Material prices, hurricanes: to shape nonresidential sector.(INDUSTRY NEWS)

SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

MECHANICAL contractors who work on the nonresidential side of the business will continue to see rising material prices in 2006. Job activity in industrial, institutional and other nonresidential sectors likely will increase this year as well.

"Pricing of materials will be the biggest issue," said Tom LaGuardia, vice president/marketing of Milwaukee Valve. "Where we used to be able to protect prices for 60 days, now it's 45 or even 30 days."

While LaGuardia told CONTRACTOR that he did not believe that availability of metals w