WASHINGTON, Jan. 31—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman issued the following remarks on President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech. “Associated Builders and Contractors appreciates President Trump’s focus on creating a strong economy with limitless opportunities for all Americans. The president is right, America is a nation of builders, and ABC and its members are confident about the direction of the U.S. economy and the construction industry and stand ready to help rebuild America’s infrastructure.”

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29—Construction Executive magazine, published by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with the launch of its new and improved website, ConstructionExec.com, and a new digital newsletter, CE This Week. Readers can now access a variety of articles posted daily that pertain to all facets of the construction industry: safety, insurance, technology, surety bonding, regulatory, craft training, leadership, fleet management, business development, economic trends and more.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11—Overall construction input prices declined 0.1 percent in December, yet despite the lack of inflation for the month, prices are up 5 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of  Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today.  Nonresidential construction materials prices also declined 0.1 percent for the month and are up 4.8 percent from the same time one year ago. 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5—The nonresidential construction sector added 11,800 net new jobs in December, representing nearly 10 percent of the nation’s jobs created during the month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s overall construction sector added 30,000 net new jobs in December, a 0.4 percent month-over-month increase.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5—George R. Nash Jr., director of preconstruction for Branch & Associates in Herndon, Va., began his one-year term as chair of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) on Jan. 1, 2018. He leads the 21,000-plus member association’s executive committee and board of directors, guides its national initiatives and serves as its spokesperson.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3—Nonresidential construction spending expanded 0.6 percent in November, totaling $719.2 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the month-over-month expansion, nonresidential spending fell 1.3 percent from November 2016. 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3—The not seasonally adjusted (NSA) national construction unemployment rate was 5 percent in November, down 0.7 percent from a year ago and the lowest November rate on record, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The construction industry employed 191,000 more workers than in November 2016.