NRMCA President Robert Garbini joins a growing number of construction industry executives in calling attention to the nation's precarious economy and hopes for a sustained recovery. He cited a recent article in USA Today which detailed the deteriorating condition of U.S. roads and bridges along with the inadequately-funded Highway Trust Fund. Garbini then cited another article in USA Today that discussed single-family home starts as another indicator that places a continued recovery in doubt.

Former NRMCA Board Chairman Henry Batten, president of Producer member Concrete Supply Company in North Carolina, was recently interviewed in the aftermath of the Duke Energy fly ash cleanup efforts in North Carolina. Duke Energy has been disposing some of its fly ash in ash basins, a practice it says it will now clean up for a cost of up to $10 billion. This could be good news for the area's concrete industry, which can't find enough fly ash in the area and must import it instead. Duke will increase its use of "carbon separation technology" and burn the ash and reprocess so that it can be used as a concrete additive, according to company spokeswoman Lisa Hoffmann.

NRMCA Producer member Prairie Material has posted on its Web site the story of the Farmington Area Public Library and its efforts to replace its current building which dates to 1906. Cost conscious residents had voted down two funding measures, but approved a third. Now talk has turned to how to build the replacement structure. One local resident advocates ICF construction. Prairie recounts the successful outcome.

Source: Prairie Material's Web site. Read more.

It's not quite another Big Dig, but a sizable amount of ready mixed concrete was being poured in downtown Boston earlier this month when the hole in the ground that was once Filene’s Basement began being filled in what media reports said was the largest pour of concrete in the city’s history.

Earlier this month, the Pasco County (FL) Engineering Department graciously hosted the Florida Concrete & Products Association (FC&PA) producer members and NRMCA Vice President of Pavement Structures Brian Killingsworth who presented to more than 20 different engineering firms, county/municipality officials and contractors for the 2014 Concrete Paving Conference. Topics included the benefits, design and construction of conventional, pervious and roller compacted concrete for use on streets and local roads and parking lots. Many presenters were on hand to handle all the topics and a multitude of great questions were asked and fielded by the Region 3 FC&PA team. Tampa Bay Area Region 3 chairman from the FC&PA, Ernie Jones of Argos USA and Streets and Local Roads champion for Region 3 FC&PA Justin Fleming of Titan America spearheaded the effort to bring this diverse and varied group of decision makers into one place.

An engineer from the City of Largo stated, "(the conference)...was very educational and time well spent - so thank you for having it!" He also requested designer resource references to be forwarded to his firm. The Pasco County Public Works Director spoke of the county's interest in concrete intersections and how they would benefit the county going forward. Over the past two years, FC&PA Tampa Bay Region has made some great progress with its respective MPO agencies. Concrete intersections have become a highly sought after topic of discussion in past months. For the surrounding areas of Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Tampa’s own Hillsborough County, the FC&PA is committed to helping bring these reference materials to light with its promotion efforts for Streets & Local Roads.

For more information, contact Brian Killingsworth at bkillingsworth@nrmca.org.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) held its 10th Transportation Asset Management Conference in Miami this week. As stated by TRB, the conference covered a broad range of topics on surface transportation modes of interest to agencies in all stages of implementation of asset management practices. Themes included comprehensive implementation within and across organizations; establishing and monitoring asset management plans; performance measures for asset management; tools and technology to assist decision making; transit state of good repair; and adaptation of transportation to extreme weather events and climate change. The meeting served as the forum for moving MAP-21 asset management initiatives into practice and was the venue for a wide range of federal, state, MPO/local and transit agencies as well as private sector practitioners and university researchers to share knowledge, sponsor peer to peer learning and working together.

NRMCA Vice President, Pavement Structures, Brian Killingsworth presented and then participated in the poster session on "A Systematic Pavement Type Selection Approach that Includes Environmental (LCA) and Economic (LCCA) Comparisons." The brief presentation and 2-hour poster session focused on a pavement selection approach that includes environmental and economic decisions tied to pavement design outputs. Recent research at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub has identified tools that can be used to support these pavement type selection decisions and also includes analyses of the impact of Pavement Vehicle Interaction (PVI) on vehicle fuel consumption for different roadway functional systems. All these concepts were discussed to demonstrate the impact of pavement design and management on vehicle fuel consumption and provide direction for future investments in maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the pavement network to reduce its impact on PVI. Several conference attendees visited with Killingsworth and were particularly interested in how the MIT research may be implemented in their overall asset management system.

