Contractors Stay Confident in June as Backlog Slips

Jul 15, 2026

Despite Associated Builders and Contractors’ Construction Backlog Indicator falling 0.3 months in June, contractor confidence held up, with all three components of ABC’s Construction Confidence Index remaining above the 50 threshold.

Confidence in sales climbed to 63.6 from 61.1 in May, and staffing expectations rose to 62.7 from 61.3. Profit margins were the outlier, slipping to 52.4—a seven-month low—which ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu attributed to rising input prices weighing on profitability. Even so, he noted margin expectations remain above where they sat in the second half of 2025.

Backlog, meanwhile, fell to 8.8 months from 9.1 months in May. Year-over-year, construction backlog was up 0.1 months. Basu said backlog is still longer than at any point between September 2023 and April 2026, crediting continued growth in data center construction.

Read the full report here.

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Keen Introduces Non-Marking Work Shoes

July 15, 2026

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Keen Introduces Non-Marking Work Shoes

Small Business Optimism Rises in June

Johnson Hardwood Now Directly Distributes to the Southeast

Bona to Partner with Footprints Floors for Education Program

Keen Introduces Non-Marking Work Shoes

Keen's Targhee Blur Work Shoe features an "energy-returning midsole, carbon toe and below-ankle height for agile movement," the company says.

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Small Business Optimism Rises in June

Small business optimism rose 2.1 points in June to 97.4, nearing its 52-year average of 98.0, according to the National Federation of Independent Business's Small Business Optimism Index.

Johnson Hardwood Now Directly Distributes to the Southeast

Johnson Hardwood (City of Industry, Calif.) expanded its direct distribution network into Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Bona to Partner with Footprints Floors for Education Program

Bona (Englewood, Colo.) will partner with Footprints Floors (Englewood, Colo.) to provide franchise owners and installation professionals with technical training, product education and business development resources through Footprints Floors' Corporate Partner Engagement Program.

Chile Seizes 108 Tons of Drugs from Inside Timber in Record Bust

Chilean customs and law enforcement agencies seized just over 1,000 tons of wood chemically impregnated with illicit drugs at the ports of Arica, Valparaíso and San Antonio—the largest drug seizure in the country's history, according to Chile's National Customs Service.

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Derr Flooring Opens Allentown Facility

Wood flooring and supplies distributor Derr Flooring (Willow Grove, Pa.) opened a warehouse and pro shop in Allentown, Pa., marking the eighth Mid-Atlantic location for the fifth-generation family-owned company.

Laticrete Launches Loyalty Program

Laticrete (Bethany, Conn.) launched Blue Premier Rewards, a digital loyalty program for contractors, installers and dealers.

Existing-Home Sales Slip in June as Median Price Hits Record

Existing-home sales fell 2.4% from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million in June, though sales were up 2.8% year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Remodeling Sentiment Holds in Positive Territory in Q2

Remodeler confidence stayed steady and positive in the second quarter, with the National Association of Home Builders Remodeling Market Index posting a reading of 61.

Traxx Acquires Wisconsin-Based Powernail Company

Traxx Corporation (Pomona, Calif.) announced that it effectively acquired Powernail Company (Genoa City, Wis.) on July 1. In addition to its California headquarters and new Wisconsin facility, Traxx has an operation in Calhoun, Ga.

Residential Construction Jobs Concentrated in Rural, Smaller Markets

As residential construction employment shed a net 48,800 jobs over the past 12 months—the 15th consecutive annual decline and longest stretch of losses since the Great Recession—home building remains a major source of local jobs in many smaller markets, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Felder Brings PCS Safety System to Mid-Priced K700 Saws

Felder Group will debut an expansion of its Preventive Contact System at IWF Atlanta, held August 25–28 at Booth 5000/5010, extending the sliding-table-saw safety technology to its K700 series.

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