The United Association recently held one of its Green Awareness courses for Chicago building inspectors at the Pipefitters Local 597 training center in Mokena, Ill.
Wolverine Tube Inc. said it will discontinue its U.S. plumbing tube business and close two production facilities due to a decline in demand for copper plumbing, leading to job cuts.
Interline
Brands Inc., a distributor and direct marketer of MRO (maintenance, repair and
operations) products, reported sales for the nine months ended Sept. 28, 2007,
were $938.8 million, a 21.3 percent increase over sales of $774.3 million in
the comparable 2006 period.
A new survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders
confirms that a desire for greater energy efficiency drives consumers to choose
a green-built home.
Although there appears to be no let-up to
the current housing downswing, economists participating in the National
Association of Home Builders Fall Construction Forecast Conference Oct. 24 said
they expect the industry to bottom out and to start turning around in 2008.