For more information, contact Brian Killingsworth at billingsworth@nrmca.org. The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub was established by the RMC Research & Education Foundation and the Portland Cement Association in 2009. Additional information about the work taking place at MIT may be found here.

An observation of Design Assistance Program (DAP) parking lot submittals gives a clear view of what potential projects might lay ahead, according to NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen. "First, we need to realize that doing a DAP is not a guarantee the project will go concrete, but at the very least a concrete option is being considered," he explains.

"We are seeing many large parking lot projects submitted. Things like distribution centers, warehouse facilities, and trucking and parcel shipment centers. It appears the U.S. is getting prepared for more online shopping and these facilities will hold and transport the goods. The concrete paving options being considered on these projects are plain or roller compacted concrete (RCC). Concrete overlays of asphalt are also getting a fair amount of attention for existing warehouse pavements," continued Hansen.

"It is important for our members to be aware of the options owners and designers are considering. As we are changing the attitude of concrete as a viable parking lot paving option, decision makers are now investigating concrete material-type options. We should not be surprised to see an RCC specification in a market that traditionally has been plain concrete. Nor should we be surprised to see plain concrete and RCC options on the same project. We are opening up new opportunities and at the same time opening up new challenges for our producers and contractor members. We all need to position ourselves to profit from this changing market."

For more information, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org.

An NRMCA Producer member in New York State recently held meetings with one of its main flatwork contractors in order to express its desire to help build the contractor's business, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O’Neill. "The message was clear, we want to help build your business, we want to support your efforts to increase your yards placed on each project," O'Neill said.

Contractors are usually the first to hear about new projects as they are tied in to the development community and are often aware of upcoming projects in advance of most ready mixed concrete producers. These contractors have developed relationships with the developers, designers and, in some cases, the owners. Who better to start asking the question, "What about the parking lot?" This particular contractor operates a laser guided screed and installs mainly interior floors. The concept of actively promoting the move outside to place a parking lot never crossed his mind until these meetings took place, O'Neill said.

Once an opportunity is uncovered, the contractor can turn to his producer for promotional support, which includes using NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program to help get a competitive design offered. Once a contractor understands the resources available to it from its supplier and from NRMCA to help convert parking lots that would have automatically gone asphalt in many markets across the country, it starts asking the questions. Then it starts targeting opportunities that it would have otherwise ignored. It becomes the ready mixed concrete producer's best salesperson.

The NRMCA Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee will hold a conference call on Wednesday, May 14, at 2 p.m. Eastern time to review the progress that has been made with regard to the proposed Pervious Concrete Guidelines for Specifiers and Designers and the revisions to the NRMCA Maintenance Guidelines for Pervious Concrete Pavement. Additional discussion will address the recent recommendation to the ASTM Committee on Pervious Concrete that suggests abandoning compressive strength as specification criterion. 

According to subcommittee Chairman Dave Frentress, many technical issues are significantly related to promotion of pervious concrete. "We can promote the use of pervious by getting away from compressive strength," says Frentress. "But we need to solidify the design and specification parameters. We always need to be reminding producers, specifiers, owners and contractors that pervious concrete is NOT regular concrete, but rather a 'Cement-Based Water Treatment System' that just happens to be delivered in a ready mix truck."

Space is still available for the NRMCA Concrete Durability Course to be held June 3-5 at the RMC Research & Education Foundation Center in Silver Spring, MD (next to NRMCA headquarters). The course is taught by Michael Thomas, University of New Brunswick and Kevin Folliard, University of Texas at Austin and NRMCA Engineering Staff. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the nature of cement and concrete as they relate to durability of concrete. Topics will cover cracking, alkali aggregate reactions, sulfate attack, corrosion of reinforcing steel, freeze-thaw durability and other aspects. A group exercise will be facilitated to walk attendees through NRMCA ConcreteWorks software that can be used to develop concrete mixtures for durability.

The course also discusses the durability provisions in the Building Code - ACI 318-11 and how specifications can be structured to address durability. Attendees at previous courses have given this program rave reviews. This course also offers those with the NRMCA Level 3 certification to obtain the NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 4 Certification. It also provides required learning units toward the technical track of the NRMCA STEPS certification program. Please register early if you wish to attend.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will offer a Webinar tomorrow, May 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern time on internal curing of concrete. Sponsored by three TRB committees, this Webinar will introduce the concepts of internal curing and provide information on its implementation in transportation structures and pavements. Internal curing is an emerging technology used to increase the service life of concrete and reduce cracking and chloride ingress. The Webinar will present the basic principles and future visions (Dale Bentz, National Institute of Standards), reducing cracking and improved durability (Jason Weiss, Purdue University) and field experiences with internal curing in bridge decks (Don Streeter, New York DOT). The Webinar will be moderated by Tyson Rupnow with the Los Angeles Transportation Research Center.

