News, Information and Ideas from around the Web

Builders Need to Make Energy Efficiency a Selling Point
from Nation's Building News
At a time when energy costs are taking a bigger bite out of the household budget and consumers are increasingly receptive to energy efficiency and sustainability in their housing, the nation’s home builders must do a better job of selling green home building features to their customers, according to participants at the NAHB National Green Building Conference in St. Louis on March 25-27... read more

Masco Corporation Announces Corporate Leadership Transition
from MarketWatch.com
Masco Corporation today announced that Richard Manoogian, 70, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has expressed to the Masco Board of Directors his desire to transition from his role as Chief Executive Officer to become Executive Chairman of the Company in July 2007. Mr. Manoogian is only the second Chairman and CEO in Masco's seventy-eight year history, having succeeded his father, Alex Manoogian, who founded the company in 1929... read more

RFID And The Search For Perfect Logistics
from Forbes.com
While working with a client to define specifications for a new warehouse management system, a member of the manufacturing team, new to the world of distribution, asked us a simple but thought-provoking question: "Why don't logistics processes perform at the same high-quality standards that my production lines do?"... read more

Green Homeowners Are More Satisfied -- And Motivated By Cost
NAHB and McGraw-Hill Construction Release New Survey at the National Green Building Conference
from National Association of Home Builders
A new home buyer survey finds a high rate of customer satisfaction among those who have purchased green homes – and that 63 percent of buyers are motivated by the lower operating and maintenance costs that come with energy- and resource-efficient homes... read more

Consumer Confidence at 6-Month Low
High Gas Prices, Housing Slump and Stock Market Turbulence Undermine Consumer Confidence
from Yahoo! Finance
Consumer confidence sank to a six-month low as higher gasoline prices, a housing slump and stock market turbulence made people fret more about the economy... read more

Modest Growth for Home Improvement Product Sales Still Expected in 2007
from Home Improvement Research Institute
In the Global Insight/HIRI forecast report of February 2007, the current estimated size of the residential repair and remodeling products’ market for 2007 was reported at a level of $316 billion, representing growth of just 1.6% over the 2006 estimated total of $310.9 billion. This growth is significantly lower than the estimated 8.4% growth achieved in 2006. The slower growth is being driven primarily by the housing downturn currently underway. However, the long-term outlook for this market still remains quite strong and is estimated to average growth of +5.4% annually over the next 4 years and reach a level of $389.7 billion at year-end 2011... read more