NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the United States continues this week in E-NEWS by highlighting individual member histories. See below for the companies we've selected this week, along with a link to that company's respective Web site for more information. And here's this week's industry milestone: In Seattle, the first horizontal drum truck mixer – the Paris Transit Mixer – debuted in 1927 and became popular across the country.

Kuert Concrete - NRMCA Producer member Kuert Concrete is one of the oldest central mixed concrete plants in not only Indiana, but in the U.S. In 1925, central mixed concrete started in South Bend by the George Hoffman Co. John Kuert of the Kuert Contracting Co. was employed as manager of Hoffman's central mix plant. The first deliveries were made in 1926 to the Independent Concrete Pipe Co. Deliveries were then made in regular dump trucks owned by individual contract haulers. In June 1927, the company was incorporated as Kuert Concrete, Inc. Read more.

Ozinga - Established in 1928 in Evergreen Park, IL, as a small coal and coke yard, Ozinga survived the Great Depression and World War II before becoming one of the first ready mix providers in the region. In the ensuing decades, Ozinga has expanded its service area to encompass large portions of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Read more.

Brett Admixtures - This NRMCA Associate member has been a privately-owned company for the past 18 years. Twenty years prior, it operated as a division of another business until John Brett purchased it in October 1988. Brett Admixtures has been a manufacturer and distributor of Euclid admixtures since 1998. The company's office and manufacturing facility are located in Albertville, MN, with outlying terminals located at Sioux Falls, SD, Marengo, IA, and Fargo, ND. Read more.

Today, there are two dominant building construction materials—steel and concrete. They make a good combination in construction. Concrete provides a solid support for the weight of the building and steel can hold taller structures up. The question is which material is the best for construction—steel or concrete? A January 11 article by the Philippine Daily Inquirer discusses the issue.

Little River County, AR, was dominated by gravel and dirt roads during the Great Depression, but paving U.S. Highway 71 in concrete changed the transportation path and regional economy. Two segments of U.S. Highway 71 paved in concrete nearly 80 years ago and still carrying traffic have been nominated to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Construction of Clemson University’s Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility at the Restoration Institute reached another milestone this past Friday when the foundation for a larger test rig was poured. Engineers with Choate Construction poured some 1,900 cubic yards of concrete into a pit 50 feet wide by 100 feet long by 15 feet deep, all resting on 115 seventy foot-deep piles, to form the 15-megawatt test rig foundation. How much concrete is that? Clemson is glad you asked: if those piles were placed end-to-end, they would cover a distance of more than a mile-and-a-half.

Officials at a New Hampshire middle school have chosen concrete over pressure-treated timber piles to support a 1930 section of the school. Chad Weathers, project manager for Gilbane Building Co., said the timber option would cost $76,000, while shoring the piers with concrete would be $100,000. He said the difference in cost is negligible because the concrete option would allow the team to move forward with its schedule immediately, among other factors.

NRMCA often receives inquiries regarding upcoming Walmart projects from members requesting information on the parking lot specs, reports Senior National Resource Director Amy Miller. After much work through a pilot project, all Walmart supercenter stores as of August 2012 were required by Walmart to have a dedicated plan sheet for concrete in the parking lot. The general contractor holds the contract with Walmart so all bids ultimately end up being represented to Walmart through the general contractor. Walmart then reviews each bid and does review the paving number for both concrete and asphalt on each bid. Sometimes concrete may be lower, but that bidder may not be the lowest bidder overall.

Establishing relationships with the concrete contractor and the general contractor is an imperative step in assuring your company gets the work, Miller said. NRMCA can work to create the opportunity, but relinquishing of the bid to the concrete industry has to be done at a local level between contractors and suppliers. Also, NRMCA is often asked if it can help get the concrete cross-section changed. Currently, Walmart's minimum standard is 5" concrete over 4" rock in the standard-duty section and 6" concrete over 4" rock in the heavy-duty section; as of now, the retailer will not allow a lesser section. When the bidding starts, it is nearly impossible to get consideration of an altered cross-section, Miller noted. The best time for discussion is during the planning stage with the local civil engineer.

NRMCA Senior Director of National Resources Phil Kresge recently had the opportunity to appear before the Washington Area Council of Engineering Laboratories (WACEL) in Tysons Corner, VA, to discuss the advancements in technology with pervious concrete. He highlighted the new testing procedures implemented by ASTM developed specifically for pervious concrete. Kresge’s meeting with WACEL was facilitated by Hessam Nabavi, director of industry services for the Northern Virginia Concrete Advisory Council.

