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IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWS LINKS
PAVEMENTS
PROMOTIONS
ENGINEERING
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
SUSTAINABILITY
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
EDUCATION &TRAINING
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
Early bird registration is now open for the 2014 NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting, scheduled for September 21-23, at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. Sign up early to save more than $100 off the regular registration fees! This year’s event includes keynote presentations from Littler Mendelson’s Michael Lotito, political speaker David Wasserman and NRMCA President Robert Garbini. In addition, a multi-track education program, NRMCA committee meetings and Board of Directors' activities round out the business of the Association and, combined with the Annual National Mixer Driver Championship, networking opportunities, Awards Luncheon and the Awards Dinner, the 2014 event is a must-attend.
The hotel reservation deadline for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors Meeting is Friday, August 29. To make your hotel reservations, please contact the JW Marriott at 866-228-9290 and mention you are with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. The discounted room rate is $189/night plus applicable taxes. We suggest that you make your hotel reservations as soon as possible as the block of rooms is limited.
For more information about NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting, please contact the NRMCA Meetings Department at meetings@nrmca.org or 888-846-7622 ext. 1152.
NEWS LINKS
Adam Auer, the director of sustainability of the Cement Association of Canada, is calling attention to the effects of climate change in his country - and what the cement and, by inference, the ready mixed concrete industries can do. "Extreme is the new normal and we are starting to wake up to the reality that extreme weather events threaten to erode the institutions and infrastructure that underpin our quality of life," Auer writes.
Source: A feature article in ReNew Canada: The Infrastructure Magazine. Read more.
Behold the power of first love, the durability of concrete and how sometimes both go together. This week, NewsLinks brings you the story of Sissy Hewitt, whose late husband scrawled an affectionate message to her on a freshly poured sidewalk. David Hewitt died in 2008 and most of that sidewalk has long since been replaced, but the 52-year-old message lives on. The heavy concrete chunk recently moved to Sissy Hewitt's backyard; a testament to an enduring love story and, for you fans of ready mixed concrete, a reminder that concrete can help a widow remember her first love.
Source: An article by The Associated Press which was posted on June 15 on the Web site of the Erie (PA) Times-News.
PAVEMENTS
The pavement technical assistance group, co-chaired by CEMEX’s Jim Mack and NRMCA’s Brian Killingsworth, recently met with the leadership and researchers of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub to refine the future topics of pavement research at the Hub. As the first five years of research is coming to a close, MIT and concrete industry leaders took time to reflect on the work accomplished, but more importantly evaluated what Phase I work needs to be completed, what future topics need to be addressed and how the work may be implemented in the coming years.
The continued communication between industry and MIT is critical so that the goals of improving both the economic and environmental aspects of concrete paving may be accomplished. Both the industry representatives and the MIT researchers understand the priority of getting the results of the research into the hands of promoters, practitioners and designers. With this in mind, development of a toolkit that contains education and training material, software and implementation strategies specifically for the research is underway. The intent of the toolkit is to support current promotion, technical and legislative activities aimed at assisting decision and policy makers with evaluating the economic and environmental benefits of concrete pavement at the local, state and national levels. Other research avenues for the future include developing a better understanding of the science and engineering of pavement distresses, improving concrete durability, assessing how various properties of concrete pavement may affect the environment and how costs may be affected in different bidding environments. Click here for more information about the ongoing, as well as the upcoming, MIT work from the the MIT CSHub Web site or contact Brian Killingsworth. PROMOTIONS
The recently launched NRMCA program aimed at selling concrete parking lots made a stop last week in Indianapolis, reports NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen. Nine members of NRMCA Producer member Sagamore Ready Mix dedicated a day to arm themselves with a customized pricing database, prospecting tools and templates, and a complete knowledge of parking lot design for both new and concrete overlays of existing asphalt parking lots. A portion of the class time was spent on national clients and how to approach their local projects. Another segment included ways to find local projects and then identify the material influencers and key decision makers on those projects, Hansen said.
Also attending the Boot Camp were two people from a concrete construction company who want to expand their paving operation; a cement company representative that is Sagamore’s primary supplier and a person who supplies Sagamore’s admixtures. Each will partner with Sagamore on its efforts to sell more concrete parking lot projects, Hansen said.
