The Department of Transportation is providing $787 million in grants for 255 transit projects throughout the U.S. While a significant portion of the projects just involves replacing bus fleets, and therefore involves little or no ready mix concrete, others involve construction that will involve some pouring from mixer trucks. The site features a U.S. map with links to each project.

NRMCA Producer member Prairie Materials is playing a key role in helping the city of Indianapolis address its stormwater runoff problems. The ready mix producer is supplying shotcrete to help complete a 285-ft deep entrance shaft at a wastewater treatment plant. The 44-ft. circumference shaft is reinforced with concrete slurry walls for the first 100 feet to stabilize the softer overburden and connect to the bedrock. "This is the first time shotcrete with steel fibers has been used in Indianapolis," reports Kerry Webb, Prairie Indiana quality control manager. The mix is meeting all its specs. "Tests show that we are reaching the correct strengths and uniformity and it’s ready for production."

Everything is indeed up to date in Kansas City, on the Missouri side at least. City officials have designated the Marlborough neighborhood in south Kansas City as the city’s first green pilot project – the Middle Blue River Basin Green Solutions Pilot Project. The project includes what is described as "the latest concrete technology, which allows for greater absorption of water than previous pervious sidewalks."

A Columbus, OH-based billboard campaign launched by the cement/concrete industry in Ohio draws attention to ODOT’s "asphalt escalator" policy. The campaign claims the policy cost the state nearly $37 million in change orders during 2009-2010. A news release, including an image of the billboard, can be viewed here.

NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Amy Miller recently traveled to Ponte Vedra, FL, to attend the Georgia Concrete & Products Association’s annual summer meeting where she discussed NRMCA's National Account program and how efforts related to her and NRMCA's other four national resource directors can be used on the local level. Also included in the presentation was an explanation of the Design Assistance Program for concrete parking lots as well as streets and local roads.

The U.S. Army has begun construction on the Carl R. Darnell Medical Center replacement at Ft. Hood, TX. The buildings are to include approximately 150,000 cubic yards of concrete in the concrete building frames, floors and footings. NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Vance Pool reports a cast in place parking garage for 1,700 cars was recently bid. 

"With a lower carbon footprint than competing materials and life safety advantages like greater blast resistance, the government is getting a big bang for its buck in this mega project," Pool said. "This $500 million complex utilizes concrete in many applications and should provide health care to our veterans for many decades to come."

NRMCA was first made aware of the project by Sean VanDelist while he was promoting for the Cement Council of Texas years ago.

NRMCA's national resource directors have two Webinar set for the next couple of weeks, one on streets and local roads promotion and the other on Concrete Pavement Analyst software. Click on the links below to learn more or contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

• Thursday, August 9 - Streets and Local Roads

• Wednesday, August 14 - Concrete Pavement Analyst Software

Please join us on the morning of Tuesday, September 18, for a Walk for Wellness to benefit the RMC Research & Education Foundation. The event will be held in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo and the Fall Board of Directors meeting. Please join us in spreading awareness of how wellness is an important element of daily life, including at the workplace. Your participation is a tremendous opportunity to also support this initiative and the Foundation at the same time. Registration will be $25 per walker and will be complimentary for drivers participating in the 7th Annual Truck Mixer Driver Championship.

For more information and to register for the Walk, please click here. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for this event. Please click here to access the sponsorship form.

The following sessions and speakers are scheduled for the Technical Track sessions at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks Conference and Expo to be held next month at the Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor, MD.

Staying in the Game with LEED v4 and the New Green Construction Code - LEED is changing with a new version due out next year. There’s also a new green building code called the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). The green building movement continues to gain momentum as developers, government agencies and designers build structures to minimize environmental impact using these standards. To take full advantage of this movement and be a participant in the process, you have to have a detailed understanding of the design concepts and guidelines used in LEED and the IgCC. And although concrete will still help meet many of the requirements, there are new concepts that will provide the concrete industry with both opportunities and challenges.

In LEED v4, there are new credit categories, increased technical rigor and revised point distribution that will affect how concrete is specified and used in green building. The IgCC will have requirements for materials that are more focused on performance. Environmental Product Declarations, life cycle assessment, disclosure of chemicals of concern and responsible extraction of raw materials are just a few concepts you will learn about in this session from NRMCA's Lionel Lemay and Tien Peng.

5 Common Pitfalls in Public and Private Contracts and Specs - A ready mixed concrete producer's ability to influence contract terms and specifications differs and depends on a wide range of factors. Whether the producer has negotiating power on setting relevant terms and conditions on the front end, it's vitally important to at least understand – before the project starts – where contractual and specifications pitfalls may lie. This presentation will focus on five examples of common contract or specification language, in both public and private settings, that suppliers should be wary of, and will present strategies for pushing back on such language before the agreement is signed or, at a minimum, to minimize the risk of adverse language later being used against you. Benjamin B. Tymann, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Quality Control – The Untapped Profit Center - It has been said that Quality Control (QC) does not matter once the project specifications have been satisfied. QC has long been considered a necessary evil of the concrete business and has been treated as a cost center with little thought as to how it can benefit the bottom line of the ready mixed concrete company. It is the presenters’ view that concrete QC, if properly approached, can be a significant profit center for the company. The presenters will show with various examples how concrete QC can add to the company bottom line. It will also become clear that QC is part of a team effort. Karthik Obla, NRMCA; Jay Shilstone, Command Alkon.

Beyond Specifications – Partnering with Contractors for Successful Projects - A key aspect on successful project delivery – whether performance-based or otherwise – is successful partnering with contractor customers. Contractors' requirements for proper placement and finishing concrete are generally not addressed in construction specifications, but there needs to be close coordination and understanding of contractor's requirements in concert with the owner's needs. This presentation will cover several aspects that need to be discussed prior to the pour and success stories where this has worked to the benefit of all stakeholders on a project. Dr. Kevin A. MacDonald, Cemstone Concrete Products Company; Mike Lenkin, Miller & Long.

Because it is critical, every ready mix employee must understand the essence of the technical and operations aspects of the ready mixed concrete business, NRMCA’s top executive engineering team annually offers its expertise to non QC/QA technicians. From October 2-5 in Silver Spring, MD, (metro Washington, DC), people in your administrative office, your sales reps, your entry level operations people will have the opportunity to learn from the concrete industry's leading authorities exactly what this industry is about day-to-day. 

At this level, your staff will have a full, usable understanding of how to answer questions from customers and work better with your experienced staff, while adding depth to their job. Past attendees have ranged from CFOs to new order takers. With today’s continual  challenges, can your company afford to have anybody not understand what a ready mixed concrete company does?

Please register as soon as possible NRMCA's Plant Manager Certification workshop to be held August 14-17 in Silver Spring, MD (metro Washington, DC). This class not only serves producers, but specifically meets the Army Corps of Engineers' contract spec requirement for personnel who must be certified as part of awarded federal contracts. It will NOT be offered again until December 2012 in Denver.

This class is a required class in the NRMCA STEPS® CCPf certification in the Operations and Production Track. It is only offered twice a year. Act now especially if you have a bid in for a federal pavement or dam project. Producers cannot pour until the batchman achieves this certification. December is months away. 

On Friday July 27, the 2012 Summer Olympics held its spectacular opening ceremony in London. The four billion viewers of these Games are also treated to arguably the most sustainable Olympics with distinctive venues and innovative use of concrete. More than 45,000 construction workers, construction companies, engineering and architectural companies were responsible for creating the amazing, green venues, including the Olympic Stadium which is one the most sustainable buildings ever, featuring:

• Capacity of 80,000 to be reduced to 25,000 from the lightweight innovative design;

• Concrete produced on site, using recycled content and with the raw materials being supplied to the site by rail contributing to a 42 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to the average concrete used in the UK; and

• 230,000 cubic feet of crushed concrete, recycled from other parts of the Olympic Park, placed on top of the ground, creating a solid base for the stadium’s construction.

The Aquatics Centre, an iconic part of the ‘gateway' to the Olympic Park, features:

• A stunning wave-like roof, 525 feet (160 m) long and 262 feet (80 m) wide which weighs more than 2,880 tons resting on just two concrete supports at the northern end and the second one at a single wall at the southern end, which have been built with over 20,000 tons of concrete;

• 1,200 piles of reinforced concrete in the foundation – mostly tension rather than compression – to offset the probability of a 'buoyancy effect," (when pools are left empty);

• Ground granulated blast furnace slag, a byproduct of steel production, added to reduce the necessary cement content by 50%; and

• A 2,953 ton concrete bridge built to span and protect the tunnels which have been dug to run power lines beneath the site. 

While the’ "Bird’s Nest" and other Beijing Olympic venues are unused empty shells, many of the London venues will be deconstructed, dismantled and reused after the Olympics are finished. The London 2012 organizers hoped to build a sustainable legacy as well as a sporting one. 

NRMCA was once again one of several industry sponsors for the annual concrete industry Professors Workshop held July 23-27 in Skokie, IL. More than 30 civil, architectural and construction engineering professors from U.S. and Canadian universities gathered state-of-the-art information on concrete design and construction. The workshop, which is organized by Portland Cement Association and co-sponsored by concrete industry associations, includes topics ranging from fundamentals of concrete materials, concrete pavements, structural concrete design for bridges and buildings, and sustainability.

Discussions enable participants to share innovative ways to teach concrete. Speakers included well known concrete educators such as Ken Hover of Cornell University, Anton Schindler of Auburn University and Jason Weiss of Purdue University, just to name a few. Industry trade groups also provide speakers. NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay presented The Role of Performance Based Specifications in Sustainable Development and provided tips for incorporating the topic of specifications into undergraduate programs. 

A host of publications have reported on presidential politics, transportation, infrastructure, regulation, heath care, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry. To access these articles for the week of July 23 - 27, please click here.

August 6-9, Online Course

Pervious Concrete—A Stormwater Solution

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

 

August 9, Webinar

Streets and Local Roads

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

 

August 14, Webinar

Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software

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

 

August 14, Webinar (Part 2 on August 21)

Designing & Specifying Pervious Concrete

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

 

August 14-17, Silver Spring, MD

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

August 21, Webinar

The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots

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

 

August 21, Webinar (Part 2)

Designing & Specifying Pervious Concrete

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

 

August 27-30, Online Course

Design of Concrete Pavements

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

 

September 4, Webinar

Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software

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

 

September 4, Webinar (Part 2 on September 11)

Designing & Specifying Pervious Concrete

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

 

September 5-7, Silver Spring, MD

NRMCA Concrete Durability Course

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

 

September 7, Glen Allen, VA

Adopting Disaster Resilient Construction at the Local Level

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

September 11, Webinar

The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots

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

 

September 11, Webinar (Part 2)

Designing & Specifying Pervious Concrete

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

 

September 16-19, Metro Washington, DC

2012 NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors Meeting

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

 

September 20, Webinar

Streets and Local Roads

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

 

September, 27, Cambridge, MA

Annual MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Research Progress Update

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

 

October 2-5, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I: Concrete 101

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

 

October 23-25, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

November 1, Webinar

Streets and Local Roads

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

 

November 5-9, Silver Spring, MD

Technical Short Course

Email: Karen Bean, 888-84-NRMCA, x1168

 

December 4-6, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge

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

 

December 4-6, Orlando, FL

Environmental Professional Certification Course for the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry

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

 

December 11-14, Denver, CO

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

December 12-13, Doha, Qatar

International Concrete Technology Forum

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

2013

 

February 19-21, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

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

 

March 3-5, San Antonio, TX

NRMCA Annual Convention

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

 

March 19-21, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Sales Fundamentals

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

 

May 6-8, San Francisco, CA

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 12-15, Chicago, IL

Fifth North American Conference on Design and Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete