Dec. 28, 2022 – Rock Products has debuted “The Pulse,” a new construction industry economic report; and the AVP Pulse Index, a joint effort with mergers and acquisition advisors Allen-Villere Partners. According to Pierre G. Villere, chief author of the report, the Index shows a remarkable upward trajectory since its bottom in the spring of 2020, during the height of the COVID lockdown. Since then, it has been on a march upward in a very steady fashion. There is a trend toward a flattening this past fall as the new home start numbers fall, but there is still strength in other construction sectors, especially the infrastructure activity spurred by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will pour $1.2 trillion into construction over the next few short years, he noted. The Pulse will be published quarterly in Rock Products, and the AVP Pulse Index will appear monthly. Both will appear in the January 2023 issue of the magazine.