Ken Simonson, chief economist of The Associated General Contractors of America, said construction activity through July showed widespread improvement compared to the first seven months of 2004 but the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina will have varied impacts on construction markets for the rest of 2005 and into 2006. Simonson was commenting on the Census Bureau's report that the value of construction put in place in July totaled $1.1 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, unchanged from the June total that was 9.3 percent higher than January through July 2004.

Graco has announced the Authorized Spray Technology Tour dates in the U.S. this year. In partnership with 3M, Graco will be bringing this for-contractors-only event to southern California. In September, the company was in Orlando meeting with contractors.

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.