Nine fast-paced promotion best practices were delivered by a talented group of concrete industry professional during the "What Works in Concrete Promotion" held at last month's ConcreteWorks in Indianapolis. Presenters who delivered their topics in 10-minute sessions included:

• Scott Noel, Sagamore Ready Mix - Parking Lot Boot Camp at Sagamore Ready Mix, Indianapolis

• Finley Messick and Brett Ruffing, Kentucky Ready-Mixed Concrete Association and Kentucky Concrete Pavement Association - Concrete Last a Lifetime Campaign

• Jereme Montgomery, Nebraska Concrete and Aggregate Association - Nebraska Concrete Parking Lot Tracking and Mapping 

• Zach Rich, The Silvi Group-Promo Manual for The Silvi Group Companies

• Wayne Moening, Ohio Concrete - FedEx project conversion in Medina, OH
• Doug Burns, PCA North Central Region - Minnesota Concrete Forums

• Matt Wood, Ash Grove Cement - West Linn's first concrete streets and the two parking lots I didn't get 

• Cherish Schwenn, Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association - Results of hiring a professional parking lot promoter outside of the association staff

• Amy Miller, NRMCA - New rules regarding cost accounting and asset depreciation of concrete parking lots

As winter fast approaches, now is the time to remind your customers that one of the keys to pervious concrete durability is proper maintenance and cleaning. The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association/Pennsylvania Concrete Promotion Council (PACA/PCPC) has produced a video that can help deliver the message. It runs just over two minutes and explains how to set up a maintenance plan for a pervious concrete system. Additionally, it explains that cleaning of pervious concrete prior to winter weather will maximize permeability while minimizing the possibility of freeze/thaw expansion of moisture trapped within sediments that may be lodged in the pervious concrete void structure.

"Just like any other stormwater management system, pervious concrete will require routine maintenance," says NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge. "Cleaning pervious concrete, as part of a regular maintenance and operations plan, is critical to its performance. Otherwise, not only is its infiltration capability compromised, but also its chances of surviving severe freeze/thaw conditions are decreased." At a minimum, inspections are recommended semi-annually (Spring and Fall) and appropriate maintenance and cleaning procedures should be performed.

Along with the video, PACA/PCPC has published Pervious Concrete Operations and Maintenance Practices to assist owners in understanding their responsibilities with regard to their pervious concrete systems. The video and brochure are both available at www.specifyconcrete.org.

NRMCA Producer member Martin Marietta in San Antonio, TX, is the most recent NRMCA member to host a Concrete Boot Camp, reports NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller. The course was hosted by Miller and her colleague Jon Hansen; attending were key members of the Martin Marietta team for the San Antonio and Austin regions. The course was developed to create a mutual relationship between a member producer and a key contractor and to develop future strategies to flip parking lots from asphalt to concrete. In developing those strategies, Hansen and Miller cover necessary technical information that aids in successfully flipping projects.

"The team at Martin Marietta was surprised to learn that the technical documents advise design that is much different than current practice in their marketplace," Miller said. "The Boot Camp is a great way to help our members not only enhance their own relationships with their customers, but to also help them develop ways to capture more of their market through best practices and current technical data."

For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org.

In honor of long-time NRMCA friend and concrete industry legend Richard Gaynor (1931-2014), NRMCA personnel have formed team "Concrete Cures" to raise money and participate in the Washington, DC, "Walk to End Alzheimer's" on Saturday, October 25. Several of our walkers also have family who have suffered or are suffering now from this disease as well. You can learn more about the walk and support our efforts by visiting the team's Web page. From there, you can visit individual walkers' pages as well.

The NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards (RES) Committee unanimously voted to select Nicholas J. Carino as the recipient of the 2015 Richard D. Gaynor award. The award will be presented to Dr. Carino at the NRMCA Annual Convention in March 2015 in Orlando, FL. The Gaynor award is presented to an individual who has shown lifetime commitment and dedication to advance the state of the ready mixed concrete industry by his or her contributions in the technical field.

