NRMCA and industry allies at last week's International Code Council's (ICC) Committee Action Hearings in Memphis helped defeat a proposal to allow building nine-story wood structures. The hearings were the first step in hearing proposals and testimonies from the various industries and code officials that will then be considered for a public hearing this fall. The results of the code development cycle will be the publication of the 2018 IBC model code.

There were significant wins along with expected losses for the concrete industry. Interest in preventing future conflagrations like the ones seen in an Edgewater, NJ, multifamily fire brought the general public and fire chiefs out to support limits to combustible wood construction. PCA, the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards and Tien Peng of NRMCA delivered testimony with the following successful results:

• Nine story Type IV NOT allowed;

• Firewalls constructed by cross-laminated timber CLT protected by gypsum board NOT allowed;

• Type III and V parking garages NOT allowed;

• Occupied roofs NOT excluded as a story;

• Combustible construction NOT allowed in Type III;

• Limiting allowable areas in disaster prone areas disapproved;

• Increasing Fire resistance rating in disaster prone areas disapproved;

• Fire watch for 40-foot Type V construction belongs in Fire Code, not IBC; and

• Enhanced resiliency measures in appendix disapproved.

Unfortunately, the committee did not take action on some proposals which supported increased fire robustness or resiliency. NRMCA will continue its advocacy efforts with the International Building Code in the next building code cycle.

In the typical asphalt pavement jungle of the Chicago Loop, a new dedicated bus route is being built with colored concrete for durability, distinction and performance, reports NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen. The Loop Link project is expected to cut bus travel times by 25% on the dedicated red concrete lanes. The all-concrete design is a departure from the normal pavement design for Chicago Loop road construction which is a concrete pavement base with 2 inches of asphalt wear surface. When complete, the project will feature two miles of bus lane paving, with the majority having an adjacent but separate bike lane.

Click here to learn more about the Loop Link project: For more information on this article, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org.

Representatives from the Department of Public Works and City Engineering Department of Hampton, VA, recently attended a "lunch and learn" presentation hosted by the Hampton Roads Council of the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (VRMCA). NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge was the featured speaker, presenting a combination of two NRMCA presentations: The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots and ACI 330: The Gold Standard in Parking Lot Design. The meeting was facilitated by VRMCA’s Director of Industry Services Ann-Germaine Danz.

Kresge began his presentation by highlighting the benefits of concrete parking lots, but the majority of his program addressed the why’s and how’s of using ACI 330 for proper design. Additionally, Kresge spoke about concrete overlays of existing asphalt parking lots and introduced the attendees to The Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots; the definitive guide from the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center and the RMC Research & Education Foundation.

Last week, NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller was invited by the Florida Concrete and Products Association to give an update on NRMCA promotion activities. Miller offered information regarding NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program, Boot Camp, NRMCA’s recent hire and approach to combating the wood industry along with other material. "We welcome the opportunity to communicate our initiatives to our industry," she said. "Not only do we receive great information that enables us to better our process, but we always have one or more participants in the audience who take advantage of the opportunity to utilize our services. This meeting was no exception."

If you are interested in having someone offer an update in your area, please contact one of the resource directors here.

On Friday, April 24, the Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association (CRMCA), the CO/WY Chapter of American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), the Rocky Mountain Region of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the Colorado Chapter of the American Concrete Pipe Association hosted lunch for Concrete Day at the Capital. The free lunch served to over 550 attendees provided an opportunity for the concrete industry to recognize the hard work of the Colorado legislators, their staff and all the capitol building employees. Along with CRMCA, ACPA, and PCA, the concrete industry was well represented by local ready mix and cement companies, reports NRMCA's Amanda Hult who attended the event for the second year in a row. While serving legislators and staff, Hult was able to update industry members on NRMCA’s activities and available resources.

NRMCA Paving Engineer Amanda Hult, and Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen will host a free, one-hour Design Assistance Program (DAP) Webinar tomorrow, Thursday, April 30, at noon Eastern time. This Webinar will detail the free services provided to the industry through NRMCA's 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.

The 2016 NRMCA Board nomination process is underway. The NRMCA Nominating Committee must select director candidates from regions, member companies and one state association executive director to be elected to the NRMCA Board for the 2016 - 2019 term beginning at the end of the annual convention in San Diego in March 2016.  Please submit your nominations today; the deadline for nominations is Wednesday, July 15.

Please contact NRMCA’s Deana Angelastro at dangelastro@nrmca.org for a nomination form.

Starting June 1, changes to the OSHA Hazard Communication Program will need to be implemented by all ready mixed concrete producers. Specific changes include the new 16-section format Safety Data Sheet (SDS, no longer MSDS) and the new labels with pictograms. Employers will need to have the new SDS and label for all hazardous materials stored or manufactured at ready mixed concrete facilities. For more information on the updated standard, the new elements and required training, NRMCA has produced a new publication: the NRMCA Hazard Communication Standards Guide, please click here to view. NRMCA also urges members to view the numerous compliance resources created by OSHA, found here.

Results are beginning to come in, but NRMCA needs a lot more participation to make the results valid. The survey is short and online: it’s fast and easy to compete. Your response will help us all understand today’s recruitment challenges and retention frustrations while sharing successes. Your responses are 100% anonymous - NRMCA simply asks you to identify a broad category of the size and region of your company and if your business is urban, rural or mixed.  If we get enough of producers to participate, we can look more closely at the challenges presented by these demographic characteristics.

Please help us support your efforts to have the best mixer driver fleet you have ever had by completing this online survey. Results will be published in the early fall.

With the economy recovering, the operations classes are the most popular ones NRMCA offers. Each class has a limited number of seats to make sure all participants have personal learning experiences. If your mid-level training budget is set, use it today to reserve your candidate’s seat!

• Plant Manager Certification, June 2-5, San Antonio - This class is half full.  Do not get closed out. Click here for more information and registration options.

• Environmental Professional Certification, December 1-3, Orlando  - Click here for more information and registration options.

• Supervisor Certification, November 17-20, Silver Spring, MD - Click here for more information and registration options.

• Plant Manager Certification, December 8-11, Orlando - Click here for more information and registration options.

Adding to an already stellar lineup of over 60 expert keynote and technical speakers, two new keynote speakers are now slated to present at the 2015 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, May 11-13 in Miami. Aris Papadopoulos, founder of the Resilience Action Fund and past CEO of Titan America, will present The UN Role in Shaping the Emerging Global Resilience Movement during lunch on May 12. Mr. Papadopoulos actively participated in the United Nations' Sendai World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction representing the private sector. He also recently authored the book titled Resilience – The Ultimate Sustainability: Lessons from Failing to Create a Stronger and Safer Built Environment.

Dr. Natalie West Kharkongor, associate professor of economics and head of the Center for Development of North Eastern Region (CEDNER), Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, India will present Green Economics: Sustainability Funding during lunch on May 13. An award-winning lecturer and economist, Dr. Kharkongor has presented and published numerous papers related to Banking and Finance, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Industry, Higher Education, Water Management, Women Empowerment, Health Sector and Green Economics.

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 April 20 - 24, 2015, please click here.

Last week, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing in order to discuss the case for his department’s FY16 Budget request. Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) criticized the pay for mechanism proposed by the Obama Administration in the GROW AMERICA Act, which is the Administration’s proposal for a long-term highway bill. Specifically, the bill would be funded by a general fund transfer that is offset by mandatory repatriation of profits held overseas by U.S. corporations. Chairman Collins argued that this proposal does not generate steady revenue for the long term and that it is only a temporary patch.

Also during the hearing, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) questioned the Secretary on the progress of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours-of-service restart study. In the FY15 Appropriations bill, a provision was included to suspend part of FMCSA’s hours-of-service rule on restart provisions. According to Foxx, the congressionally-mandated study is well underway and should be complete by the end-of-year deadline.

For more information, contact Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org.

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:

• Regular member price for a pkg. of 10 is $10, Internet Special $8, plus shipping.
• Regular member price for a pkg. of 25 is $25, Internet Special $20, plus shipping.
• Regular member price for a pkg. of 250 is $250, Internet Special $200, plus shipping.

May 11 - 13, Miami

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

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

 

June 2 - 5, San Antonio, TX

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

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 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 20 - 22, San Antonio, TX

ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting

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

 

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 4, Webinar

STEPS A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

November 17 - 19, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

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

 

 

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