Participants must register in advance and there is a fee for non-TRB Sponsor or non-TRB Sustaining Affiliate employees. A certificate for two Professional Development Hours (PDHs) will be provided to attendees who register and attend the Webinar as individuals.

Click here to register.

The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) will hold a Roadway Concrete Pavement Design Workshop on May 14-15 at its headquarters in Rosemont, IL. The program provides practical training on concrete pavement thickness design while linking pavement design theory and practice with pavement construction. Participants also will have the opportunity to discuss pavement design problems as well as doing hands-on training with state-of-the-practice software and other tools. Discussions will cover common jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) thickness design methods for over-the-road traffic and how these methods compare; types of concrete pavement overlays and concrete overlay design and more. With a solid foundation of these key considerations, participants receive hands-on training using ACPA's roadway thickness design software (StreetPave and WinPAS), as well as other pavement design resources.

This course is ideal for pavement design professionals, engineers, consultants, contractors, professors and other instructors, and other industry professionals who may have an interest in pavement design and/or the benefits and effects of proper pavement design on other aspects of pavement construction.

Click here for more information, including registration links.

NRMCA Producer member CEMEX, the largest concrete suppler in North America, has published an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for concrete produced at its Pier 92 plant in San Francisco. CEMEX chose NRMCA to certify its first EPD. Developing and publishing an EPD requires a rigorous process of conducting a life cycle assessment of a plant and product, and an extensive review process by independent life cycle assessment (LCA) professionals. CEMEX engaged LCA consultant Climate Earth to conduct a comprehensive LCA on 12 mixes produced at the Pier 92 plant. It followed the North American Product Category Rule for Concrete developed by the Carbon Leadership Forum, relevant international standards and the NRMCA EPD Program Instructions to complete the EPD. The LCA and EPD were independently verified by NSF International and PRé. As required by the international standards, NRMCA published the EPD on its Web site.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

Newly-elected NRMCA Chairman Ric Suzio, president of The L. Suzio Concrete Company, will be the welcoming keynote speaker during the opening general session at the 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, scheduled for May 12-15 just outside Boston in Cambridge, MA. Over 60 world-renowned experts will present the latest developments related to design, specifying, manufacturing, testing, construction, maintenance and research of concrete as they relate to sustainability. This year’s conference is being held in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Concrete Sustainability Hub Showcase scheduled for May 15. The conference is co-sponsored by NRMCA, the RMC Research & Education Foundation and the Portland Cement Association. Other keynote speakers for the opening session include:

• Dr. Jeremy Gregory, PhD, executive director, Concrete Sustainability Hub and research director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States

• John L. Knott, Jr., executive director, Health Product Declaration Collaborative, United States

• Phillip Williams, PE, LEED AP, vice president of sustainability and technical systems, Webcor Builders/Webcor Consulting, United States

Fifty-five technical speakers from 10 different countries will present in a total of 18 technical sessions over the two-day sustainability conference.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for April 21 - 25, please click here.

Please join NRMCA for a conference call at 11 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, May 2,  to discuss details related to this year’s 3rd Rally for Roads. To dial in please call: 1-866-670-0780; passcode: 968541. Please RSVP if you plan on participating. In addition to discussing Rally logistics, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is joining to talk about generating more attendance at the TCC Fly-In and the Rally and help give the hardworking men and women of our nation’s construction industry an opportunity to come together in support of a new highway bill.

AEM will help to send you to Washington; it will cover $500 for the travel expenses associated with your fly-in. Don’t want the reimbursement? We’ll contribute $500 on your behalf to benefit Wounded Warriors. To be eligible for the reimbursement you must have attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014, participate in the Rally for Roads/TCC Fly-In and not have registered for the 2013 TCC Fly-In, 2012 Rally for Roads or 2013 NAPA or NSSGA Fly-In, and meet with a member of Congress or staff and report back on your experience on the Hill. Click here for more details.

