With just two weeks left to take the 2016 survey, participation this year is dramatically down, about two-thirds lower than what was received last year. Right now, there is NOT enough of data for this year’s survey to be statistically valid; we will just report numbers. Now in its second year, NRMCA can begin to report trends by region. Let NRMCA help give you insight into the driver hiring and retention issue. Please help; your driver shortage has not gone away!

The survey is 100% anonymous. The window for participation closes Thursday, June 30.

Recently, NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Amanda Hult attended the Tri State Convention held in Sandestin, FL. She participated in the state associations’ (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) meetings and updated attendees on NRMCA’s Build with Strength campaign along with the Local Paving Group’s Design Assistance Program. RMC Foundation Executive Director Julie Garbini provided information on the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub’s work along with NRMCA’s Build with Strength campaign. Portland Cement Association’s Larry Novak detailed the design and construction of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. Having played an active role in the building’s design, Novak provided a unique perspective on how concrete played a role in the design.

 

In addition, Dr. Heather Brown, director of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), provided statistics on the graduates from the program and expressed a need for students. "We have a great program here at MTSU with statistics to back it up. We just need the students," she said.

 

A privately-held national trucking company is planning a major expansion and renovation of its hub facility that will include more than 90 acres of paving and concrete options are being evaluated, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen.

 

"In a recent meeting with those in charge of the project, different options for concrete paving were discussed, including conventional paving, roller compacted paving and concrete overlays of some of the facilities' current asphalt areas," Hansen said. "Obviously, with the size of the project and the need to protect the relationship among NRMCA, the local producer and the client, we cannot disclose too much information at this time, but we are confident this project will be a showcase for concrete paving in the future."

When one of the Tennessee Concrete Association’s ready mix members reported that the permits for its new batch plant required it to install about 500 cubic yards of pervious concrete, TCA Executive Director Alan Sparkman elected to capitalize on the opportunity. As a result, TCA is partnering with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to take advantage of the potential data that can be generated on the project, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge.

 

"This project presents an excellent opportunity for testing of admixtures, fibers or other materials in pervious concrete mixes to measure how such materials affect, and hopefully improve, pervious concrete performance," Sparkman said. In addition to the field testing during initial installation, MTSU will also conduct freeze/thaw and deicer testing on one portion of the installation over a one-year period to test how products or mix designs perform under these conditions. Placement of the concrete began in early June and will be completed in two to three weeks.

Monitoring and testing of the concrete through the first year will be coordinated by Dr. Heather Brown, associate professor and department chairman of MTSU’s Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program. As part of the study, a minimum of two deicers will be chosen for investigation - MgCl and DOT brine solution - though others may be considered. Deicer treatment will be applied during all proposed inclement weather throughout the winter season. No cleaning of the deicer will occur after it has been applied and once the weather pattern has passed, to allow for maximum damage. Chloride samples will be removed from the concrete using a revised version of ASTM C1543 - 10a: Standard Test Method for Determining the Penetration of Chloride Ion into Concrete by Ponding, and will be tested with ASTM C1152: Acid Soluble Chloride. Scaling will be determined based on ASTM C672/C672M – 12: Standard Test Method for Scaling Resistance of Concrete Surfaces Exposed to Deicing Chemicals. Cores will be extracted and split in tensile to determine both strength and depth of penetration of deicer attack. 

Sparkman expects that initial publication of results from testing and a summary write-up of the project will be available by September 1.

