Stepano released a memorandum.

Total construction spending increased by 0.2 percent in November, dragged down by a lack of new infrastructure projects along with a continuing slide in homebuilding, according to an analysis the Associated General Contractors of America released Jan. 3 of federal spending data. Association officials urged leaders in Washington to speed the release of funds authorized by infrastructure laws passed in 2021 and 2022 and address regulatory delays associated with those projects.