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Pavement

NRMCA Seeks to Boost Concrete Share in Massachusetts Road Projects

On Friday, January 9, NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Ken Justice joined Craig Dauphinais, executive director of the Massachusetts Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association, and Bill Cuerdon of the American Concrete Pavement Association at MassDOT to discuss concrete pavement designs and specifications. Attending the meeting were MassDOT Chief Engineer Patricia Leavenworth and her staff, including Ed Naris, head of pavement design. Justice and his ready mix colleagues discussed the NRMCA's design assistance program as well as other services and publications available to MassDOT and also shared DOT specifications from New York and Pennsylvania in order to develop a new Massachusetts specification.

For more information, contact Ken Justice at kjustice@nrmca.org.

Short Video Clip Promotes Concrete Overlays Over Asphalt Parking Lot

Looking for a great tool to promote concrete overlays over asphalt parking lots? NRMCA member Dave Gray of GCC of America has recently posted a concise, informative video on youtube that outlines the process of overlaying an asphalt parking lot with concrete. The 4-minute video quickly covers the benefits, as well as the overlay construction process. This well produced video is ideal for introducing the concept of a concrete overlay to owners and property managers alike.

View here. For more information, contact Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org.

Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee Schedules Conference Call

The NRMCA Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee will hold a conference call on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Interested participants can join the call at 1-866-670-0780. Conference code for the call is 9101734.

"On the heels of the release of our second Pervious In Practice publication, we want to keep the momentum going into 2017," said NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Phil Kresge. "Work has already begun on PIP #3, and we hope to release two others this year." Other topics on the call will include updates on the on-going de-icing chemical research and discussion of additional efforts for the upcoming year.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.

Association & Industry News

Submissions for Concrete Cares Award Now Being Accepted

The Manufacturers, Products & Services (MPS) Division of NRMCA is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Concrete Cares Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in community service by an NRMCA Producer member company. With ready mixed concrete plants in almost every community in America, NRMCA member companies are making a real difference. From Earth Day celebrations, to organized volunteering for Boys & Girls Clubs, local schools and recreation departments, to raising awareness for breast cancer screenings, ready mixed producers are at work every day in their communities. The Concrete Cares Award aims to recognize these efforts and shine a national spotlight on the positive impact ready mixed concrete companies have in hometowns across the nation. A donation in the name of the selected honoree will be made to the charity of their choice. The award will be presented at NRMCA’s Annual Convention, March 4-6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the Association’s annual awards breakfast.

Ready mixed concrete producers that are members of NRMCA are eligible for nomination. To view past honorees and submit a nomination for consideration, please use the appropriate form found here and forward the nomination form and supporting materials to Kathleen Carr-Smith, senior vice president, membership and communications, via e-mail at kcarrsmith@nrmca.org or mail to NRMCA, 900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, Attention: Concrete Cares Award. Nominations must be received by Friday, February 3, for consideration.

Input Needed for Survey on Building Information Modeling

NRMCA Members are asked to please take a few minutes to participate in a 7-question survey on the use of building information modeling (BIM) in the concrete industry. The survey has been created as part of the Strategic Development Council’s BIM initiative in order to gain better understanding of the benefits and barriers to the use of BIM. Surveys on BIM have been performed for the construction industry in general, but this particular survey is focused on the concrete industry’s perspective. Results will be analyzed to attempt to answer the following questions:

• What are the benefits to BIM?

• Who benefits?

• What are the disadvantages?

• How do we share the benefits?

The survey is located here and will be open through Wednesday, January 18.

NRMCA’s Loyer, Lewis Promoted to Vice President

As key members of the Build with Strength promotion team, John Loyer and Gregg Lewis, have been promoted to vice President at NRMCA effective January 1, 2017. Gregg Lewis has been promoted to vice president, building innovations, with a primary objective of offering technical expertise to developers and design professionals in order to incorporate cutting-edge concrete solutions into their building projects. He integrates teams of architects, engineers and contractors to offer durable, energy efficient and economical concrete solutions that meet the needs of both building developers and their tenants. His focus on low- and mid-rise commercial and residential structures will advance the use of insulating concrete forms, tilt-up construction and other cast-in-place framing options in these markets.

John Loyer has been promoted to vice president, state and local government affairs and represents the association at the state and local levels to advance building code legislation and regulation that supports safer building construction. Mr. Loyer, based in Northern Virginia, is a highly regarded and successful advocate with over 15 years of experience providing expert government affairs and strategic solutions to his employers and clients at all levels of government.