NRMCA Notes with sadness the death of former Board of Directors Chairman John Roberts who passed away June 14 at the age of 97. Mr. Roberts' career in the ready mixed concrete and aggregates industries began with Southern Materials in 1947. Also that year, he founded Southern Lightweight Aggregate Corporation and became one of the leaders and innovators in the industry of manufactured lightweight aggregate. Solite® was at the forefront of the post-World War II building boom as it served the manufacturing community with multiple lightweight aggregate products. Mr. Roberts continued to stay active in the lightweight aggregate and building materials industry, serving as chairman of Northeast Solite Corporation up until the time of his death. In addition to his longtime service to NRMCA, including serving as chairman during the 1957-1958 term, he was past president of the Virginia Section, American Society of Civil Engineers, past president of the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, past president of the Virginia Manufacturers Association and a fellow of the American Concrete Institute.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Jane Martin Roberts; a daughter, Nancy Roberts Pope; and a son-in-law, Willard Cates Jr. He is survived by a daughter, Joan Roberts Cates; a son, John Martin Roberts; two grandsons, John Pinckney Pope (Dawn) and David Norford Pope (Katharine); two granddaughters, Deborah Cates Knighton (Tim) and Sarah Cates Parker (Andrew); and 11 great-grandchildren. Mr. Roberts was born on July 23, 1918, in Princess Anne, MD, and graduated from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA, with an engineering degree in 1939.

A funeral will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23220. Interment in Hollywood Cemetery will follow. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.

NRMCA is looking for good men and women to serve on its Board of Directors. While serving on the Board requires both commitment and energy, it is a rewarding opportunity to give back to the industry. NRMCA represents a broad range of ready mixed concrete companies across the United States and our success is a direct result of the skills and expertise of our professional staff working in conjunction with Board members. Director nominees must be committed to promoting NRMCA programs and working in the best interest of its membership and the industry at large. The Board provides strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and governance of the organization’s operations.

 

Nominees are vetted by the Nominating Committee, which consists of the current chairman of the Board, the immediate past chairman of the Board, and past chairmen of the Board for the previous seven years who are still in an active capacity in the industry. The selected slate of nominees is then presented to and elected by the general membership and will serve three-year terms immediately following the annual NRMCA Convention in Las Vegas in March 2017.

 

NRMCA is seeking Board members with the following attributes: 

• Employed by a current NRMCA Producer member in good standing

• Demonstrates key decision making skills within his or her company

• Inherent leadership, management and interpersonal skills

• Ability to participate in and sustain collaborative group efforts

• Commitment to attend and participate in two Board meetings each year and fulfill all of the duties and responsibilities as referenced in the Board job description 

• Serve on NRMCA committees of his or her choice

• Attend and participate in promotion programs in their region

• Contribute and support annually the association's Political Action Committee (CONCRETEPAC) and the RMC Research & Education Foundation

• Recruit new members and help to retain existing members

 

Any NRMCA member can submit a nomination; individuals are also free to nominate themselves. Click here for a list of the current NRMCA Board members along with the year that their terms expire (please note that members who have served a three-year term and are going off the Board in 2017 are not eligible for re-election until 2018. The exception to this are Board members who are filling an unexpired vacant seat. Those individuals are highlighted).

 

Early bird registration is now open for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks, scheduled for September 18-20, 2016 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN, with Board of Directors’ events and committee meetings preceding the conference on September 16-17. Sign up early to take advantage of the early bird pricing discount and save more than $100 off the regular registration fees! Click here to access the fax-back registration form and online registration.

NRMCA has contracted a block of rooms at the resort at a discounted rate of $209/night plus taxes and an $18/night resort fee. The resort fee will cover several in-room amenities, fitness center access and activity discounts. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Gaylord Opryland directly at 800-491-7397 and asking for the "National Ready Mixed Concrete Association" rate or we encourage you to make your hotel reservations online by clicking here. The hotel reservations cut-off date is Wednesday, August 24. The block of rooms is limited, so we suggest that you make your hotel reservation as soon as possible. 

This year’s NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks will be co-located with the American Concrete Pumping Association’s Education Conference, which will bring more equipment and concrete industry personnel to the show. The Exhibitor Prospectus for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks will be released this week so keep your eyes and ears open so you don’t miss your chance to showcase your company to the concrete industry. Space will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Event information is accessible by clicking here.

The Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation recently released a series of driver recruitment and onboarding resources to assist concrete producers with recruiting new professional concrete mixer truck drivers for their companies and onboarding them in to their new positions. The resources include a 9-minute video, a 2-minute video, a 60-second radio spot and a 30-second radio spot. The materials are available here and are also available to view from the Foundation’s YouTube page here. 

