NRMCA e-news

NRMCA is working within the next few months to fill the open position for the southern region that was created when Amy Miller left the association. Until the position is filled, please contact Brian Killingsworth or Glenn Ochsenreiter at any time about help we can provide with paving opportunities in your market. Available assistance includes providing specifiers with design recommendations on your behalf for specific projects through NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP), help with National Account project opportunities in your market and technical support for concrete parking lots and streets and local roads. We are also glad to field inquiries about any NRMCA service by making sure you are quickly in touch with the right association representative.

NRMCA’s southern region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Please contact Brian Killingsworth at 830-438-2690 or bkillingsworth@nrmca.org or Glenn Ochsenreiter at 240-485-1140 or glenn@nrmca.org for assistance.

NRMCA Teams with Producer Member to Address Buffalo Developer's Concrete Concerns

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Doug O'Neill and Ross Holmes of NRMCA Producer member United Materials in Buffalo, NY, recently met with a local developer to discuss pavement options.

"After attending NRMCA’s Concrete Parking Lot workshop, I decided to reach out and start asking the question that most of us have long forgot or have never asked, 'what about the parking lot?'," Holmes said.

O’Neill enlightened the developer about the resources available from the concrete industry, including NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP), LEED, how to get the most from concrete used on a project, to NRMCA's ability to facilitate technical and field resources for a developer who might have a question or concern about a concrete application. O'Neill said the developer was skeptical about concrete pavement being affordable on a first-cost basis, but admitted to never actually pricing one out. The promotion team of Holmes and O’Neill were able to convince this developer to allow NRMCA to use DAP on an upcoming project in an effort to show a competitive bid would occur. Holmes had lined up several local concrete contractors to make sure that the project was bid properly so that the client will see whether concrete paving can be affordable. On another note, this developer often builds with stick framed construction and had not considered concrete framing for the same reason he never considered concrete pavements; he assumed the initial cost was too high.

"Another good opportunity uncovered simply by asking a few questions," O'Neill said.

For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.

BUILDINGS

New Jersey Community Supports Code Change to Limit Light-Frame Wood Construction

In January, a 5-alarm fire raged at the Avalon apartments in Edgewater, NJ. NRMCA and industry affiliates have joined local officials in supporting more robust codes and more resilient construction. While new legislation has been introduced which can limit the building of these mid-rise wood apartments, state lawmakers have so far not taken action. An editorial in a local publication details the frustration of the local community about the slow response as the developer plans to build in other cities in New Jersey. Meanwhile, more structural fires are occurring throughout the country, including Lancaster, PA and Cincinnati, threatening more lives. A simple solution is to make changes to the local building codes to limit "toothpick towers made of lightweight wood" as called for by many local fire chiefs (read more).

NRMCA supports safe, robust construction with concrete at the local level. If there is an opportunity to speak to your community leaders about building codes and public safety, please contact Tien Peng at 206-913-8535 or tpeng@nrmca.org.

ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS

Ready Mixed Concrete Production Statistics Updated Through June 2015

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in June is 33 million cubic yards, 7.6% higher than June 2014. The estimated production through June 2015 is 150 million cubic yards, 3.7% higher than that during the same period in 2015.

Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. NRMCA members can view additional details, including the estimated production by state through the 2nd quarter of 2015 here.

Hotel and Early Bird Deadlines for ConcreteWorks Fast Approaching

The early bird registration discount and hotel reservation deadlines for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2015 are Thursday, August 27. Register before Thursday to receive $100 off your registration fee. To make your hotel reservations, please contact the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa directly at 877-622-3056. Please state that you are with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association to receive the discounted room rate of $209/per night plus applicable taxes (optional discounted daily resort fee available). The room block is available until Thursday, August 27 or until the room block sells out, whichever occurs first. The discounted rate cannot be guaranteed after the cutoff date. NRMCA has exceeded our room block at the JW Marriott, but has worked with the hotel to add rooms to our inventory as needed and based on hotel availability.

Click here for registration options. For more information, contact the NRMCA Meetings Department at meetings@nrmca.org or 888-846-7622 ext. 1152.

