Contract - July/August 2011 - (Page 22)

industry news ASID Launches Small Business Council and Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) recently launched its Small Business Council to offer focused support for its members who work in firms of 20 employees or fewer. And its new Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index, which provides a snapshot of key business indicators specific to the interior design profession, promises to outline critical benchmarks for small firms that will help them evaluate their businesses in a changing economy. Data is gathered monthly, and trend-identifying reports are issued to participating firms quarterly. The initial report was based on numbers for the calendar quarter that ended in March. The second-quarter report was being finalized at press time, but the tentative June billing index—the latest index number based on 75 percent of responding firms—was slightly positive at 53.0. ASID’s Small Business Council sends the Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index survey to approximately 300 participating small- and medium-sized firms to gather relevant business data for the designer. The majority of participating firms are in the United States, with a small number in Canada. Index numbers above 50 indicate positive trends—above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 contraction. The survey yields data across a broad cross-section of indicators, such as healthcare costs, billings and inquiries, energy and purchasing costs, and availability of financing and credit. The tentative June numbers also indicate that inquiries were a positive 63.5, up from 58.4 in May. Residential and office billings both improved from May to June, at 26.5 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, while hospitality had a 9.2 percent drop. Despite the notable increase in inquiries in June, most respondents were not optimistic about business conditions for the remainder of 2011. Only 8 percent anticipated hiring in the third quarter, and only 41 percent believed business would be better by the FORM +FUNCTION Connectrac’s ultra-sleek and flexible raceway system gives you the freedom of connectivity without compromising design. Our innovative system allows you to easily install power, voice and data with unlimited possibilities. For more information visit us at connectrac.com or call 877 .480.5637 . connectivity with flexibilit y (continued on page 24) Select No. 22 at ContractDesign.com/readerservice http://www.connectrac.com http://www.connectrac.com http://www.ContractDesign.com/readerservice

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - July/August 2011

Contract - July/August 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Focus: Change it Up
Product Focus: Angling for Attention
Product Focus: (Good) Writing on the Wall
Product Focus: Come Together
Best of NeoCon® 2011
Making a Marc
Becoming Kate
Ray of Light
True Blue
Nature Speaks
A New Home
Bloomie's New Edition
Shring to Fitness
Practice: Smaller, Sustainable Retail
Trends: Retail Retrofit
Designers Select: Fabrics
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - July/August 2011