News

HousingZone Headline News ProSpec/Bonsal American

Look to the PermaFlex Lite 525 lightweight thin set mortar for tile and natural stone installations

Serious Materials

ThermaProof windows were developed to reduce the energy used for heating and cooling by 20-40%, resulting in an 8-16% savings in energy costs for a typical home or building

ACP, Acoustic Ceiling Products

Made in 4x8-inch sheets, the new decorative wall panels from ACP come in 19 finishes and seven embossed designs

Gorell Windows and Doors

Style is all locked in with Gorell’s new 5100 Series, which feature hidden locks to give homeowners an unobstructed view

DeWalt

A 6-1/2-inch, 48-tooth woodworking blade with a laser cut plate and precision ground teeth provides exceptional cut quality on DeWalt’s new TrackSaws

Cooper Wiring Devices

These new receptacles are in full compliance with the 2008 NEC code requirements as stated in sections 406.8 (wet and damp locations) and 406.11 (tamper-resistant receptacles) for weather, tamper and combined weather & tamper-resistant receptacles

Simpson Strong-Tie

These new Strong Frame moment frames allow for larger openings and smaller wall sections

Benjamin Obdyke

The Mortairvent two-ply mortar deflection and ventilation system works great on new building materials such as manufactured stone and EIFS

Mitsubishi Electric HVAC

You can fill your single-zone HVAC jobs with Mitsubishi’s new Mr. Slim models

Hilti

Hilti’s VC20-U and VC40-U are ideal for dry and wet cutting, and grinding, drilling and dry coring, wet coring, angle grinding and wood applications

Temple-Inland

The new GreenGlass Sheathing is Temple-Inland’s most mold-, moisture- and weather-resistant exterior gypsum product yet

Wilsonart

These new high-pressure laminates have an optical effect to create the look and feel of natural stone

California Courtyard Home Brings Buyers Back Into Market

An innovative Southern California courtyard model with enough pizzazz to help Toll Brothers sell 21 homes in less than eight months.

Home auctions rid homebuilders of inventory fast

One builder offers tips to running a successful home auction.

Homebuilders, learn to sell your services

Learn to turn the perks and services you offer from price tags to benefits in your home buyers’ eyes.

 

Statesman - Latest Business Stories Headlines Medical device company making spinal infection fighter

Austin spinal surgeon Matthew Geck says that up to 5 percent of patients will develop an infection after surgery.

Kohl's to hire 150 people in Kyle; RipCode raises $12.5 million

EMPLOYMENT

U.S. auto sales plunge whopping 36 percent in December

Huge rebates and interest-free loans couldn't overcome economic uncertainty as U.S. auto sales plunged 36 percent in December, capping a dismal year that saw sales free-fall by 2.9 million vehicles compared with 2007.

Construction spending shows gains but outlook grim; AP source: Ex-eBay CEO to run for Calif. governor

CONSTRUCTION

Lawmakers say SEC 'failed miserably' in Madoff case

Democratic lawmakers on Monday charged that the Securities and Exchange Commission had "failed miserably" in following up on warnings that could have uncovered several years ago possible wrongdoing by Bernard Madoff, who is accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Electronics show loses some of its sizzle

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas is traditionally as much a boisterous celebration of all things technology as it is a trade show.

For most of us, mutual funds are a smarter choice than individual stocks

Q: I notice that you seem to tout mutual funds regularly. But I have never seen you mention private ownership of individual stocks. I wonder if there is a reason.

Freescale makes a bet on netbooks

Amid the high-tech wreckage of 2008, at least one bright spot appeared: netbooks.

H-P's Iran connection

Behind an unmarked door on a crowded side street in Tehran, a stack of Hewlett-Packard printers rises to the ceiling. A fleet of motorbikes swarms outside as deliverymen wait to take printers to buyers across the sprawling capital.

Microsoft strengthens sales, customer ties with rebooted online store

In the midst of a holiday shopping season in which online retail sales fell for the first time, the general manager of Microsoft's online store said sales and traffic are "really good."

New venture firm is aiming at game developers

How to invest in a low-interest rate environment

Risk is out of the question. But the safest investments deliver almost nothing, especially now when interest rates are at record lows. So how do you squeeze out a decent return and still sleep soundly?

After a tumultuous 2008, can the stock market regain its footing in 2009?

After a year of devastating losses, the stock market has the makings of a recovery in 2009: nearly $9 trillion in cash on the sidelines, waiting to be invested.

As recession deepens, so does surplus of milk

As recent months have made clear, the long economic boom, fueled by easy credit, led to an oversupply of cars, houses and shopping malls. Now, add one more item to the list: an oversupply of cows.

Foreign workers face stress as unemployment rises

For foreign professionals in the United States, the rising unemployment rate is especially daunting.