Build with Strength, www.BuildwithStrength.com, a coalition of NRMCA, promotes concrete building systems through communications, project promotion, education and advocacy. To learn more about these programs please contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

Government Affairs

Become a CONCRETEPAC Corporate Sponsor for 2017

CONCRETEPAC gives a strong voice to the ready mixed concrete industry on Capitol Hill – and our plans for 2017 are bigger than ever! While we raise personal contributions to fund CONCRETEPAC’s political activities, the PAC is sustained by corporate contributions made by our members to underwrite our administrative operating costs. We invite all NRMCA Producer and Associate members to consider becoming a CONCRETEPAC corporate sponsor in 2017.

Our biggest event of the year, CONCRETEPAC's Bruno Benna 'BACK-the-PAC' Dinner & Auction will be held on March 5 during NRMCA's Annual Convention, immediately preceding the CONEXPO-CON/AGG show in Las Vegas, NV. This is sure to be the largest gathering of the ready mixed concrete industry of the year. Becoming a CONCRETEPAC corporate sponsor increases your company's recognition and exposure. We have sponsorship levels to fit every budget, as well as unique benefits to offer. All levels designate your company as an overall sponsor of all CONCRETEPAC events in 2017 - guaranteeing that your company's name will be in front of the industry's top executives. Join us today!

CONCRETEPAC’s Corporate Sponsorship Brochure can be viewed here and the form for participation can be downloaded here. For more information, contact Cara Gavagan at cgavagan@nrmca.org.

Senate to Hold Hearing for Transportation Nominee Chao

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold its hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Transportation-Secretary-designate Elaine Chao this afternoon. Secretary Chao has an extensive background that qualifies her to lead the Department of Transportation. She served as the Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush for all eight years and deputy secretary for transportation as well as deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration under President George H. W. Bush. In addition, Secretary Chao honed her business savvy while serving in leadership roles at various organizations, including the Peace Corps, the United Way of America, the Heritage Foundation and most recently as a distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute. It is because of these qualifications that Secretary Chao is expected to receive a comfortable nomination by the Senate.

Once at the helm of DOT, Secretary Chao will be tasked with crafting, messaging and implementing President-elect Trump’s infrastructure proposal through Congress. The biggest hurdle will be finding the financial resources to fund the $1 trillion proposal. The first test for the incoming administration’s transportation package will be securing a pay-for in tax reform. However, key Republicans have expressed a commitment to finding a dedicated funding source. Sec. Chao has also identified several key issues of focus in her nomination questionnaire that are of particular interest to the ready mixed concrete industry. They include: 1) effective enforcement safety measures, getting the most benefit from the DOT’s expenditures, including strengthening its planning and acquisition practices and considering new technologies in our infrastructure; 2) improve critical infrastructure by finding ways to expedite the process of making repairs and building new construction and decreasing regulatory burdens; and 3) strive for equity between urban and rural areas, among different modes of transportation, and other competing but equally deserving stakeholders.

It is this wide range of knowledge and policy acumen that NRMCA believes Secretary Chao’s professional qualifications are indisputable. NRMCA sent letters to members of the Senate asking for support of Secretary-designate Elaine Chao to serve as the Secretary of Transportation. We also signed onto letters of support with members of the Highway Materials Group and the North American Concrete Alliance. To view those letters click here, here and here.

For more information contact NRMCA’s Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org.

OES

Reminder: OSHA 300A Summary Logs Must Be Posted By February 1

Remember, staring February 1, employers need to display their OSHA 300A log where employees have access to it. The summary log needs to stay posted until April 30, 2017. For more information on OSHA recordkeeping requirements please click here. To access OSHA 300A forms and instructions please click here.

For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Tier II/Community Right-to-Know Reporting Deadline is March 1

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), put into law in 1986, requires industries to report on the "storage, use and releases of hazardous chemicals (and materials) to federal, state, and local governments." This specific reporting requirement under EPCRA is commonly referred to as Community Right-to-Know (CRTK) reporting, Tier II reporting, and/or Section 311/312 reporting. The reporting deadline is Wednesday, March 1.

Click here to learn more about EPCRA, chemical/material thresholds and how to report. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Winter 2017 Plant Manager Certification Classes Now Filled; Register Now for Next Class in April

NRMCA’s January and February Plant Manager Certification classes are sold out. There is just one class left with seats: April 25-28 in Seattle. This class is expected to fill, and though early in the year, do not delay registering.

Click here for more information.

Calendar

A Look Ahead

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

January 17 - 19, Kissimmee (Metro Orlando), FL *Sold Out

Effective RMC Supervisor Course