National Account client Dollar General Stores' new distribution center in Janesville, WI, will have over 2.6 million square feet of concrete paving, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen.

"NRMCA’s work with Dollar General Stores construction and design department goes back more than six years ago when our local paving team (then known as the National Resource Director team) was able to get an ACI 330 specification and concrete preference in place for its new stores," Hansen said. "On this project in Wisconsin, the local paving team involvement can be traced to the fall of 2015, working with contractors and local producers once the plans were out. We are glad to see the preference for concrete has remained in place for Dollar General’s newest growth focus, the distribution centers to supply its 12,483 (and growing) retail stores."

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete production in April is 28.3 million cubic yards, similar to that in April 2015. The estimated production through April is 97.4 million cubic yards, 10% higher than that during the same period in 2015.

 

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).

 

Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed the FY2017 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill by a vote of 31-18. The bill totals $32.1 billion in spending and funds for the Interior Department as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The bill contains numerous policy riders, including provisions to block the "Waters of the US" or WOTUS rule, the carbon limits on power plants rule and the methane emissions rule. Also last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its own FY2017 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 16-14. Total funding for the bill is $32.03 billion which is almost identical to the House version and is approximately $1 billion less than President Obama’s budget request. Similar to the House bill, the Senate bill contains policy riders blocking the WOTUS rule and other environmental regulations.

The WOTUS rule significantly expands the jurisdiction of the Army Corps and EPA over waterways and is currently under a nationwide stay while legal challenges to the rule are worked out in the court system. NRMCA is concerned about how expansion of federal jurisdiction over marginal waters would place an undue burden on ready mixed concrete and aggregate operations, and new construction starts.

Members of NRMCA’s Government Affairs Committee, Board of Directors and any association members are invited to participate in NRMCA’s third quarterly DC Day on Thursday, July 14. Attendees will meet with members of the House and Senate, and their key committee staff to advocate for the including appropriations language dedicated to advancing industry initiatives for resilient construction, as well as our efforts to Stop the Timber Innovation Act which was recently introduced in the Senate. NRMCA will lead the ready mix industry's efforts to STOP the TIA (Timber Innovation Act) from advancing in the House and Senate. The bill authorizes federal dollars to be spent by the U.S. Forest Service to promote wood as the building material of choice in tall building structures – 10 stories and above.

 

Also, House and Senate Appropriations continue to clear committee action and Congress needs to hear from the ready mixed concrete industry on the importance of including our legislative priorities into 2017 fiscal year funding measures. NRMCA has been successful in having four report measures included in separate marks reported out of subcommittee. We must continue to advocate that our report language remain in the final conference version of each agency’s 2017 FY funding measure. Last year’s legislative successes were a direct result of ready mix industry champions who made participating in NRMCA’s DC Days a priority. This is our last chance to lobby Congress prior to its six-week summer recess. If lawmakers don’t hear from you about how the laws they pass impact your day-to-day operations, chances are they will hear from your competitor.

 

NRMCA will host a conference call closer to the date of the event to go over all final planning and update government affairs activities.

 

The Report of the Committee Action Hearings for the 2016 Group B International Code Council (ICC) hearings in Louisville, KY, is now available for download. In addition to the details of the committee actions for each code change proposal, the report includes the results of the Online Assembly Motion Vote on 72 floor motions offered at the hearings. NRMCA and the Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards urge our members to vote. If you are a member of the ICC, please contact your local building code and fire officials to begin a dialogue on key code issues affecting community life safety.

 

You can vote online on key model code proposals such as:

• F169 IFC 903.3.1.2 Changes measuring height for 13R sprinklers in Group R

• RB084 IRC 309.1 Permits asphalt floor surfaces in garages and carports

• F037 IFC 503.7 Requires two (2) access roads for type III, IV and V

• F329 IFC 3304.5.1- (New) Requires fire watch for combustible construction over 40 ft

• F333 IFC 3310.1 - Requires increased fire dept. access for combustible construction

• F336 IFC 3314.2 (New) - Requires sprinklers active during construction

The public comment period for the Group B International Codes is open through cdpACCESS. Instructions for submitting public comments are available here. The public comment period closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on July 22. Group B proposals accepted will be considered in the Pubic Action Hearings in the fall.

While these changes are important in the model codes, they become critical to our industry when adopted and/or amended at the state and local levels. NRMCA has resources to help members and state affiliates advocate for resilient and safe construction in building codes, including developing legislation, talking points, public relations and other key strategies.

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 now seeks applications for the prestigious 2016 Excellence in Quality Award program. A company must be a 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 is then evaluated by NRMCA staff. Companies or divisions that achieve a score of 75% or greater will be recognized at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks in September in Nashville, TN.

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; and

3. Companies have used the award criteria for conducting internal quality audits.

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

June 23, Free Webinar

Seven Things You Can Do To Place More Concrete in Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 24

How To Become A Green Star Auditor

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

 

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

 

 

January 17 - 19, Kissimmee, FL

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

January 24 - 26, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

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

 

March 21 - 23, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

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

Recently, the U.S. Green Building Council surprised environmental groups by announcing a new Alternative Compliance Path for the Materials & Resources Responsible Sourcing credit in LEED that recognize certified wood from the timber industry-backed Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Historically, the LEED certified wood credit had only recognized wood certified under the more rigorous Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

In an open letter, Greenpeace decries the SFI as an unreliable and weak certification standard, amounting to industry-backed greenwash that allows wood from controversial irresponsible logging practices into products bearing the SFI label. According to Greenpeace, it and almost every other major environmental group in the United States, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, WWF, Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Action Network, Stand, Dogwood Alliance and National Wildlife Federation, only recognize FSC as a legitimate forest product certification scheme.

NRMCA, recognizing the need for a rigorous responsible sourcing certification for concrete, is collaborating with the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) to develop an internationally-recognized certification program that is aligned with LEED v4 and meets the rigor of environmental groups such as Greenpeace. The CSC Responsible Sourcing Certification program considers environmental, social and governance practices throughout the supply chain which is material to the concrete industry’s needs, but also meets the needs and desires of environmental groups. To align the program with environmental groups, the CSC has engaged the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to vet the program. Created in 1948, IUCN is the world’s largest environmental network with more than 1,300 member organizations and some 16,000 experts, making it a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Greenpeace and most major environmental groups are members of IUCN. The CSC Responsible Sourcing Certification is expected to launch this fall to coincide with the launch of LEED v4.

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