Five critical decisions that can sabotage your exit and retirement.

Is your company ready for your departure?

Over the past 20-plus years, I have met with hundreds of business owners around the country consulting on a variety of topics including tax, business valuation, exit planning, and risk management.

The entire process of exit planning can be bogged down with the technical jargon of accounting, law, tax codes, estate planning, insurance and financial planning.

SOPREMA celebrated the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art headquarters in Wadsworth, Ohio, in September. The event brought together key stakeholders to mark a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to sustainability, innovation and growth in the United States.

The Rainscreen Association in North America announced that Brian Nelson of Knight Wall Systems will be presenting on rocket science and understanding the modern cladding support system at the RAiNA Conference in Chicago on Nov. 7.

I want to first thank all the great guests we have had on Walls & Ceilings’ videos with our Publisher Jill Bloom. 

The Portland Cement Association, which represents America’s cement manufacturers, announced new leadership for its Board of Directors after holding elections on Dec. 4 at its last meeting of 2023.

Cement production and processes emit over 5 percent of all carbon dioxide emitted by human activity. Reducing that environmental impact is a high priority among cement producers. Cement producers are now publishing their Environmental, Social and Governance credentials concerning energy use in their operations, greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.

O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC, a family office that invests in ambitious seed and pre-seed startups, announced Feb. 2 that it has invested in Furno Materials Inc.

The American Concrete Institute, in collaboration with NEx: An ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials, has released two new resources for fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement.

Imagine training employees with a virtual reality, audio-visual headset that puts them on the job, inside a realistic house, with saws buzzing, hammers tapping and birds chirping. That is the concept behind an industry-leading virtual reality training program sponsored by Owens Corning.

Barricade Building Products announced its partnership with BIMsmith, which will enable architects, engineers and designers to access Barricade’s extensive product information and seamlessly integrate it into their projects.

I’ve been using natural cements and natural hydraulic limes in the traditional plastering craft for many years. However, I never had the opportunity to visit a quarry where the unique limestones used to produce them are mined.

For more than 30 years, a quiet revolution has been taking place in the building materials industry. 

Every day in the United States, more than 10,000 workers are injured on the job with 14 of those injuries resulting in death. While the sheer number of those injuries is staggering, the financial impact to employers is crippling.

Novo Building Products is pleased to announce the opening of a new Empire Moulding and Millwork distribution facility in Amherst, New Hampshire. Strategically located 60 miles north of Boston, the new 217,000-square-foot facility services 750 independent lumberyards, specialty millwork shops, stair manufacturers, door fabricators, ProDealers and home centers across New England.

Westlake Royal Building Products announced three partnerships that will distribute Versetta Stone (Lumbermen’s Inc., Mid-Am Building Supply and Wausau Supply Company). These partnerships will expand the Versetta Stone footprint in the Midwest as well as the East Coast.

Advances in chemistry make more sustainable building envelopes.

Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, Ghafari Associates, Inc. is one of the fastest growing architectural and engineering firms in the Midwest.

Werner introduced on Feb. 5 the new Bantam Switch, the first reverse-system self-retracting lifeline, for pros working at height. The SRL transfers weight of the housing unit from the user’s back to the anchor point and lightens the load to 0 pounds.

Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, announced on Sept. 12 the launch of the new Leica iCON trades solution, which pairs the Leica iCON iCS20 and Leica iCON iCS50 sensors with industry-tailored construction layout workflows. The new solution complements the industry-leading Leica iCON build portfolio.

DAP introduced the new HD Max construction adhesive, a premium, hybrid formula with polyurethane strength that provides superior durability and powerful adhesion, even in extreme temperatures.

Makita has an expanding dust extraction system with vacuums, accessories and attachments for use in concrete drilling, breaking, surfacing and cutting applications. Select tools and dust extractors are equipped with the Auto-start Wireless System, which utilizes Bluetooth technology for wireless power-on/off communication between an equipped tool and dust extractor.

Milwaukee Tool continues its commitment to disruptive innovation, expanding its PACKOUT Modular Storage System with eight new PACKOUT Toolbox Attachments. These new solutions securely lock onto the PACKOUT system’s metal-reinforced corners, allowing professionals to carry more and quickly access tools, parts and materials, enhancing job site productivity.

The racial justice charity accepts the wording and statistics used in posts about the Chris Kaba case ‘were not as carefully expressed as they should have been’

Blending transparency and flexibility within commercial spaces, the new Tubelite INT14 Interior Flush Glaze Framing System offers versatile design options for floor-to-ceiling room enclosures or freestanding partitions. Expanding choices for facility managers, design professionals and glazing contractors, the INT14 system provides necessary separation and prioritizes daylight, visual connection and sound reduction.

The Metal Construction Association is reinvigorating its MCM System Fabricator Certification program. Through the program, companies that fabricate metal composite material panels for architectural use can earn certification by meeting requirements for experience, services, MCM system performance and financial strength.

The Care Quality Commission said addressing inequalities demanded better relationships between local authorities and the voluntary sector

Knight Wall Systems announced Jan. 25 that it has partnered with design software development company RIB to create a new specification section for cladding support systems within RIB’s SpecLink building specification platform.

CI stucco could affect methods used in future building codes.

In this video, W&C contributor Mike Griffin, of Demand Products, speaks with John Wyatt about this year’s TLPCA Annual Convention & Trade Show.

EIMA announced the launch of its newly redesigned website. The modern, user-friendly platform is set to become the go-to resource for the Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems industry, providing an extensive array of technical resources, advocacy tools, educational materials and a gallery showcasing exemplary EIFS projects.

Houston’s Thompson Intermediate School features a modern, high-performance interior with stone wool ceilings.

MTIdry formally announced a major milestone in its journey: the launch of its newly redesigned website and refreshed company identity. The transformation from Masonry Technology Inc. to MTIdry reflects its evolution beyond traditional masonry into a comprehensive provider of high-quality moisture management solutions for all cladding types – as well as below-grade basement waterproofing and retrofit applications.

The EIFS Industry Members Association announced that Georgia-Pacific Building Products has rejoined the association as its newest associate member. Georgia-Pacific brings decades of expertise and innovation to EIMA, strengthening the association’s efforts to promote the benefits and applications of EIFS in the construction industry.

The QuickSpan Locking Drywall Grid System from Certainteed Gypsum is an innovative ceiling grid system that provides the industry’s longest unsupported spans for flat drywall. It’s engineered and designed for quick, easy installation of spans for drywall ceilings in hallways and corridors.

USG recently hosted a public tour of its newly opened gypsum quarry in Alabaster Township, Michigan.

Washington – OSHA has released interim enforcement guidance for its Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard (1926.1153), which is set to be enforced in full on Oct. 23.

The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholds the lower permissible exposure limit in OSHA’s updated silica rule. Supporters of the rule call the court’s decision a “huge victory” for workers, while opponents say it disregards “legitimate concerns.”

Washington — OSHA has released initial enforcement guidelines for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for general industry and maritime, a couple of weeks before many of the rule’s provisions are scheduled to go into effect.

Washington — Seeking “uniformity” in the enforcement of its silica standards, OSHA has published an instructional directive for its compliance safety and health officers.

Lansing, MI — Michigan OSHA intends to conduct inspections at jobsites where workers are most likely to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica, as part of the agency’s recently launched state emphasis program aimed at reducing exposure to silica and preventing silicosis.

Nearly a third of charity chief executives have experienced discrimination or barriers during their career in the sector, Acevo says

The gap reached 14 per cent last year, research from the charity leaders body Acevo shows

The system has offered running places in the race to charities since the 1990s

The construction industry added 34,000 jobs on net in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released Sept. 6 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment grew by 228,000 jobs, an increase of 2.8 percent.

Knight Wall Systems announced on Sept. 17 the hire of Anna Allen as human resources manager, according to Knight operations manager Pat Collins.

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance partnered with World Vision, a humanitarian organization helping children, families and their communities overcome poverty and injustice, to provide school supplies to in-need children during the 2024 FGIA Fall Conference on Sept. 16-19.

Those participating in the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance’s 2024 Fall Conference, which was held in Minneapolis, heard the ways in which Minnesota is leading the nation when it comes to commercial energy codes and efficiency, as well as efforts to mitigate the impact of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances on the environment and local drinking water supply.