On June 9, the Senate Committee on Appropriations held a markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill for FY2017. The bill was approved by the committee 29-1. The Labor-HHS Appropriations bill will provide funding for the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (DOE) as well as funding for oversight and accountability programs to reduce fraud and government waste. Prior to the markup, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee outlining key provisions the coalition would like to be included in the bill. The provisions included: the joint employer standard, the "ambush" elections rule and the DOL "persuader" rule. As expected, none of the provisions were contained in the final bill.

 

NRMCA is a member of the CDW which represents over 600 organizations representing millions of businesses that employ tens of millions of workers nationwide.

 

Also on June 9, Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced SJ Res 35, a joint resolution that voices its disapproval of the Department of Labor's (DOL) final "persuader" rule. The DOL published the final persuader rule on March 23 which changes the reporting requirements for so-called "persuader" agreements. The rule now requires employers to disclose when they seek legal advice before an employee union election or campaign. Prior to the finalization of the rule, an employer was only required to disclose this information when a legal advisor had direct communication with employees regarding their union elections or campaigns.

 

Similar legislation, HJ Res 87, has also been introduced in the House by Representative Bradley Byrne (R-AL). HJ Res 87 passed the House Education and Workforce Committee by a vote of 22-13 and currently has 46 cosponsors. 

In April, Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy issued an executive order instructing the Department of Administrative Services, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Insurance Department to work with the Office of the State Building Inspector to ensure that the next revision to the State Building Code contains standards that increase the resiliency of new and renovated homes and buildings. Malloy hasn't proposed anything specific, but said many measures to make buildings more resilient are relatively inexpensive. He also cited research that every $1 spent on resiliency measures can save $4 in insurance claims.

Payouts from extreme weather have more than doubled every 5 to 10 years since the 1980's, and are now a leading cause of property insurance claims. NRMCA has developed a building promotion program to address the need for safer, more resilient construction and has extended its Concrete Design Center to offer free help to designers who might prefer concrete to wood but have little experience with concrete buildings. Visit www.buildwithstrength.com to learn more. In addition, NRMCA has resources to help members and state affiliates advocate for resilient construction, including developing legislation, talking points, public relations and other key strategies.

 

Late last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected an industry challenge to overturn the controversial National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) 2014 rule known as "Quickie" or "Ambush" elections. The final rule, which went into effect on April 14, 2015, drastically shortens the time frame for when a union organizing election must take place once an employer has been notified of the election intent. In addition to the shortened time frame, there are numerous other objectionable changes.

The court case was brought by different Texas state facets of both the Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. The groups were challenging the legality of the new rule, which the court in its opinion explicitly stated does not violate either the "National Labor Relations Act or the Administrative Procedure Act." The court’s ruling is a setback for industry looking for relief from the rule, not only because of the ruling, but because the Fifth Circuit is generally thought of as being a more conservative court and thus likely friendly to this type of case. The court’s ruling now likely complicates any further efforts moving forward to challenge the NLRB’s rule.

This year’s NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship will take place on Sunday, September 18, during NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. The registration form for entering drivers into the championship is now available. Please note, all registration forms and payment are due Monday, August 1.

NRMCA's free Green-Star Auditor Webinar is scheduled for Friday, June 24, from 11 a.m. to noon 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. This course earns 1 credit hour toward a CCPf certification.

NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. Any NRMCA member company producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada is eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits; companies may choose to enter plants from any or all of the five production volume categories.

 

This year’s program is a more picture oriented focus with minimal text, versus the focus from years past that centered on lengthy descriptions of a plant’s environmental management systems. Winning entrants will be honored at the Awards Luncheon at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks this September in Nashville, TN. Winners will also be featured in a 2016 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine, as well as Concrete Products  magazine.