Kresge was joined by Matt Cockerham, NRMCA Certified Pervious Concrete Craftsman, from Northstar Foundations, Frederick, MD. Cockerham spoke about the importance of proper specification and design of pervious concrete. He emphasized the need for proper site preparation and placement procedure. He also encouraged specifiers to require contractors to be properly certified as a means to assure a quality pervious concrete project.

Established in 1974, WACEL's mission is to develop and implement programs to promote and improve quality among firms, organizations and individuals involved in construction observation, testing and special inspections.

The next scheduled promotion-focused Webinar is Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst (CPA) Software. CPA software is a flexible, market-specific and comprehensive sales and promotion tool that compares total ownership costs, giving specifiers and owners the information they need to make sound parking lot pavement decisions. The Webinar explains how the software works along with strategies for making effective use of this outstanding tool. Want to learn more? Just see the link below and register today. You can also contact NRMCA's Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org.

• Tuesday, February 5 - Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst (CPA) Software

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has appointed Edward Sullivan as group vice president in addition to his role as chief economist. Sullivan will oversee the activities of the Association's communications, research and technical services, and market development divisions, as well as his current role as the head of market intelligence. Sullivan came to PCA from Wexford Management Consultants near Philadelphia where he served as partner, and directed economic and market analyses for Fortune 500 firms, forecast and impacted analysis, developed strategic planning models and managed client relationships. His prior positions include management of a market research unit at Wharton Econometrics and at Standard & Poors/DRI.

NRMCA is offering its one-day course, Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals, intended for concrete producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs on Wednesday, March 20, in Charlotte, NC, and Thursday, April 4, in Baton Rouge, LA. Dealing with concrete specifications, troubleshooting low strength problems and ensuring proper mixture submittals can be expensive and time consuming. This one-day course will get into code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301, ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete, including exposure categories introduced in ACI Building Code 318-08. It will suggest specification revisions for all around benefits in performance and cost based on a specification guideline document. The guideline document is the result of review of numerous concrete specifications (Section 03300) belonging to large owners and has been reviewed and supported by the NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards Committee.

The course will cover the analysis of strength test results to identify causes for low strength problems and provide guidance to track compliance with specification requirements. Non-destructive testing techniques like the Rebound Hammer, core testing, evaluating core test results for acceptance and assignment of responsibility will be discussed. The course also provides necessary details required for an efficient concrete mixture submittal following the ACI 318 Flowchart for Selection of Concrete Mixtures.

Course instructors are Luke Snell, P.E., FACI, FASCE, Western Technologies and an NRMCA staff engineer. 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. 

NRMCA has named Rayfield Harris of GCC Mid-Continent Concrete as the Mixer Truck Driver of the Year for 2013. A panel of judges from the ready mixed concrete industry selected Harris as the top driver from a large group of outstanding applicants from all across the U.S. Harris, whose home plant is located in Tulsa, OK, was honored for his career achievements, safety record, professionalism, driving competency and customer service skills. He has worked for GCC Mid-Continent Concrete for more than 9 years.

"Anyone who comes in contact with Ray walks away feeling a little better about themselves," wrote Kim Kelly in submitting the award nomination. John Jackson, GCC Mid Continent district manager, added, "...In 30 plus years in this industry I have never seen a more dedicated employee."

Along with the winner, a runner-up was also selected by the judges. He is 15-year veteran mixer driver Barry Goodrich of CEMEX from Eldorado Hills, CA. Health and Safety Manager Aaron Autsen wrote, "Barry has gone more than 13 years without a rejected load and without an accident while averaging nearly 10,000 yards delivered over the past three years!"

As the winner of the 2013 award, Harris will receive a $5,000 check from the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. As runner-up, Goodrich will receive $500. The 2013 Driver of the Year winner and runner-up will be honored at NRMCA’s Annual Convention, Tuesday, March 5, in San Antonio, TX. The Chicago-based trade magazine Concrete Products is a cosponsor of the Driver of the Year program.

NRMCA's Operations Task Group in conjunction with the U.S. EPA Energy Star Program has teamed up to promote the Ready Mixed Concrete Energy Star Challenge. Please click here to get your company started.

In conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NRMCA will conduct a free Webinar on Thursday, January 24, to introduce new initiatives to help ready mixed concrete plants better manage their energy use and save money. The Webinar will include:

• NRMCA energy survey of U.S. ready mix plants

• Introduction to new benchmarking tool, the ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Indicator for ready mix concrete plants

• Overview of ENERGY STAR resources

To participate in the conference call and Webcast, you must preregister. To preregister, click here. Once you have registered for the session, you will receive an e-mail message confirming your registration. This message will provide the information that you need to join the session. 

Session Number: 710 306 358 

Topic: Concrete Energy Management 

Date: Thursday, January 24, 2013 

Time: 3 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (New York) 

Call in #866-299-3188, access 202 343 9061

In response to growing environmental and economic forces, architects, engineers, developers and owners are seeking efficient and innovative building solutions that meet sustainability demands. Increasingly, concrete is being recognized for its strong environmental benefits in support of creative and effective sustainable development.

Attend the online Webinar series, "Concrete’s Role in Sustainable Development" from January 21-24 and you will learn about the environmental attributes of concrete and how it can contribute to sustainable development. You’ll come away with a detailed understanding of how green building rating systems work. Plus, you will be prepared for the transition from LEED 2009 to the new LEED v4 rating system this year and the new emphasis on material transparency. This course will help participants understand the new protocols.

You’ll also learn how promoting sustainable development can benefit the environment and your business. 

Media articles on the fiscal cliff, transportation infrastructure, regulation, heath care, 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 the Week of January 7 - 11, 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 Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

NRMCA will host a Tuesday, April 23, Webinar that supports executives who are strategically and financially evaluating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to support their companies' sales efforts. Just selecting a CRM system and filling the preset fields will not produce the potential benefits a producer requires. The trick is to "do it right" from the get-go. In this Webinar, facilitator Tim McMahon discusses how to evaluate, select, build, implement and have sales staff use the system to increase sales.

January 21-24, Online Course

Concrete’s Role in Sustainable Development

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

 

January 28-31, Online Course

Design of Concrete Pavements

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

 

February 5, Webinar

Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst (CPA) Software

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

February 5, Webinar

Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete Part I

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

February 12, Webinar

Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete Part II

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

February 14, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

February 18-22, Sacramento, CA

Technical Short Course

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

 

February 19-21, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

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

 

February 20, Cleveland

Adopting Disaster Resilient Construction at the Local Level

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

February 21, Webinar

Soils 101

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

 

February 25, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

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

 

February 26, Webinar

Biodiversity at Ready Mixed Concrete Plants

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

February 28, Orlando, FL

Adopting Disaster Resilient Construction at the Local Level

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

March 3-5, San Antonio, TX

NRMCA Annual Convention

Email: Nicole Maher, 888-84-NRMCA, x1158

 

March 5, Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete: Your Third Choice for Pavement

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

March 7, Webinar

RCC: Intro to Design and Construction

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

 

March 11-14, Online Course

Building Green with Concrete

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

 

March 12, Webinar

The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

March 12-14, Silver Spring, MD

Dispatcher Training Forum

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

 

March 15, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

March 19, Webinar 

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

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

 

March 19-21, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Sales Fundamentals

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

 

March 19-22, Houston

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

March 20, Charlotte, NC

Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems & Mixture Submittals

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

 

March 26, Webinar

Green-Star Auditor Certification

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

April 4, Baton Rouge, LA

Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems & Mixture Submittals

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

 

April 8-11, Online Course

LCA of Concrete Structures

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

 

April 19, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 888-84-NRMCA, x1165

 

May 6-8, San Francisco

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 12-15, Chicago

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

 

May 20-23 Online Course

Pervious Concrete: A Stormwater Solution

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

 

June 11, Webinar

Concrete Overlays for Streets and Local Roads and Parking Lots

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

 

June 25, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

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

 

August 11-15, Montreal

ISARC 2013: 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Mining & Petroleum Industries

Email: Chantal Murphy, 514-939-2710, ext. 1309

 

August 13-16, Silver Spring, MD 

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

August 27, Webinar 

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

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

 

September 22-24, Las Vegas

Concrete Works & Board of Directors' Meeting

Email: Nicole Maher, 888-84-NRMCA, x1158

 

December 4-6, 2013, Orlando, FL

Environmental Professional Certification Course

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

 

December 10-13, 2013, Orlando, FL 

Plant Manager Certification Course

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