The Boot Camp was conducted by Hansen and his NRMCA colleague, Senior Director, National Resources Phil Kresge.
For more information about bringing Selling Parking Lot Boot Camp to your company, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org, Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org or any NRMCA National Resource Director.
Many state concrete associations have indicated that one reason for concrete paving (whether it’s parking lots, street & local roads or driveways) not gaining as much market share as they’d like is their "lack of qualified contractors," reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O’Neill. "A team in Michigan is taking corrective action to address the future of its marketplace by offering members a valuable tool that ultimately benefits everyone involved all the way down to the end user, the owner."
Michigan Concrete Association (MCA) Director of Engineering Heather Smith has taken the challenge to educate contractors and offer them valuable "Best Practices" guidance. Under the direction of MCA Executive Director/CEO Dan DeGraaf, Smith has developed a program aimed at concrete contractors and inspectors in an effort to educate them on "Best Practices" for exterior flatwork. The training is divided among seven "modules" consisting of Concrete Basics, Planning, Site Prep, Ordering, Finishing, Jointing and Hot & Cold Weather concreting. The program is being offered to individual MCA member producers who then invite their contractor customers to attend.
"We have found that many in our industry don’t know what they don’t know and this leads to trouble," DeGraaf said. "Teaching crews the hands on information that they need to know is a good motivational tool. Once work crews understand concrete they can properly deal with any issue that develops. The discussions that take place during the classes indicate that we are getting through to them and they are really thankful for the lessons presented." Traveling across Michigan, Smith has been able to reach some 250+ contractors. "One of the ways we are increasing our market share is by doing our best to make sure that the concrete being placed is placed with excellence," Smith said. "Avoiding common problems and raising the level of quality within our contractor base is essential in promoting concrete on a statewide level. Our worst enemy is a poorly constructed very visible parking lot."
Click here for more information on the efforts MCA is making to educate contractors or contact Heather Smith at hmsmith@miconcrete.net or contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.
ENGINEERING
NRMCA is continuing to accept applications for its popular 2014 Excellence in Quality Award program. A company must be an NRMCA Producer member in good standing to participate. Companies can enter as a company or a division. Applicants are asked to respond to a multiple-choice type application form that generates their score, which will be judged. Companies or divisions that achieve a score of 75% or greater will be recognized at NRMCA ConcreteWorks, scheduled from September 21 - 23 in Indianapolis.
There are several advantages to participating in this award program:
1. It provides recognition to the companies that maintain high quality standards.
2. The award criteria can serve as an excellent quality improvement tool for companies.
3. Companies have used the award criteria for conducting internal quality audits.
Downloading the award form and for more information, including past quality award winners, here. Completed award forms should be e-mailed in the original Excel format along with required supporting documentation to Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org by Monday, June 30. For more information, contact NRMCA's Karthik Obla or Colin Lobo at kobla@nrmca.org or clobo@nrmca.org.
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
NRMCA's OES department will host five face-to-face classes in Fall 2014. With a clear understanding that operations people now multitask, these classes focus on giving participants immediate skills to help juggle all their balls within compliance parameters as well as learn efficiency processes and organizational methods. A registration fee discount is extended to those companies that send three or more people to one class title.
These classes are required to earn NRMCA's STEPS "Operations and Production" Track certification, CCPf. STEPS is the ready mixed concrete’s industry most prestigious employee professional development program, supporting career development and job retention/succession planning. (The Dispatcher class will run early in 2015, dates to be determined.)
For more information or questions, contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 240-485-1152.
Registration for this year’s NRMCA Safety Course is now open. The course will take place August 6-8 in Ontario, CA. This 2.5 day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, fire fighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspection and more.
The course will take place at the CEMEX Ontario Regional Office. NRMCA has also reserved a hotel room block for attendees at the nearby Embassy Suites Ontario-Airport.
Click here to register, more information and staff contacts.
SUSTAINABILITY
The 2014 Professors Workshop, co-sponsored by NRMCA and organized by Portland Cement Association (PCA), is designed to provide faculty in engineering, architecture and construction management programs the tools to teach the latest developments in concrete design, construction, materials, pavements and sustainability. The week-long event, scheduled for July 21-25 at PCA’s Skokie, IL, campus, includes networking opportunities to facilitate the exchange of ideas with professors from many universities. Four comprehensive sessions include:
• Concrete Materials Properties
• Engineering and Economics of Concrete Buildings
• Design, Construction and Performance of Concrete Pavements
• Design and Construction of Concrete Bridges by the AASHTO LRFD
NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay will present Sustainable Concrete: The Role of Performance-based Specifications, an informative workshop that provides a forum to enable professors to take full advantage of all the resources available for each subject as they pertain to their curriculum. NRMCA state affiliates and members are encouraged to identify professors interested in attending the workshop and sponsor their attendance by reimbursing registration fees and travel expenses.
Click here for more detailed information about the conference or contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.
To help its members meet the requirements of LEED v4, NRMCA has sponsored a project to develop an industry wide Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The first major milestone of the project, a survey report and list of participating companies and plants, are now available for download at www.nrmca.org/sustainability/EPDprogram. The project is being conducted in two phases:
Phase 1: A cradle to gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for ready mixed concrete will be conducted and an industry average EPD will be produced. The LCA and EPD will encompass concrete for a variety of applications, strengths, durability classes and slumps (or slump flows) and regions so that a participating producer could use the industry average EPD during the submittal process for a project requiring an EPD. The EPD will represent concrete typically used on a variety of projects from homes to high rises in different climate zones and different markets. For the EPD to meet the requirements of LEED v4 for submittal on a project, a concrete producer must participate in providing data to the LCA and be listed in the EPD.
Phase 2: Using data collected in Phase 1, industry baselines for all environmental impacts will be established allowing concrete producers to participate further in LEED v4 by demonstrating they perform better than the baseline. A number of baselines will be established at the national and regional levels. The baselines would encompass mix designs with 100% portland cement to high volume replacement of portland cement with supplementary materials representing a variety of applications and exposure conditions.
The project was started in December 2013 and will be completed in November 2014. For more information, visit www.nrmca.org/sustainability/EPDprogram or contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101. Moore, OK, has become the first U.S. city to require single-family houses to be built to withstand wind speeds of 135 mph - rather than the model International Building Code (IBC) 2009 requirement of 90 mph, reports NRMCA Vice President, Sustainability, Tien Peng. The use of storm shelters and safe rooms as a way to save lives during tornadoes and hurricanes is starting to appear in communities in the wake of record-setting losses this past decade. This is especially true for Moore which experienced tragic weather-related losses in 1999 and 2013.
The increased emphasis on adopting disaster resilient construction initiatives such as community safe rooms to reduce human losses from natural hazards is also starting to appear in the 2015 edition of the IBC, Peng notes. If adopted by jurisdictions, the new code would require schools up to 12th grade with six or more students located in tornado areas to have tornado shelters to meet the ICC 500 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters.
This is the first time the model code has addressed hazard mitigation. NRMCA supported this proposal in the code hearings in 2012. While not necessarily material specific, safe rooms and other design strategies to minimize damage due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding and fire typically benefit from the use of concrete. NRMCA has resources to promote resilient thinking at the federal and local level to reduce the overall loss of life and cost of repair. This "toolkit" includes:
• Resilient Construction Incentive Legislation
• Community Planning Strategies
• Reference Design Standards
• Workshops and Articles
For more information please go to www.nrmca.org/resilience or contact Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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 June 16 - 20, please click here.
If you would like to receive this weekly updated link in a separate e-mail, or if you have questions or comments about the roundup, contact NRMCA’s Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org.
Last week, Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Robert Corker (R-TN) introduced a bipartisan proposal to ensure funding of the nation’s surface transportation system into the future by increasing the federal motor fuels tax by 12 cents. Under the plan, the gas tax would be increased 6 cents over each of the next two years and indexed to inflation to ensure that it remains viable into the future. It is expected to raise $164 billion over 10 years. The tax increase would be offset by extending several popular tax breaks.
Senator Murphy said, "I think on our side of the aisle we recognize that it’s time to stop talking theoretically and start talking really in practical terms." He added that only if it is bipartisan can the proposal move through the Senate. After noting lawmakers should be embarrassed for letting things get to this point, Sen. Corker talked about backbone: "if Americans feel that having modern roads and bridges is important, then Congress should have the courage to pay for it."
