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Show 18 Insulation installers face business loss due to cutbacks Pioneer builds on 6th North There's still plenty of room for development near downtown Salt Lake, Larry Dunford claims. ThHe should know. rough his business, Goliath Industries, Dunford is pioneering commercial development on 600 No. near None of. the space has been leased, Dunford said, but he claims Color Tile and Western Auto are interested. The $300,000 complex on a half acre site consists of a 1-- renovated home to be Goliath's offices, and about of space 10,000 square-fee- t in contained two buildings of red brick and aluminum trim. The structures were designed by Grant Haycock. We constructed the buildings on speculation and planned for modifications to be made to suit the tenants," he said. He hopes to lease the buildings to a single business. by Sheri Poe Enterprise Staff Writer Initially enthralled with the improving housing market and an energy conscious economy which boosted their business last year, insulation installers now face a serious shortage of materials and a substantial drop in sales. Frank Anderson, owner of Wasatch Insulation Co. in Ogden said his cellulose, rock wool and fiberglass distribu- - Bank of Holladay financed the project, he said. tors have all allocated only limited supplies of materials. Wasatch sales have dropped 45 percent this year as a result. In 1976, Wasatch grossed $250,000, Anderson said. This year, the figure will drop to $127,500. "Our distributors have cut our supplies by 50 percent. At this point, weve been able to keep up, but we lose accounts because of a three-wee- k delivery delay." The shortage has also eliminated Wasatch's ability to bid on large construction projects, Anderson said, and several people have been laid off as a result. Millcreek Insulation Co. is also seeing a cutback of available materials, and its gross sales are expected to drop 20 percent this year. The supply-deman- d problem with insulation has been gradually heating up across the country as energy-conscio- us Americans require more insulation in new construction(up to 700 pounds per house, compared with 500 pounds in 1976) and the reinsulation of existing homes (3 million the first half of this year compared with 750,000 in the same period of 1976). Additionally, new home construction is running at the annual rate of 1.9 million units, up 20 percent from 1976 and 60 percent from 1975. Manufacturers, striving to meet installers' orders, have increased production and many say there is no The inventory anymore. insulation is bagged and shipped out immediately." A shortage of borate, the fire retardant chemical used in cellulose insulation, is also crippling supply. The high demand has spurred an increase in the cost of insulation materials as well. Anderson said his products have increased 20 to 30 percent in cost, and this increase is passed on to consumers. Nationally, the increase is 17.2 percent more this year than last. Say good morning to a Kangaroo Treebine, It could be the start of a beautiful working partnership. You and the Kangaroo Treebine. Or the Fiddle-le- af Fig. Pigmy Date Palm. Pilea. Good to look at. Good to work with. Relationships like this don't just happen they're made to happen. By Plant Works' professionals who plan and maintain them. Because the Plant Works specializes in Business leasing and Maintenance. The atmosphere of an office. The advantage of generative surroundings. Because a man should control his work, not the other way around. WHERE WOULD YOU BUILD? Topographical Mapping Orthophotography Natural Resources Development Studies Volume Computations Complete Photoreproduction Facilities Photo Reductions and Enlargements the PLANT Living Interior Designs Business Leasing and Maintenance 245 Trolley Square 4 88 East 1st South -- WORKS 322-32- 08 532-17- Free Estimates- - 71 ENH Mapping, Inc. 9 (801) 436 Lawndale Drive 485-538- S.L.C., Utah 84115 |