Concrete InFocus Magazine Features Characters of Concrete - Joe Swederski

NRMCA’s Jon Hansen has written many installments of his Characters of Concrete series in Concrete InFocus magazine over the past six years. In the current Summer issue, Jon featured Joe Swederski of Swederski Concrete Construction, Inc., an outstanding promotion-minded, family-owned contractor known to many NRMCA members and partners. Joe’s story of overcoming adversity following a skiing accident on the last day of 2004 is a lesson for us all about determination and hard work. If you missed the print version, click here for the online story.

Contact Glenn Ochsenreiter at glenn@nrmca.org with your ideas for promotion articles for future editions of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine.

NRMCA Continues to Highlight ConcreteWorks Exhibitors

NRMCA continues to highlight companies that have chosen to exhibit at next month's annual ConcreteWorks conference in San Antonio, TX. The conference is one of the industry's best opportunities for ready mix producers to interact with companies that provide goods and services to the concrete industry. This week, our spotlight continue with the companies listed below:

Riviera Brush Co. - Orange-Crete®, by Riviera Brush, was introduced at the 1993 Con-Agg show in Las Vegas as the first ready mixed concrete industry-specific brush. Developed with a unique design called "Exploded GF Split Fibers" and engineered to hold 33% more liquid in the brush than any other; featuring a built in agitation structure that reduces cleanup time; all while withstanding the rigors inherent in the maintenance of ready mixed concrete equipment. Today, Orange-Crete® brushes are the world-wide industry leader for cost-effectiveness, performance and sustainability. Orange-Crete® brushes are an important contribution to protecting your valuable investment...."a brush is not just a brush."

An NRMCA member for almost 25 years, Riviera Brush Co. will be located in Booth 23.

Command Alkon and FiveCubits - Command Alkon provides integrated supply chain solutions for construction materials producers, haulers and suppliers around the globe. Command Alkon couples innovative technologies and over 38 years of industry expertise to deliver products and services for ready mixed concrete, concrete products, aggregate, asphalt and cement. Command Alkon’s family of products addresses batching, dispatching, dispatch optimization, fleet and workforce management, quality control, bulk materials distribution, plant and quarry automation, transportation planning and performance, process controls, back office operations, business intelligence, enterprise content management, voice-based scheduling and mobile computing. Learn more at www.commandalkon.com.

FiveCubits, a division of Command Alkon, is the leading bulk material supply chain solutions company. Its Web-based product suite reduces variable labor, fuel, and maintenance costs by optimizing all aspects of transportation planning and performance.

A member for more than 30 years, NRMCA is grateful for Command Alkon’s annual sponsorship of this and other NRMCA events throughout the year. Command Alkon and Five Cubits will be located in Booth 37.

McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing - McNeilus Companies, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is an industry leading concrete mixer manufacturer. The McNeilus mixer has long been the industry standard when it comes to transporting concrete to the job site. Through its Next Generation Initiatives (Ngen) program, McNeilus designs, installs and services compressed natural gas (CNG) solutions for heavy duty fleets of all types, all supported by a comprehensive, factory direct sales and service network equipped with replacement parts to bring new life to your entire fleet. McNeilus, along with sister companies CON-E-CO, London and IMT, provide the industry with the finest concrete mixers, batch plants and service trucks to enhance your operation.

For almost 30 years, NRMCA has been proud to count McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing as a member. McNeilus will be located in Booth 11.

Want to get into ConcreteWorks? Click here for more information, including registration and exhibition options or contact Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Registration Now Open for Fourth Annual Walk for Wellness

Please join us on the morning of Tuesday, September 22, for the 4th Annual Walk for Wellness, a Walk emphasizing the importance of wellness not just in everyday life but at work as well. The Walk will take place in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks in San Antonio. Registration is only $25, which is tax deductible, and is available for free for drivers and their families participating in the 10th Annual Mixer Driver Championship. Participants can set up their own personal fundraising pages to track their support online. If you won't be able to join us, you can still support one of the walkers in the endeavor. Please click here for more information and to register.

Sponsorships are also available and are an excellent way to promote your company and support the Foundation at the same time. Please click here for the sponsorship form.

Please contact Jennifer LeFevre at jlefevre@rmc-foundation.org or at 240-485-1151 for more information.