For more information, contact Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org. The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, to consider a $9 billion Highway Trust Fund bailout package proposal from Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) which is designed to allow the Trust Fund to meet its financial obligations to December 31, 2014. This proposal fixes the short term fiscal shortfall for the Highway Trust Fund and sets the stage for a long-term fix following November elections. The only transportation user tax in the proposal is an increase in the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax on trucks with a gross weight over 55,000 pounds. For an 80,000-pound truck, the HVUT would rise from the current $550 per year to $650 per year. The maximum for trucks over 97,000 pounds that is currently capped at $550 would double to $1,100. The HVUT been unchanged since 1984. The increase would raise an estimated $1.35 billion over 10 years and would be in effect starting June 30, 2014.
The remaining $7.6 billion would come from tax compliance changes and loophole closing by making changes in mortgage reporting, clarification to a six-year statute of limitations in case of overstatement bias, revocation of passports in case of unpaid taxes and modification for pension distributions. It is not yet known if his package of offsets will have the support of Finance GOP members.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org. The Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill stalled on the floor last week when leaders failed to agree on amendments. Prior to the bill being pulled from consideration, Sen. Susan Collins' (R-ME) amendment – which suspends two Hours of Service (HOS) provisions as part of the 34-hour restart rule (that a driver take two consecutive 1-5 a.m. periods off duty and that 168 hours pass before a new workweek can be started) – was strongly debated. An attempt to strip the amendment received push back from Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) who spoke strongly in favor of making changes to the HOS rules.
While the 34-hour restart doesn’t affect ready mixed drivers as much as other parts of the rule, willingness to make changes to the HOS regulations from Congress is a good sign for making changes that will benefit the industry - such as the 30-minute break provision. NRMCA continues to work to get HOS provisions changed.
Click here to read the Senate transcript of the discussion. For more information, contact Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org. EDUCATION &TRAINING
Each module of NRMCA's Certified Concrete Sales Professional (CCSP) series will be held in Silver Spring, MD (metro Washington, DC), beginning in October and ending in March 2015. A registration fee discount is extended for those who register for all four classes or for companies that send three or more people to one class. The schedule is as follows:
• Module 1: Concrete 101, October 7-9
• Module 2: Understand the Contractor's Business, December 16-18
• Module 3: RMC Business Knowledge, February 24-26, 2015
• Module 4: Professional Sales Skills and Promotion, March 31-April 2, 2015
Each class stands alone so it does NOT have to be taken consecutively or collectively. The well respected, updated content is a valid way to refresh sales skills that emphasize the industry’s aggressive stance toward winning business. Additionally, these are the required courses in the STEPS® Sales and Promotion certification program, where those in the field earn the industry's most prestigious capstone certification, the CCPf.\
Click here for more information or contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 240-485-1152.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The NRMCA June Internet Spotlight is the Hot Weather Concrete Package. This package includes the driver training DVD "How to Keep it Cool", which discusses tips for placing concrete during hot weather, and the Concrete In Practice topic (CIP12) "Hot 'Weather Concreting" - pkg. of 50. Order online today and receive 20% off. Regular member price for this package is $90, Internet Special is $72, plus shipping. Discount Code: HWC
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
June 26, Free Webinar
SLR Concrete Construction & Repair Basics
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
July 1, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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 8, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
July 8, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
July 23, Webinar
Building the Customer Relationship... in the Post-Recession Economy
Email: Kimberly Pittmon, 240-485-1146
July 29-30, Online Course
Designing Jointed Concrete Pavement for Streets and Parking Areas
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
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: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
August 6, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
August 6, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
August 6, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete Part 1 (Part 2 is August 13)
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
August 6-8, Ontario, CA
Ready Mixed Concrete Safety Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
August 19, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
September 8-10, Orlando, FL
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 9, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete Part 1 (Part 2 is September 16)
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
September 12, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
September 30, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 30, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
October 7-10, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 15, Silver Spring, MD
Improving Concrete Quality
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
November 3-7, Silver Spring, MD
Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
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
December 16-18, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge - Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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June 25, 2014
 
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