The popular NRMCA Parking Lot Boot Camp landed in Salt Lake City last week for two days, June 10-11, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen. Sponsored by Matt Wood with Ash Grove Cement for Geneva Rock, the 10-hour course was attended by members from both companies along with the paving division of Geneva Rock.

 

"The Salt Lake City venue was our westernmost location for a Parking Lot Boot Camp to date," said Hansen who conducted the Boot Camp with his colleague Amy Miller, senior vice president of promotion. Hansen went on to report that after the camp ended on Thursday he received a call the following day from one of the attendees who had identified a project and wanted to proceed with a Design Assistance Program (DAP) and Concrete Pavement Analysis (CPA) workup on the project.

"This type of quick response to the principles taught during Boot Camp validates the time, effort and financial commitment to put this training effort together," Hansen said. "Showing a company how to expand its market with parking lot paving and understanding it can compete is a win-win for everyone."

NRMCA Senior Vice President, Promotion, Amy Miller spoke this weekend at The Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s summer convention, offering an update on initiatives within the NRMCA promotion group. "The Design Assistance Program continues to offer opportunities for our members to pursue work and our Boot Camp courses as well," she said. "Before I left the convention, one producer member had already contacted me to put together a Boot Camp class for that company."

Miller also spoke on the aggressiveness of the soft wood lumber industry and the market share that has been taken from the concrete industry. "North Carolina is one of the states the soft wood lumber industry cited as having the most success in converting commercial/multi-family projects, and I felt it was imperative for our partners in this marketplace to be aware of not only the attack on their business, but the potential efforts of NRMCA to combat it," Miller added.

For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org.

Early bird registration is now open for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2015, co-located with NRMCA’s Fall Board of Directors’ Meeting, scheduled for September 20-22 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, TX. Sign up early to save more than $100 off the regular registration fees. This year’s event includes a keynote presentation from NRMCA President Robert Garbini and multiple tracks of education sessions. As well, we’re launching an exciting transition for the exposition portion of NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks and will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Annual National Mixer Driver Championship. This year’s event also includes NRMCA committee meetings, Board of Directors’ activities, networking opportunities, Awards Luncheon and the Driver Championship Awards Dinner, making the 2015 event a new and exciting "must attend" for industry professionals.

NRMCA has contracted a block of rooms at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa at a discounted rate of $209/night plus taxes. A daily optional discounted resort fee of $17.00 can be added to your room rate. This fee will cover several in-room amenities, fitness center access and activity discounts. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa directly at 877-622-3056 or online. The hotel reservations cut-off date is Thursday, August 27, but please note that the block of rooms is limited so we suggest that you make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

The European Ready Mixed Concrete Organization (ERMCO) 27th Annual Congress was held earlier this month in Istanbul, Turkey, and as an affiliate member of ERMCO, NRMCA was invited to attend and participate in the proceedings. NRMCA Chairman of the Board Allen Hamblen and staff member Tien Peng represented NRMCA, and updated the membership of the important role of concrete in North American economic recovery.

The Congress was structured in four sessions: sustainability of concrete solutions; contribution of concrete to society; advances in concrete production and use; and marketing and management. The keynote speaker was Professor Surendra P. Shah, distinguished emeritus professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Peng also delivered two papers, "Enhancing Community Resiliency With Ready Mixed Concrete" and "Product Transparency: North American Experiences Towards EPDs, CSRs And HPDs For Concrete" to the international audience of 350 industry professionals. 

NRMCA Publication 2PE004, Guide to Improving Specifications for Ready Mixed Concrete, was published in 2009 based on NRMCA review and recommendations to specifications used in practice. This document has been revised in June 2015 and covers the requirements in the recently released ACI 318-14, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. The document follows the format used in typical Office Master Specification, Section 03300, and only includes those sections pertinent to ready mixed concrete. The document suggests specification language and includes notes or information to the architect/engineer as rationale and to support the suggested language.

The document has been developed, reviewed and approved by the NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards (RES) Committee. The intent of this document is to minimize prescriptive provisions used in actual specifications; make them more consistent with industry standards and to evolve toward performance-based specifications. NRMCA members are encouraged to provide copies of this document to design firms that they work with for their consideration. Suggestions to improve this document for future revisions are welcome and should be directed to the NRMCA Engineering Division.
 

NRMCA is offering its information-packed, one-day course, Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals, intended for concrete producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs. The course will be offered for the first time online on October 6, 7 and 8. This course will get into code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301, ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete. This course will address many topics, including answering the following questions:

• What are the durability exposure classes in ACI 318 and how should they be specified?
• What are the changes in the new ACI 318-14 that are related to ready mixed concrete?
• What are some specification revisions that can provide all around benefits?
• What are the causes for low strength problems and who is responsible?
• What should be on a concrete test report?
• Non-destructive testing, Coring – when and how?
• How to do a proper mixture submittal?

Course instructors are Luke Snell, P.E., FACI, FASCE, Western Technologies and Karthik Obla, Ph.D., P.E., NRMCA vice president, technical services. Producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs will find the discussions on investigating low strength problems and specifications very helpful to address issues that impact partnering, project cost and schedule. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will earn 8 professional development hours, a certificate of completion and credits toward NRMCA’s STEPS program.

Click here for more information.

The CP Road Map E-News is the newsletter of the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map), a national research plan developed and jointly implemented by the concrete pavement stakeholder community. Articles in the June 2015 issue include:

Moving Advancements into Practice (MAP) Brief - The June 2015 MAP Brief, "Pavement Joint Deterioration: Recent Findings to Reduce the Potential for Damage," describes the causes of concrete pavement joint deterioration, ongoing research to study the problem, and recommendations for prevention.

  

• The semi-annual meeting of the National Concrete Consortium took place April 21-23 in Reno, Nevada.
• A recent FHWA pooled-fund project assessed the Vibrating Kelly Ball test in both the lab and field.
• A recent paper in the ACI Materials Journal investigated the potential of using drinking water treatment waste sludge as an internal curing agent for concrete.
• A recent MnRoad project used geo-composite drains to improve the performance of concrete pavement joints.

Updates from the States: South Dakota - Ongoing and completed research in South Dakota is addressing research needs outlined by the CP Road Map.

On Tuesday, June 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern time, NRMCA will host a free webinar, "The NLRB Is Changing the Workplace. Are You Prepared?" Hear about the most recent decisions that impact both union and non-union companies from labor attorney Jeff Thompson, a partner with Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP. The Webinar will focus on the National Labor Relation Board's newest changes that allow unions to be quickly and easily voted in by non-union companies’ employees. The latest NLRB revisions also force employers to release employees’ personal information to unions which could undermine employers’ due process rights about unionization.

Additionally, these numerous NLRB decisions now find many employers’ rules of conduct policies illegal. These new changes concerning employer policies will affect both union and non-union companies. Mr. Thompson’s address will not only provide a detailed description of the alterations that allow for quicker elections but also offer specific guidance for employers. Finally, the presentation will provide a summary of employer policies that are now considered illegal as well as possible modifications to employee handbooks and other rules of conduct policies.

 

After 18 months of waiting, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its updated multi-sector general permit (MSGP) for stormwater discharges from industrial activities, including ready mixed concrete production. While the new 2015 MSGP will only immediately impact those operations that are in the few areas not overseen by state permitting programs, the 2015 MSPG will eventually serve as the minimum standard in many areas in years to come. Some of the changes include required electronic filing and making site specific Stormwater Pollution Prevention Programs (SWPPPs) publicly available online. It also includes new industry specific "Good Housekeeping Measures" such as weekly sweeping and vacuuming in "...areas where cement, aggregate, kiln dust, fly ash or settled dust are being handled or processed and may be discharged in stormwater."

The application form is now available for the 2015 NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship being held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country on Sunday, September 20. As with previous years, this year’s competition will be held during the annual ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting, which this year is in Texas. Forms are due by Wednesday, July 15. Accepted applicants will be notified shortly thereafter and official registration forms will be sent by e-mail. Applicants must complete the registration form and return it to NRMCA, along with the entry fee, by Monday, August 3. In early August, applicants will receive final instructions, including a map of the Challenge Course and reference materials for the written exam.

Click here to download the application form please. Click here for information on the 2015 NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting. You may also contact Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org for more information.

Registration for NRMCA’s Safety Course to be held November 17-19 in Charlotte, NC, is now open. This 2.5 day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, beginning with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, fire fighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspection and more.

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 June 8 - 12, 2015, please click here.

On June 9, the House passed the $55.3 billion Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill for FY16. The THUD bill provides funding for transportation and housing programs and passed by a narrow margin of 216 to 210. The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee and could be taken up as early as this week. The THUD bill marks the fifth spending bill to pass out of the House and keeps the current spending caps under the budget law (PL 112-25). The passage of this bill highlights Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart’s leadership since becoming chairman of the Appropriations THUD Subcommittee this year. Chairman Diaz-Balart negotiated with the Republicans to vote in favor of the current spending levels while the Heritage Action for America group urged members to vote against the measure in order to stay in line with reduced government spending. After the bill passed, the President announced that he will veto it because funding levels are much too low and also because of some of the policy riders included in the bill.

 

More importantly though, the bill contains key provisions dealing with commercial motor vehicle (CMV) regulations. Included in the bill were provisions to extend last year’s suspension of the hours of service 34-hour restart rule and to block the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rulemaking to increase insurance requirements for CMVs, which would include ready mixed concrete trucks. NRMCA requested the THUD Subcommittee include the insurance requirements provision to prevent any finalization of an onerous rule that aims to increase CMV insurance by an arbitrary figure and needlessly drive up costs on CMV industries and with no increase in safety on our nation’s roadways. Passing a THUD bill that includes this  provision to suspend the rulemaking marks another victory for NRMCA. 

 

The Educational Activities Committee invites ready mix producers to submit their company’s most innovative training initiatives of 2014-2015. Companies must submit their entries no later than Friday, July 31. The Innovation in Training Award winner will be recognized at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks’ annual awards lunch on September 21 in San Antonio, TX. Additionally, the winning submission will be featured in a best-practices article in NRMCA's quarterly magazine, Concrete InFocus. MTSU's Concrete Institute Management program faculty will serve as judges.

In recognition of National Safety Month, NRMCA wants to help you promote safety for your delivery professionals. The NRMCA June Internet Spotlight, which will be valid through Tuesday, June 30, are two popular Safety Series topics. Use Discount Code: ISJUN15 to order your safety topics online today and receive 25% off the member price.

• Highway Safety for Ready Mixed Concrete Drivers - This CD-based PowerPoint presentation and instructor notes is designed to teach mixer drivers the importance of safety in highway work zones. These work zones are especially challenging as motorists encounter a different traffic pattern along with assorted lights and cones as well as flagmen directing traffic. The new OSHA highway work zone letter of interpretation is covered along with the three classes of available reflective attire (safety vest). Finally, a quiz and training documentation form is enclosed to help track personnel training.

• Night Pour Safety - This CD-based PowerPoint presentation and instructor notes are designed to teach employees the importance of hazard recognition when it comes to night pours. Job sites are potentially difficult to deliver to in the day, let alone night. Slips, trips and falls as well as temporary lighting are covered. Excavations are more difficult to detect at night and special emphasis is placed on the "1 to 1 Rule." Finally, a quiz and training documentation form is enclosed to help track personnel training.

Regular member price $85, discounted member price $63.75, plus shipping. Order online.

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

June 18, Free Webinar

Design Assistance and Joint Plan Assistance Program

Email: Amanda Hult

 

June 30, Free Webinar

The NLRB Is Changing The Workplace. Are You Prepared?

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

 

August 24, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets and Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

September 20 - 22, San Antonio, TX

ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting

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

 

September 28 - 30, Ontario, CA

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

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, Free 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

 

November 17 - 19, Charlotte, NC

NRMCA Safety 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 13 - 15, San Diego

NRMCA's Annual Convention

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

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101