Blastrac has named new specialized distributors for the Pacific Northwest and Florida. Kodiak Equipment, based in Kent, Wash., will serve Alaska, Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho and British Columbia, Canada. Standard Sand & Silica Co., with locations in Miami, Jacksonville and Haines City, Fla., will serve the state of Florida. Blastrac […]

Multiquip Inc. has begun marketing light and medium construction equipment to building professionals throughout the Middle East and in select Eastern European companies. Multiquip products are now available from Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia in the east to Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west. European distribution includes such nations […]

Vic International Corp., a global distributor of concrete polishing and stone and tile fabrication products, has named Johnny E. Blalock director of purchasing. Blalock was formerly a temporary buyer-planner with Sea Ray. For more about Vic, visit www.vicintl.com or call (800) 423-1634.

Degussa Admixtures Inc. has added two new product line managers to its Technology Innovation and Sustainability Group. Dana Pasquali will manage Degussa’s Master Builders brand core products: water-reducing, accelerating and retarding admixtures, viscositymodifying admixtures and the Rheomac UW450 product line. She will also lead the company’s work in Liquid Sand […]

Concrete contractor Colorado Hardscapes Inc. has named chief operating officer Andrew “A.J.” Fox as its new president. Fox, a former vice president of TruGreen Companies, has 20 years of green industry management experience. He is currently directing the implementation of a Western Slopes Branch of the company, which will serve […]

International Surface Preparation Corp. has spun off a cut-wire abrasives company, Abrasive Materials LLC. The Hillsdale, Mich., company has been a leader in cut-wire abrasives for 50 years, and was part of ISPC’s Industrial Distribution Group for the past five. The new LLC is owned by former Abrasive Materials manager […]

Fluid handling equipment manufacturer Graco Inc acquires Gusmer Corp. and also, in a related transaction, Gusmer Europe S.L. Gusmer is a leading designer and manufacturer of two-component dispense equipment systems. These two-component systems are designed for use with polyureas, polyurethanes and epoxies, among others. Graco Inc acquires Gusmer Corp. from […]

Quad-Lock Building Systems Ltd. claimed its share of the credit when two single-family residences in Yellowstone National Park earned LEED certification. The houses were constructed with Quad-Lock insulating concrete forms. The contractor, Zanterra Parks & Resorts, chose Quad-Lock because it was aiming for LEED certification, and Quad-Lock forms provide the […]

World demand for cement and concrete additives is forecast to rise 6.8 percent per year through 2008 to $6.7 billion, a big improvement over 1998-2003, according to a new study from market research firm The Freedonia Group Inc. The report, “World Cement & Concrete Additives,” predicts the healthiest gains will […]

Last year’s hurricane season helped drive spending on home-improvement products in 2004 to an estimated $271.4 billion, a record high, reports the Home Improvement Research Institute. The estimated total for 2004 represents a 13 percent increase over 2003 spending. HIRI had predicted only a 10 percent increase in June 2004, […]