PR January 2005

Epoch has added a new hue — Weathered Wood — to its color palette. The new shade is a natural brown and can be used alone for a traditional look or with lighter EverGrain hues to create contrast. Made from a combination of plastic and wood fiber, EverGrain is available in four colors including Redwood, Cedar, Cape Cod Grey and now Weathered Wood, and is made in multiple grain patterns.

Pi Tape measurement tapes are engraved and acid etched on a ground surface featuring a fixed reading that does not require periodic adjustments. Styles are available for low-light environments and stainless-steel tapes for use in corrosive settings. Available in inch or millimeter measurements, they have accuracies of 0.

With a lean staff and regular use of temporary labor supplied by a staffing agency, Louis Krokover of NewDay Development runs his remodeling and new-home business more like a big corporation than many contractors. Based in Encino, Calif., NewDay specializes in remodeling single-family homes for the upper-middle to "upper-upper" class.

Two new darker colors — Venetian Red and Classic Brown — have been added to Gentek's Sequoia Select vinyl siding line, which comes with a lifetime limited warranty that includes lifetime fade protection. Sequoia Select is available in 20 colors in four profiles: Double 4-inch Clapboard, Double 5-inch Clapboard, Double 4.

Fire Control Instruments' NetSOLO Broadband is designed to deliver full-network control and communications, digital messaging, live voice instructions and fire fighter telephone communications through a distributed network fire alarm system — all on a single pair of wires. As the user's application grows, the scalable nature of the product allows contractors to purchase the system in stag...

The hurricanes that pounded the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in 2004 left contractors and their customers pondering how to avoid damage when the next storm blows through. "There's no better time than when rebuilding to incorporate construction changes that will make a property less vulnerable to wind or water," says Bill Carwile, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Age...

Merillat introduces the Accent Collection featuring three distinctive styles. Estero is modeled after the Mission style, Tapestry has a more traditional look and Windemere has a delicate rope design. The collection enhances cabinetry style and design with accessories such as feet, corbels, ornamental onlays and molding inserts.

Allison Perry Iantosca is a second-generation manager of F.H. Perry Builder Inc., a Hopkinton, Mass., residential remodeling and custom home building firm founded by her father, Finley Perry. With annual revenue of about $5.5 million, F.H. Perry employs 14 people, six in the office and the rest in project management.

Reaching full growth potential as a company requires having more than one person — especially if that person is the owner — who can sell jobs. At Blackdog Design/Build/Remodel in Salem, N.H., president David Bryan has a whole team of design consultants who double as salespeople and triple as estimators.

Milwaukee introduces four new Rotary/Demolition Hammers with 19.9 foot-pounds of blow energy. The new models —¾-inch hex demolition hammer, 2-inch spline rotary hammer, SDS-Max demolition hammer and 2-inch SDS-Max rotary hammer — also have a speed control that matches the tool speed to the job.