Emerson Spins off Climate Technologies as Copeland

Blackstone and Emerson announced that private equity funds managed by Blackstone have completed the previously announced acquisition of a majority stake in Emerson’s Climate Technologies business in a transaction valuing the business at $14 billion.

The new standalone business will be named Copeland — building on the brand’s 100-year legacy, global recognition and influence across the HVACR industry. As a standalone company focused on serving the global HVACR market, Copeland’s product portfolio includes compressors, controls, thermostats, valves, software and monitoring solutions for residential, commercial and industrial customers. Copeland had fiscal 2022 net sales of $5 billion.

“Copeland has long been a pioneer in the HVAC and refrigeration industries with unmatched capabilities in engineering, design and innovation,” said Copeland CEO Ross B. Shuster. “With the focus that comes from being a standalone company, and the support of our shareholders, Blackstone and Emerson, we plan to extend the company’s leadership position in the industry and develop new and integrated climate technology solutions.

“The Copeland business is made up of over 18,000 talented team members, who are aligned and committed to developing technologies and solutions that drive decarbonization at scale, accelerate the global trend of electrification and deliver greater value for our customers and end users.”

Copeland will continue to operate from St. Louis, while maintaining a global footprint to serve customers in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

ASCE Unveils Update That Includes New Flood Provisions

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a new update to its most widely used standard, ASCE/SEI 7-22 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Building and Other Structures. The update — which is available in a supplement as a free download — revises design provisions in Chapter 5 to strengthen building resilience against the flood hazard. The design standard’s new flood load provisions are designed to protect against 500-year flood events, up from the 100-year flood hazard referenced in the previous version.

“For more than 30 years, the ASCE 7 standard has been the authoritative source for the specification of minimum design loads and related criteria in the civil engineering community,” said ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith. “To ensure structures continue to be safe for the public, it is imperative that the standards we rely on are updated to account for emerging risks to the built environment. This Supplement is the most significant change to the standard’s flood load provisions since the inception of ASCE 7 and will improve the safety and reliability of structures across the globe.”

The primary technical updates relative to climate impacts include a new requirement tying flood hazard mitigation design to Risk Category, which is consistent with other environmental hazards in ASCE 7. There are four categories from which a building designer can select based on the intended use of the structure, ranging from the least risk to human life in the event of failure in Risk Category I structures to the greatest risk to human life in the event of failure in Risk Category IV structures.

The new provisions require Risk Category II structures and above to use the 500-year floodplain to determine flood loads — Risk Category II structures — the most commonly used category, include one- and two-family buildings, low to medium occupancy businesses, or recreational facilities. Risk Category I structures, including agricultural buildings such as barns and sheds, could still follow 100-year flood provisions.

The supplement also introduces a new requirement for relative sea level change as it relates to each individual structure. The sea level rise estimated over the service life of the structure must be added to the design’s flood mitigation plans.

The development of Chapter 5 — along with its planned adoption into the 2027 International Building Code (IBC) — and subsequent coordination and updates to the ASCE/SEI 24 Flood Resistant Design and Construction Standard have been accomplished in coordination and collaboration with FEMA and the agency’s effort to update and advance the National Flood Insurance Program’s Minimum Floodplain Management Standards.

Black and Veatch Acquires Bird Electric

Black and Veatch has acquired Bird Electric Enterprises and Bird Electric Properties both part of BASElectric Holdings LLC (collectively known as Bird Electric). The agreement is designed to accelerate the growth of both companies by combining key industry engineering, construction and procurement talent and business enabling resources.

Bird Electric is a self-perform electrical construction services provider to electric utility clients. Bird brings a national reach in emergency power restoration, a key area Black and Veatch is focused on growing. With more than 600 employees, Bird Electric also brings an apprenticeship program that is certified by the Department of Labor to the combined company.

“The addition of Bird Electric and their operations is a historic event that builds upon Black & Veatch’s world-class capabilities and integrated solutions offerings,” said Mario Azar, CEO of Black and Veatch. “It also aligns to both companies’ vision to expand our solutions in the markets we serve, bring construction capabilities to a wider client base and provide broader career and personal growth opportunities to our professionals – all opening the door to an exciting future.”

Bird Electric will operate as a Black and Veatch company with enhanced capabilities and reach in the growing grid solutions market, and will also operate in adjacent linear and distributed infrastructure markets and solutions, such as electric vehicle charging, renewables and connectivity. Bird Electric founder Brian Bird will serve as president of the new entity.

“Our companies existing strong relationships, having worked together in a collaborative manner with services provided for several utility clients, creates great opportunities to expand the reach and apply the knowledge we have gained working together to meet clients’ growing demands in new markets,” Bird said.

Nationwide Boiler Adds Three Territory Partners

Nationwide Boiler Inc., a supplier of temporary rental boilers and related equipment, recently announced the appointment of three new territory partners. These companies will join Nationwide Boiler’s existing sales network.

Each of the new corporate representatives — Boilersource, KEI Steam Solutions and Lathrop Trotter — are well-established with extensive experience and background in the boiler industry. These new partner agreements have been formalized to support Nationwide Boiler’s efforts in supplying temporary boiler equipment and stock boiler solutions with a high level of customer service to boiler end-users.

Boilersource is a manufacturer’s representative and single-source sales and solutions focused organization with headquarters in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The partner agreement with Boilersource includes the territories of Northern Illinois as well as Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in Indiana.

KEI Steam Solutions has headquarters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and remote offices in Wisconsin Rapids; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The partner agreement with KEI Steam Solutions includes the territories of Southern, Central and Eastern Wisconsin, as well as the upper peninsula of Michigan.

With headquarters in Cincinnati and over 100 years’ experience in the industry, Lathrop Trotter, a division of Koch Applied Solutions, is a provider of industrial boilers, burner systems, and accessories. The partner agreement with Lathrop Trotter includes the territories of Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and Southern Illinois.

ABC VP Once Again Appointed to Safety Committee

Associated Builders and Contractors announced that Greg Sizemore has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Labor to a third term as a representative for U.S. construction employers on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. Sizemore is ABC’s vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development,

As one of 15 individuals selected, Sizemore will serve a two-year term on ACCSH. The committee was established in 1987 to advise the OSHA assistant secretary on standards for health and safety in construction and policy matters under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

“It is an absolute honor to continue to serve the construction industry in this capacity,” Sizemore said. “By assessing and advancing health and safety conditions in the construction industry, I can help ensure employers are sending their employees home in the same — or better — condition than when they arrive on the jobsite.

“This important work takes leadership, dedication and partnership from all facets of our industry. I’m looking forward to working with OSHA and the committee members to help continue to raise the bar for health and safety in construction.”

Sizemore is responsible for ABC’s STEP Safety Management System, a benchmarking improvement tool that increases safety performance among participants by reducing recordable incidents.

He also leads ABC’s Total Human Health Initiative, designed to help members assess and support workers’ mental health and prevent suicide and addiction. Sizemore is the 2023 chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to creating a zero-suicide industry.