Recently, Representatives Duncan and Pascrell introduced the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act, H.R. 4237. The legislation will lift the state volume cap on PABs for water and wastewater projects and will unleash up to $5 billion in private capital annually, allowing state governments and municipalities to issue tax-exempt bonds to help rebuild and improve the nation’s vital infrastructure. Industry studies have indicated that every $1 billion invested in water and wastewater infrastructure creates up to 28,000 new jobs with average annual earnings of more than $50,000 and increases demand for products and services in other industries by more than $3 billion. Urge your congressman to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation. 

Click here to learn more and also check other NRMCA Action Alerts on the National Labor Relations Board and Department of Labor’s attempts to enact Card-Check through regulation, Resilient Construction legislation and WRDA. If you have already participated in these alerts, let your friends, family and co-workers know about them. If you haven’t participated, it’s not too late - write to Congress today.

On Wednesday, May 21, NRMCA will conduct a 90-minute Webinar designed for every ready mixed concrete manager – sales, service, dispatch, admin and executive. The topic is about leading and coaching your sales staff: the important difference between management and leadership – and why it matters. Focus areas will be:

• When to be a "Manager" and when to be a "Leader" – a critical difference

• The Four Coaching Strategies – different coaching styles for different employees

• "C4 Leadership" – How to become an effective leader.

This Webinar is part of an ongoing series for sales managers to support themselves and their staffs' efforts during the economic recovery.

Click here to register for this Webinar. To learn about other ready mixed concrete sales-related Webinars, click here.

The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Concrete In Practice (CIP) single set package. Order online today and receive 20% off. The regular member price is $30, Internet Special $24, plus shipping. Included in this set is the newest CIP topic and seven revised topics:

• (NEW) CIP 43 – Alkali Aggregate Reactions (AAR) discusses the causes for deleterious expansions due to alkali silica and alkali carbonate reactions in concrete, test methods, and methods of mitigating the problem – in the What? Why? And How? Format.

The following CIP topics have been revised to include more current information:

• (UPDATED) CIP 1 – Dusting Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 2 – Scaling Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 4 – Cracking Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 5 – Plastic Shrinkage Cracking

• (UPDATED) CIP 6 – Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade

• (UPDATED) CIP 26 – Jobsite Addition of Water

• (UPDATED) CIP 27 – Cold Weather Concreting

Click here to order. Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the CIP series.

Also, two new topics were also released in the Technology in Practice (TIP) series. The TIP series is intended for education of ready mixed concrete industry personnel while CIPs are typically directed toward users and customers of ready mixed concrete. The two new topics in the TIP series are:

• TIP 11 – Testing Concrete Cores

• TIP 12 – Slump Loss of Concrete 

Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the TIP series.

*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

May 6, Webinar

Soils 101

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

May 8, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 12–15, Boston

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

E-mail: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 16, Free Webinar

Green-Star Auditor Certification

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

May 19, Free Webinar

TRI Reporting: What A Ready Mixed Concrete Producer Should Know

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

May 21, Webinar

Personal Leadership and Coaching

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 22, Free Webinar

Drivers' Hours of Service in the RMC Industry Free Webinar

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

May 29, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 3-5, Silver Spring, MD

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

June 5, Free Webinar

Overlays for Streets & Local Roads

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 10, Free Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete for Streets & Local Roads

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 11-12, Online Course

Designing Pervious Concrete Pavement for Municipal & Commercial Applications

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

June 13, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 17, Webinar

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

June 18, Free Webinar

Backing Accident Prevention Program

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

June 19, Free Webinar

Utilizing MIT Research Results

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 23-26, Online Course

Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

June 26, Free Webinar

SLR Concrete Construction & Repair Basics

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

July 7-10, Online Course

Building Green with Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

July 8, Webinar

Understanding Asphalt

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 830-438-2690

 

July 11, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

July 15, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

July 29-30, Online Course

Designing Jointed Concrete Pavement for Streets and Parking Areas

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

July 30, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 4-7, Online Course

Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

August 5, Free Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete for Streets & Local Roads

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 12-15, Silver Spring, MD

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

August 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 19, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

August 20, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 21, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 10, Webinar

Re-Entrepreneuring: 7 Strategies for Rebuilding Your Business in the New Economy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 12, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 12, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

October 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 7, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

November 18-20, Silver Spring, MD

The Effective RMC Supervisor - Silver Spring, MD

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 19, Webinar

Sales Performance Assessments and Review for Ready Mix Sales Managers

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

December 3-5, Phoenix

Environmental Professional Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 9-12, Phoenix

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152