AIA says member firms' revenues have dropped 40% since 2008
A recent survey by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington, D.C., says since the beginning of the recession in early 2008, architecture firms have collectively seen their revenue drop by 40 percent and have had to cut personnel by nearly a third. Despite a national recovery from the recession in 2009, construction activity continued to spiral downward, according to the recent 2012 AIA Firm Survey, now available for purchase at the AIA Store (www.aia.org) for $129.95 for non-members/$79.98 for members. Total construction spending levels, which exceeded $1 trillion in 2008, fell to under $800 billion in 2011. As a result, gross revenue at architecture firms declined from more than $44 billion in 2008 to $26 billion by 2011, a 40 percent decline over this three-year period.
EMCOR subsidiary wins NASA contract for Mississippi facility
EMCOR Group Inc., Norwalk, Conn., said its Harry Pepper & Associates subsidiary has been awarded a five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity multiple award construction contract by NASA at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss. The Stennis Space Center provides propulsion test services to NASA and the Department of Defense and is home to more than 30 federal, state, academic and private organizations and numerous technology-based companies.
Blazer Electric Supply helps raise $25,000 for Colorado fire victims
Blazer Electric Supply, Colorado Springs, Colo., along with its vendors and customers, held the “Blazer Blaze Benefit” golf tournament at Kings Deer Country Club in Monument, Colo., on Sept. 14. The tournament raised money for the Waldo Canyon fire victims and first responders involved in the June wildfire, which destroyed 346 homes and claimed two lives in Colorado Springs.
The $25,000 that Blazer Electric Supply, its vendors and customers raised was split evenly between the Waldo Canyon Fire Victims Assistance Fund administered by Pikes Peak United Way and the Waldo Canyon Firefighters Fund administered by the Pikes Peak Community Foundation. Generous support was received from Casey-Bergquist, Inc., a Denver-based manufacturers' representative, which was the $5,000 Title Sponsor. Other major sponsors included Hubbell Inc., Southwire and Illumination Systems, Inc. Blazer Electric Supply has 70 employees at its branches in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colo.
Mayer opens branch location in Charlottesville, Va.
Mayer Electric Supply, Birmingham, Ala.'s new Charlottesville location occupies 15,000 square feet and carries an inventory of $700,000. Keith Langford, a Mayer employee since 1996, is branch manager. The branch is located at 219 Elliott Ave. in Charlottesville and will be holding the ribbon cutting ceremony at its grand opening in October.
Roofing distributor to market Siemens PV inverters
The market channels for distributing solar equipment are still evolving, and they look quite a bit different from what you see in the mainstream electrical wholesaling industry. Some roofing distributors are all over this market, and one of them, Allied Building Products Corp., East Rutherford, N.J., a 200-branch giant, recently inked a deal with Siemens to sell that company's microinverters to solar contractors nationwide.