This marks half a century (yes, 50 years) of the SPF industry being served by a trade association. It all started in 1973 with the Urethane Foam Contractors Association. Through the years, that association has taken on new names but in 2003, SPFA, as we currently know it, was named.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Enacted in December 2022, the PWFA requires covered entities to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitation related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer undue hardship.

The results are in on the first-ever U.S. Collegiate Design-Build Passive House Ice Box Challenge with the Pratt Institute School of Architecture. 

Construction employment increased in 221, or 62 percent, of 358 metro areas between June 2022 and 2023, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data.

The ACI Foundation’s Concrete Innovation Council will host its next Technology Forum on Aug. 29-31 in Portland, Oregon.

The Metal Construction Association has announced that industry veteran Ken McLauchlan has been appointed as a director on the board. McLauchlan, who is vice president of architectural sales at Metal Forming, LLC in Peachtree, Georgia, was appointed to fill a vacancy.

Simpson Strong-Tie announced May 11 the successful completion of a series of seismic tests on the tallest building yet subjected to earthquake simulations.

The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction increased 0.5 percent from March to April, while an index that measures contractors’ bid prices declined 0.3 percent, according to an analysis by AGC.

Mid-States Wholesale Lumber, a subsidiary of Snavely Forest Products, is expanding its product selection to include TYPAR. The partnership will extend distribution into the following Mid-States markets: Oklahoma City; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wichita, Kansas; and northwest Arkansas.

RIDGID and its employees donated more than 400 food and personal care items, including vegetables, canned goods, box meals, pasta and soup to Elyria, Ohio’s Pioneer Freedge as part of a donation drive sponsored by Mosaic, an Emerson employee resource group focused on serving the community, celebrating diversity and creating an inclusive work environment for people working away from their home location.