 

The NRMCA Concrete Durability course and Concrete Technologist Level 4 Certification was offered last week in Silver Spring, MD. It was was attended by 17 individuals who rated the content and instructors highly. Of the 16 persons who attempted the certification exam, 12 successfully passed and six were awarded Level 4 Certification (which requires Level 3 

Certification). Congratulations to the attendees.

The June 2016 newsletter of the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center reports the following items:

 

• A report is available on internal curing used for a bridge deck in Buchanan County, IA. The concrete had reduced susceptibility to cracking and, using Life-365, it is predicted that the service life for the section of the bridge with internal curing would be extended by about 20 years.

• The CP Tech Center is developing Web-based workshops to replace some of face-to-face training. The Webinars will be recorded and available online.

• A showcase is planned for August 9 in Salt Lake City on real-time smoothness technology of concrete pavements. Registration is required, but there is fee to attend.

• The center is providing online resources to its popular technical publications to universities and students about designing and constructing concrete pavement systems.

 

June 23, Free Webinar

Seven Things You Can Do To Place More Concrete in Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 28 - July 1, Centennial, CO

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

June 28, Ronkonkoma, NY

Building Green With Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

June 30, Fairfax, VA

Building Green With Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535 

 

September 18 - 20, Nashville, TN

NRMCA's ConcreteWorks 2016

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

 

October 4 - 7, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I: Concrete 101

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

 

October 11, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

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

 

November 7-11, Silver Spring, MD

Annual "Short Course"

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

 

November 29-December 1, Orlando, FL

Environmental Course

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

December 6, Webinar 

Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews...for Ready Mix Sales Managers

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

 

December 6-8, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge

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

 

December 13-16, Anaheim, CA

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

LEED v4, scheduled for launch in October 2016, will have a new credit titled Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Sourcing of Raw Materials. Its intent is to reward project teams for selecting products verified to have been extracted or sourced in an environmentally, economically and socially responsible manner. The credit not only addresses behavior of a product manufacturer, but also addresses the environmental, economic and social practices of its supply chain all the way back to raw material extraction. The credit is worth two points, which is significant.

To address these new criteria in LEED v4, NRMCA is collaborating with the Concrete Sustainability Council to develop a responsible sourcing certification program that is aligned with LEED v4 and the concrete industry’s needs. Additionally, NRMCA members have been participating in pilot tests of the program to determine its effectiveness. The intent of the program is to enhance supply chain transparency and elevate environmental, social and governance practices so that concrete producers can participate in the new LEED standard. The CSC Responsible Sourcing Certification is expected to launch in October 2016 to coincide with the launch of LEED v4.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green rating system, used globally in about 150 countries, is about to have more competition. BREEAM, the leading UK green-building rating system, has crossed the pond and is looking to take on its U.S. counterpart. BREEAM, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology, is managed by London-based Building Research Establishment, or BRE, and is also used in countries around the world. BREEAM has been the dominant environmental assessment system for buildings in the UK for almost two dozen years. It has completed more than 542,868 certifications and has more than 2,242,262 registered buildings in 77 countries. In contrast, U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED has completed about 80,000 certifications and has about 1 million buildings getting certified. Others, like the Green Globes, have tried to encroach on LEED’s dominance in green building market share, but for many in the U.S. green building certification has been synonymous with LEED.

Like LEEDv4, BREEAM pushes for responsibly-sourced materials, which potentially gives the concrete producer more influence on building projects. NRMCA recently completed a pilot responsible sourcing program integrating BREEAM’s criteria which will go live later this year.

 

The NRMCA June Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, July 5, is the Concrete In Practice Single Set. The CIPs are brief technical topics developed for customers of ready mixed companies and address testing, best practices, special ready mixed concrete products and troubleshooting topics. The following six topics have been recently revised for updated content: 

• CIP 8 – Discrepancies in Yield
• CIP 16 – Flexural Strength of Concrete
• CIP 17 – Flowable Fill
• CIP 31 – Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete
• CIP 33 – High Strength Concrete
• CIP 36 – Structural Lightweight Concrete