NRMCA Producer Member Recognized for Low-Income Housing Program

NRMCA Producer member CEMEX has been included in Fortune magazine's Change the World list, a ranking that recognizes 50 companies worldwide that have made a sizable impact on major global social or environmental problems as part of their competitive strategy. In the 16th place, CEMEX is the only Latin American-based company included and the only company from the construction materials sector. CEMEX was recognized for its Patrimonio Hoy program which provides low-income families living in urban and semi-urban areas with access to building materials, as well as microfinancing, technical advice and logistical support to assist participants in building their own homes. The program is destined not only to housing projects but also to the improvement of local public infrastructure. Since its inception, Patrimonio Hoy has provided affordable solutions to approximately two million people throughout Latin America.

"We are proud to be included in Fortune's Change the World list," said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEMEX chief executive officer. "This recognition reinforces our commitment to continue working everyday to build a better future."

ENGINEERING

NRMCA Promotes Improved Concrete Quality Initiatives

NRMCA provides numerous initiatives to improve concrete quality such as the producer quality certification, quality award, courses and publications on quality, plant and testing quality improvement programs, and the quality survey. Some of the findings of the 2014 NRMCA Quality Benchmarking survey are published in the recent online version of NRMCA's Concrete InFocus magazine which can be viewed here. The survey establishes industry benchmarks on cost of quality, quality practices, quality personnel and testing.

For more information about improving concrete quality, contact Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org.

OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR

Registration Open for NRMCA Safety Course

Registration for NRMCA’s Safety Course in Charlotte, NC, from November 17 - 19 is now open. This 2.5 day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, including 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.

Click here for more information, including registration options, hotel reservations or staff contact.

Registration Open for Environmental Certification Course in December in Florida

This year’s Environmental Certification Course will be held in Orlando, FL, from December 1-3. Course attendees will be educated on industry-specific environmental issues that affect ready mixed concrete production, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Solids Management, Hazardous Materials, Dust Control, Recycling, Spill Prevention Plans, Air Quality Management, Noise Management, Environmental Auditing and much more.

Those who should attend include plant managers, environmental managers, compliance managers, executives or anyone with fiscal and/or environmental responsibilities that should know the details concerning your company’s responsibilities when it comes to EPA regulations, the Clean Water Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management and numerous other critical environmental matters.

Click here for registration options and other information or contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

SUSTAINABILITY

NRMCA’s Lemay to Present at Greenbuild

NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay will be part of the Materials & Human Health Summit at GreenBuild 2015 in Washington, DC, on November 17. The special session, titled Taking Transformation to Scale: Trade Associations and Leadership, will discuss how trade associations are uniquely poised to deliver high quality training and education for their members in order to catalyze market activity in the area of product transparency including environmental product declarations, responsible sourcing and product ingredient disclosure. Speakers include:

• Sara Cederberg, AIA, LEED AP BD+C – technical director, LEED, U.S. Green Building Council

• Brendan Owens, LEED Fellow, P.E. – chief of engineering, U.S. Green Building Council

• Tom Reardon – executive director, Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association

• Ann M. Mason – senior director, American Chemistry Council

• Lionel Lemay, PE, SE, LEED AP – senior vice president, sustainable development, NRMCA

The session articulates the value proposition for transparency documents and describes best practices for incorporating life cycle assessment and other methodologies into continuous improvement initiatives.

Click here for additional details or contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

NRMCA Advocacy News Roundup Updated Through August 21

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 August 17 - 21, 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 Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

New and Improved Mixer Truck Driver's Manual is August Internet Special

The NRMCA August Internet Spotlight, good through Monday, August 31, is the NEW Mixer Truck Driver’s Manual – BIGGER and BETTER! Now at 8½ x 11 in size and 76 pages, this guide now includes full-color safety decals. In addition it’s complete with such topics as U.S. D.O.T. regulations, including Driver’s Hours of Service (HOS), safety precautions, equipment inspection and maintenance procedures, driver duties and other essential information. The manual also educates truck mixer drivers about concrete and customer relations. Easy to understand and containing common sense information every driver should know, this truck mixer "Bible" should be in every cab. Purchase the new manuals today for the same low regular member price of $16 per copy (or $14 for 20 or more copies), through August 31.

Single copies or packages of 20

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.

August 31, Webinar

Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst