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IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWS LINKS
PROMOTIONS
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
EDUCATION &TRAINING
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
NEWS LINKS
As of last October, the world’s tallest wood building constructed in modern times, using contemporary techniques, could be found on the campus of the University of Northern British Columbia, in the city of Prince George. The eight-story, 96-foot-tall Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC), designed by Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture (MGA), sits on a concrete raft slab and contains 51,000 square feet of office and educational space. At ground level, a double-height, triple-glazed curtainwall with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) mullions connects an interior sheathed entirely in wood to the street outside. The building was designed to showcase the aesthetic and structural capabilities of lumber in commercial construction.
Source: A March 24 article by Architect magazine. Read more.
Contractors on the new Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons in Milwaukee are wrapping up a 27-hour concrete pour. It is history in the making as 250 construction workers are operating 50 mixer trucks that are pouring concrete for hours straight. "That’s the largest continuous concrete pour we believe ever in the state of Wisconsin," said President of C.G. Schmidt, Rick Schmidt. "That’s enough concrete to cover an American football field 5 feet deep," added Brian Mitchell, president of Choice Construction.
Source: A March 28 broadcast by Fox 6 television.
A new City Council bill would mandate the use of recycled concrete in all new street construction projects. Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) is introducing the legislation that would require at least 30% of concrete to come from demolished roads and buildings. It’s a move to cut carbon emissions that come from concrete production, he said.
Source: March 29 article in the New York Daily News. Read more.
PROMOTIONS
"This is a no brainer" was the contractor's comment at the end of a recent NRMCA Parking Lot Boot Camp, reports NRMCA Vice President, Jon Hansen, With the traditional belief that concrete cannot compete with asphalt for new parking lots coming under scrutiny because of the options for concrete overlays of existing asphalt parking lots, the contractor now saw how he could compete in all aspects of parking lot paving, said Hansen who conducted the boot camp with his colleague Amy Miller.
"To have a contractor sit through a two-day, 10-hour program is one challenge, but to have him leave at the end of day two and make a comment like this really validates what we try to achieve during Parking Lot Boot Camp," he added.
For more information, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org. NRMCA paving engineer Amanda Hult and Vice President, National Resource, Amy Miller combine to host a free, one-hour Design Assistance Program (DAP) Webinar on Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. This Webinar will detail the free services provided to the industry through the design assistance programs. NRMCA staff will discuss in detail the information provided in the deliverables as well as how to use this information as a part of the promotional effort for parking lots and streets and local roads.
This Webinar is ideal for those involved in the promotion of concrete pavements or looking for assistance in gaining market share in concrete parking lots and streets and local roads. Designers and specifiers looking for information on how to submit for pavement design assistance are also invited to attend.
Please contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org for more information or click here to register.
When Rud Robison, AIA, of Pryor & Morrow Architects designed a concrete parking lot 33 years ago for the Tupelo, MS, Regional Airport, he was unaware of exactly what value he would be bringing the local airport authority. Robison (shown below) was an intern in 1982, working with the firm of A. J. Staub III and Associates in Tupelo. The concrete was supplied by NRMCA Producer member B&B Concrete at 5" thick. Even though the parking lot has endured 33 years of freeze/thaw cycles and usage, it remains in great condition. The adjacent terminal was torn down and replaced but the parking lot remained.
 Robison chose concrete as the pavement type because "asphalt was expensive in 1982 and concrete appeared to be more cost effective. B&B Concrete is only about two miles from the construction site. I seem to recall that the project was designed and bid for both asphalt paving and concrete paving. I recall that the concrete design was bid at the least cost. Our research indicated that properly designed and constructed concrete could offer greater durability and possibly longer life. This was Mr. Staub's and my first attempt at using unreinforced concrete paving."
"Proper use and design of concrete paving is one of the most important lessons that a young architect can learn," Staub added. "I had the good fortune to have learned this early in my career. Today, I still use the concrete design skills that I learned in 1982."
For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org. OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
To meet increased demand, NRMCA will now host an extra Plant Manager Certification class to be held June 2-5 in San Antonio, TX. For those who must pass the course to meet the Army Corps of Engineers' contract spec requirement, NRMCA encourages you to plan well ahead because the next class is December 8-11 in Orlando.
According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90%+ of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with a producer’s 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. It’s a must to support your profit margin.
Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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 March 23 - 27, 2015, please click here.
If you would like to receive this weekly updated link in a separate e-mail, or if you have questions or comments about the roundup, contact NRMCA’s Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org.
EDUCATION &TRAINING
Once the season is rockin’ and rollin’, log on for information and insight that will drive your business while helping you manage your staff! The price is a bargain and you lose no time being away from the action in your market.
• Webinar #1: Sales Management 101... for Ready Mix Sales Managers - Wednesday, May 13, noon - 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. In this 90-minute Webinar, you will learn the critical skills of effective sales management that can help you build a top-performing sales team. This session is filled with tips and techniques to benefit both new and experienced ready mix managers.
• Webinar #2: Personal Leadership and Coaching - Wednesday, July 15, noon - 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. This 90-minute Webinar is designed for every ready mix concrete manager – sales, service, dispatch, admin and executive – any manager who wants to become a more effective leader and coach.
• Webinar #3: Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps - Wednesday, September 9, noon - 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Hiring is the #1 challenge of every ready mix sales manager. In this 90-minute Webinar you will learn how to spot potential top sales performers and how to identify the warning signs of a possible "wrong hire".
• Webinar #4: Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews...for Ready Mix Sales Managers - Wednesday, November 18, noon - 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. How do you know if your sales rep is performing at the top of his or her ability...and if not, what you can do to help him or her? In this 90-minute Webinar you will 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.
Click here for more information and registration options.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Pervious Concrete Pavement Maintenance & Operations Guide. Sold in packages of 10, 25 and 250, this 8-page guide is a culmination of the collaborative efforts of the NRMCA's Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee. This is neither a promotional brochure nor a design guide. Rather, it is intended to provide direction for owners and property managers whose sites include pervious concrete as an integral part of their stormwater management. The guide explains the role that proper maintenance plays with regard to pervious concrete's effectiveness and its durability. It then identifies the owner's responsibilities to provide that maintenance. Every pervious concrete contractor should consider providing this guide to each of his or her customers.
Use Discount Code: ISAP15 and Order your packaged set of 10, 25, or 250 online today and receive 20% off the member price:
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
April 6, Free Webinar
Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets & Roads
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
April 6-8, Nashville, TN (Presented by Tennessee Concrete Association)
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
April 7, Portland, OR
Building Green with Concrete
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
April 13, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
April 13, Webinar (Part I) (Part II is April 20)
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
April 20, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
April, 28, Orlando, FL
Handling Concrete Specifications
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
April 28, Columbus, OH (Presented by Ohio Concrete)
Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
May 11-13 Miami
International Concrete Sustainability Conference
Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101
May 13, Webinar
Sales Management 101...
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
May 19, Wheaton, IL
Building Green with Concrete
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
June 2-4, Nashville, TN
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
July 6, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
July 13, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
July 15, Webinar
Personal Leadership and Coaching
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
July 20, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
July 31, Free Webinar
Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
August 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
September 9, Webinar
Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 13-16, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module I: Concrete 101
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
November 2-6, Silver Spring, MD
Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
November 10-12, Silver Spring, MD
Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
November 18, Webinar
Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
December 1-3, Orlando, FL
Environmental Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
December 1-3, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
December 8-11, Orlando, FL
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
2016
February 23-25, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
March 15-17, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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April 1, 2015
 
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