Housing starts decreased 15.4% in May, primarily driven by a drop in multifamily construction, while single-family building also fell amid high interest rates, rising construction costs and labor shortages, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The May reading …
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PLM Appoints New Vice President of Claims
Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM) recently announced Courtney Flanagan has joined the organization as vice president of claims. Flanagan will oversee the company’s claims operations and strategy and will focus on advancing claims performance, supporting team development and ensuring …
Read More »Builder Confidence Remains Low in June
Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell two points to 35 in June amid rising material costs, elevated mortgage rates and continued affordability challenges impacting the housing market, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells …
Read More »Homeowners Lean Into Professionals, Focus on Home Maintenance Renovations in 2026
Renovation activity has remained strong in 2026, with homeowners completing smaller, more necessary projects over luxury renovations. Recent data from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) reveals insights into what retailers can expect for homeowner spending patterns throughout the rest …
Read More »Personalization and Convenience Drive Yelp’s 2026 Fastest Growing Brands
Yelp recently released its 2026 Fastest Growing Brands report, highlighting the 50 companies that achieved the most impressive growth and consumer momentum over the past year. The ranking is based on a combined weighted metric of net new business openings, …
Read More »Residential Building Material Prices Rise in May
Residential construction building materials prices rose in May as energy prices continued to increase, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index. Prices for residential building materials jumped 4.4% year over year and 0.7% month over month in …
Read More »Westlake Ace Hardware Expands in Washington
Ace Retail Group recently announced it is opening a new Westlake Ace Hardware in University Place, Washington, a prosperous and thriving community of around 35,000 residents in the greater Tacoma, Washington, area. Ace Retail Group currently owns and operates five …
Read More »Bliffert Lumber Names New Director of Operations
Bliffert Lumber recently announced the promotion of Dan Plate to director of operations. “Stepping into this role provides a great opportunity to help grow Bliffert Lumber,” Plate says. “The growth over the past 5 plus years has been tremendous, and …
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