Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/221076
Industry Beat Canadian Housing Market Expected to be Stable Until Mid-2014 According to the Canadian Housing Mortgage Corp., housing starts have remained relatively stable since March 2013 and are expected to continue this trend until mid-2014. In the latter half of 2014, housing starts are forecast to moderate. Total housing starts are expected to decline to 185,000 units in 2013 and then remain mostly unchanged, reaching 184,700 units in 2014. Single-family housing starts should account for a growing share of total starts through 2014. Housing starts are expected to rebalance regionally, with Western Canada gaining a larger share of new home construction over the forecast horizon, due to a supportive economic environment. On the existing home market, Alberta will continue to lead the country, experiencing overall resale activity and house price growth above the national average. Utah & Missouri Take Home Top Transportation Honors in National Competition The states of Utah and Missouri were named the winners of a year-long campaign to recognize America's top transportation projects. The Utah Department of Transportation earned the America's Transportation Awards Grand Prize, determined by a panel of judges, for its I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE) project, which used innovative scheduling and planning techniques to complete the $1.725 billion project two years ahead of schedule while saving taxpayers about $260 million. The Missouri Department of Transportation was awarded the People's Choice Award after it garnered more than 330,000 online votes for its Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program that rehabilitated and replaced more than 800 bridges to improve safety more than a year ahead of schedule. The awards are sponsored by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens Donates $4K In Honor of Dealers KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens announced a donation of more than $4,000 to local and national charities selected by its dealer organization in lieu of traditional awards at the company's annual National Dealer Conference. Nine dealers were recognized for excellence, including Road Machinery & Supplies of Savage, Minn.; General Equipment and Supplies of Fargo, N.D.; Goodfellow Corporation of Boulder City, Nev.; G. W. Van Keppel Company of Kansas City, Kan.; Lonetrack Equipment/Chieftain Recycling Equipment of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; McAllister Equipment of Alsip, Ill.; Texas Bearing Company of Amarillo, Texas; Thompson Rolec Equipment of Lewiston, Maine; and American State Equipment of Little Chute, Wis. Pictured left to right: KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens Sales Director Ron Earl and Regional Sales Manager Greg Graham with Dave Johnson of Road Machinery and Supplies (RMS), one of nine dealers that received funds from the company to donate to the charity of its choice. New Social Network for Skilled Workers A new social network launched in September offers skilled workers a place where they can build an identity on the Web, allowing them to find their next job faster and easier, stay connected with their employers and organizations, and share their past projects. After signing up for Work Hands, (workhands.us) users can add a profile photo and fill their profile with their experience, a listing of the tools they own and know how to use, as well as examples and photos of their work. WorkHands will sell job posts to companies looking to hire from among more than 20 million skilled trades professionals nationwide. They will also offer private networking for organizations like unions and training programs to improve communication and coordination with their members. 16 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | December 2013