Dr. Carino (shown below) is a world-renowned expert on non-destructive testing of concrete, primarily on the maturity method and methods to evaluate the in-place strength of concrete and detection of flaws. Dr. Carino graduated with a BS, MS and Ph.D. from Cornell University. He was an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin from 1974 to 1979. Dr. Carino retired from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2004 where he worked as a research structural engineer since 1979.

He has been active on various standards organizations and technical committees in ACI, ASTM and other groups. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his past research, publications and efforts in progressing standards. Dr. Carino has been involved in various structural investigations of building failures and progressive collapse with NIST. He was a member of the NIST team that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and was the principal author of the team’s report on fire-resistive materials. In the research area of high-performance concrete, Dr. Carino worked closely with Dick Gaynor to establish appropriate requirements for specifying and testing high strength concrete.

In learning of his selection, Dr. Carino commented: "I am so honored to have been selected for this award and to join the list of other great people and friends who have received the award. I learned much from Dick and I will cherish this recognition."

Dr. Carino continues his activity at ACI and ASTM and besides other consulting work, is an affiliated consultant with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

NRMCA will host Plant Manager Certification twice this winter, December 9-12 in Phoenix and January 20-23 in Des Moines, IA. Registration is open for both. According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90% of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with your bottom line at stake, it has never been more important for your crew to be at the top of its game when it comes to efficiency and productivity. Whether your operations staff now manages more plants, is new to plant management and batching or has unplanned down time, the curriculum intensely covers product knowledge, plant safety, environmental regulations, plant operations and ready mixed industry business principles.

This class not only serves producers, but specifically meets the Army Corp of Engineers' contract spec requirement for personnel who must be certified as part of awarded federal contracts. It is also a required class in the NRMCA Operations and Production Track in the STEPS program.

NRMCA's Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year Award acknowledges the significant contribution of ready mixed concrete truck drivers to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry. As a salute to these key members of the concrete production and delivery team, the award recognizes the driver’s career achievement, safety, professionalism, competence and customer service skills in a manner that will enhance the industry and public image of the career Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional. The 2015 Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Driver of the Year Award winner will be honored at an awards presentation ceremony at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Orlando, FL in March 2015. All nomination applications are due no later than December 31, 2014.

NRMCA's second free Green-Star Auditor Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, October 30, from 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern time. This is a required Webinar to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor. This Webinar explains the educational and work experience needed to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor and along with the continuing educational requirements to keep the certification. The Accredited Green-Star Auditor certification is valid for three years at which time the auditor must reapply. A few handy templates are covered to assist the company in starting Green-Star. At the conclusion of the Webinar, the attendee will understand the requirements to be an accredited Green-Star Auditor and the expectations that accompany certification.

 

Last week, NRMCA Vice President of Sustainability Tien Peng informed industry professionals of the major changes to the LEEDv4 green building rating system at the Oregon Chapter of ACI in Portland, OR. The primary interest of the Oregon Chapter of ACI is technical education through discussion and dissemination of information relating to concrete. The "Keeping Up with the Acronyms" presentation focused on the new credits - Building Product Disclosure and Optimization. These new credit allows the project team to earn points for selecting at least 20 permanently-installed products that demonstrate material transparency and disclosing product information via LCAs (Life Cycle Assessment), EPDs (Environmental Product Declaration), CSRs (Corporate Sustainability Reports) and HPDs (Health Product Declarations). Approximately 25 industry professionals and specifiers attended the session.

NRMCA is a leader in the movement toward transparent reporting and has a number of programs to help members meet the LEEDv4 Disclosure and Optimization credits. 

Greenbuild 2014 is next week and NRMCA can't wait to catch up with you. The largest green building conference will be held at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Stop by the NRMCA Booth #741 and say hello. Senior Vice President of Sustainable Development Lionel Lemay and Vice President of Sustainability Tien Peng will be on hand to chat about our programs. In addition, we’ll be participating in a number of summits and education sessions.

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 October 6 - 10, please click here.

