JOLIET, IL (01/09/2013)(readMedia)-- The University of St. Francis has named Janelle Mosher, from Sterling, Ill. to its dean's honor list for the Fall 2012 semester.

Students who have attained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher at the end of the semester in which he or she has taken at least 12 credit hours are named to the dean's honor list.

The University of St. Francis in Joliet serves more than 3,600 students nationwide with 60 areas of undergraduate study, 14 graduate programs and four degree-completion programs. For more information about the University of St. Francis, visit www.stfrancis.edu.

SPRINGFIELD - January 9, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today attended the inauguration ceremony for members of the Illinois House of Representatives and issued the following statement congratulating all new members of the Illinois General Assembly sworn in today.

"I would like to welcome and congratulate the men and women who today became members of the Illinois legislature. There are a number of extremely important issues facing our state that will be addressed by the 98th General Assembly, and I applaud their dedication to serving the public and tackling these issues.

"I would also like to congratulate Senate President John Cullerton, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who were selected to continue leading their caucuses. I appreciate their bipartisan work on behalf of the people of Illinois.

"I look forward to working with the 98th General Assembly as we find solutions that will enable us to pay our bills and bring our fiscal house in order, while continuing to fund priorities like education, health care and social services. We must also work together to restore faith in government by passing ethics reform legislation."

 ###

Current conditions, activity forecast hit highest level to date

Des Plaines, Illinois, January 9, 2013?The National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) fourth-quarter Remodeling Business Pulse data of current and future remodeling business conditions has experienced significant growth across all indicators, with forecasting in the next three months hitting its all-time highest level.

The significantly positive results have a lot to do with homeowner security, remodelers say.

"Remodelers are indicating major growth in the future, with many saying that clients are feeling more stable in their financial future and their employment situations; therefore, they are spending more freely on remodeling needs," says Tom O'Grady, CR, CKBR, chairman of NARI's Strategic Planning & Research Committee and president of O'Grady Builders, based in Drexel Hill, Pa.

Growth indicators in the last quarter of 2012 are as follows:

• Current business conditions up 2.1% since last quarter
• Number of inquiries up 3.9% since last quarter
• Requests for bids up 3.7% since last quarter
• Conversion of bids to jobs up 3.5% since last quarter
• Value of jobs sold is up 4.3% since last quarter

Throughout 2012, the Remodeling Business Pulse produced less statistically significant increases and decreases; however, the fourth-quarter data shows movement in highly important business areas such as conversion rates and value of jobs.

Although they provide positive marks, NARI members are realistic about the reasoning, saying many consumers are spending on remodeling out of necessity.

As one NARI member put it: "Homeowners are still concerned about spending money but will do so because they cannot postpone any longer. They are spending more conservatively than they did prior to the crash."

Still, according to the data, expectations for 2013 are even brighter. Two-thirds of remodelers forecasted the next three months positively, and the rating jumped 13.1% from last quarter.

Drivers of this positive outlook continue to be postponement of projects (81% reporting) and the improvement of home prices (51% reporting).

Of the small segment predicting declines, 91% cited uncertainty of the future with commentary focused largely on tax increases and leadership issues in Washington.

"Now that the election is over, consumer confidence is starting to grow and so has remodelers' confidence," O'Grady says. "NARI members are looking forward to having a well-deserved, productive year ahead."

To review the research in its entirety, please send your request to marketing@nari.org.

NARI is the source for homeowners seeking to hire a professional remodeling contractor. Members are full-time, dedicated remodelers who follow a strict code of ethics with high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

# # #

About NARI: The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry.  The Association, which represents 7,000 member companies nationwide?comprised of 63,000 remodeling contractors? is "The Voice of the Remodeling Industry."® To learn more about membership, visit www.NARI.org or contact national headquarters, based in Des Plaines, Ill., at (847) 298-9200.