We’re just 21 days out from Election Day. Need to get information on who is running? How to Register? Need an Absentee ballot or want to vote early? NRMCA Voice has updated voter resources for where you live. Simply enter your address at NRMCA Voice’s Voter Resources Page and get information on who is running for Federal and State office, get information on campaigns and even register to vote.

NRMCA routinely updates the "Take Action" button with letters for you to send to your elected officials. Check it out today. Current action alerts on NRMCAvoice.com include letters on Fixing the Highway Trust Fund,  EPA’s Clean Water Act Rule Overreach, multiple NLRB rules and bills important to the industry, including the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act, and Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act. Thank you for lending your voice to these important issues.

Click here to access links to each of the topics discussed above. For more information, please contact NRMCA’s Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org.

The Department of Labor has issued final regulations that raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for workers and $4.90 for tipped employees. The increased wages are a result of President Obama’s Executive Order 13658, and apply to new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts with the federal government from solicitations issued starting January 1, 2015. Annual cost of living increases will begin on January 1, 2016.

The new rules apply to contractors and subcontractors in four major categories of contracts:

• Procurement contracts for construction covered by the Davis-Bacon Act;

• Service contracts covered by the Service Contract Act (SCA);

• Concessions contracts, including any concessions contract excluded from the SCA by regulations;

• Contracts in connection with Federal property or lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their dependents or the general public.

On Wednesday, November 5, from noon to 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, NRMCA will host a free Webinar,  STEPS™  A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry. Because STEPS® (Seminars, Training, & Education, Programs) continues to play an important role in the ready mixed concrete industry as its premier certification program,  this short, FREE Webinar will discuss what the program is and how to enroll. Learn how STEPS®  encourages industry employees to participate in a broad range of technical, operations, sales and sustainability classes through NRMCA, state associations and through their respective companies. The program also builds industry-wide standards for consistent performance that not only enhances business outcomes, but also illustrates to employees that they have a device to plan long-term ready mixed concrete careers.

As 2014 winds down, it’s time to assess if your sales reps are performing at the top of their ability...and if they are not, what you can do to help them in 2015. On Wednesday, November 19, a 90-minute Webinar will discuss how to learn to identify the specific "barriers" that may be holding back your sales reps and how to create a personal coaching and motivation strategy to improve performance.

Topics include:

• Motivation and Barriers – the keys to performance;

• The 7 Performance Barriers – How to identify them and how to successfully address them;

• Motivation Strategies: "The Carrot or the Stick" and when to use them; and

• How to conduct a performance review that generates positive results.

Click here to register, for more information and NRMCA staff contact.

The NRMCA October Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, November 4, is the Concrete Plant Operators Manual. Jointly prepared by the Concrete Plant Manufacturers Bureau and NRMCA, this manual is a comprehensive guide for the batch plant operator. It includes valuable information on materials, batch tolerance and aggregate moisture, calculations, plant maintenance, safety and more.

Order online today and receive 20% off. Regular member price is $28, Internet Special $22.40, plus shipping. Use Discount Code: ISOCT14.

October 17, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 22, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 23, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 28-29, Uncasville, CT

Northeast Region ConcreteWorks

Email: Nicole Maher, 1-888-846-7622, ext. 1158

 

October 30, Free Webinar

Green-Star Auditor Certification

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 5, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

November 7, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

November 11, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets and Local Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

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 2-5, Austin, TX

CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge

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

 

December 2-5, Nashville, TN

CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge

Email: Darla Sparkman

 

December 3-5, Phoenix

Environmental Professional Certification Course

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

 

December 5, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

December 9-12, Phoenix

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

December 10, Denver

Handling Concrete Specifications

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

 

 

January 15, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

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

 

January 16, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

January 20-23, Des Moines, IA

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

February 9-13, Seattle

Regional Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

February 17-19, 2015, Silver Spring, MD

Dispatcher Training Forum

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

 

February 24-26, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: Business Skills Basics for Profit - General Business Knowledge

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

 

March 18, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

March 31-April 2, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop - 24 hours

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