NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. continues its June offerings with the histories of two more of the Association's Producer and Associate members - see below for their respective Web site links. This week's industry milestone: The West Port High School gymnasium in Ocala, FL, became the first lightweight aggregate concrete structure in the U.S. in 1922.

Austin ServAll Concrete - This longtime Producer member opened its first ready mix plant in 1930, one of the first 100 plants in the U.S. This plant still operates on the same site. In 2004, Austin Concrete doubled its manufacturing capacity and delivery fleet with the purchase of Serv-All Concrete, another local ready-mixed concrete company. Read more.

An NRMCA member since 1942

MPAQ Automation Inc. - MPAQ has been developing and supplying plant automation and software solutions to the concrete industry for more than 20 years. It launched its first batch control system for ready mix plants in 1988 and 1996 introduced the TouchBatch series of plant controls, the first system in the industry to use touch-sensitive screens and a graphical interface. Read more.

An NRMCA Associate Member since 1991

Construction employment increased by 7,000 in May, helping to push the industry’s unemployment rate down to the lowest May level in five years, according to an analysis of new government data by AGC of America. Association officials said the relatively positive jobs report for the sector underscores the need to address potential shortages of skilled workers. "Although the monthly job gain in May was modest, both residential and nonresidential construction have been adding workers at roughly double the rate of the overall economy in the past year," said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. "At the same time, formerly unemployed construction workers are finding jobs in other sectors, retiring or going back to school. These conditions may lead abruptly to worker shortages in parts of the industry, such as welders and pipefitters." 

Sure, the pasta is pretty good, but researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, had another reason to travel recently to Italy. In a quest to make concrete more durable and sustainable, an international team of geologists and engineers has found inspiration in the ancient Romans, whose massive concrete structures have withstood the elements for more than 2,000 years. Using the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), a research team examined the fine-scale structure of Roman concrete. It described for the first time how the extraordinarily stable compound – calcium-aluminum-silicate-hydrate (C-A-S-H) – binds the material used to build some of the most enduring structures in Western civilization.

A flexible fabric that turns into industrial-strength concrete when water is applied has been shortlisted for this year's MacRobert technology prize. Created by a small Cardiff-based firm (United Kingdom) of the same name, Concrete Canvas achieves 80% of its strength within 24 hours of applying water and is said to be impossible to over-saturate. The product has been used in major construction projects in extreme environments, such as diverting glacier melt water around a copper mine in the Atacama Desert, Chile, wrapping a pipeline at the bottom of the Red Sea and protecting a slope to prevent dangerous erosion next to a busy railway line in Spain.

NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Jon Hansen recently teamed with Ken Liescheidt with the Missouri / Kansas chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association and Evan Bolesta with the Concrete Council of St. Louis for a two-hour luncheon seminar in the St. Louis area. During the meeting, Hansen presented a model for a general parking lot specification using ACI 330 as a guide. The luncheon seminar was held at the office of a civil design firm whose clients include Walmart, Lowe's and Home Depot.

"When the model was developed by NRMCA for a national client customer, we realized the same model was appropriate for a number of clients on our national list," Hansen said. "When you look at traffic for parking lot light duty and heavy duty sections, there is a consistency in like stores for like clients. For example, a model created for a Walmart Super Center is very much like a model created for a Lowe's store. If there can be an ‘off the shelf’ type format for a designer to use, this might be the model."

The second half of the meeting was spent reviewing the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots. "This firm has designed concrete overlays of asphalt paving in the past, but still had many questions that the guide answered," Hansen added. Copies of the guide were distributed to all engineers, surveyors and field inspectors in the firm.

Over the past few months, interest in RCC pavement in the Northeastern states has certainly increased, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources Doug O’Neill. The region is seeing more occasions where RCC offers a real solution to owners’ issues. In one example, RCC will act as a base for a high traffic county road in Southwest New York, with the final design being approximately 8" of RCC with a 1 ½" asphalt topping. The cost to the county will be less for this type of application than for full depth asphalt, according to NRMCA Producer member Wayne Concrete, which is actively and successfully promoting the use of RCC on retail parking lots as well as on some streets and local roads.

In other areas of the Northeast where ready mix producers don't yet have a full grasp of how to produce RCC, there is still interest, O'Neill said. Recently, RCC was discussed as a possible cost effective solution for a New England rail siding exposed to heavy vehicular equipment traffic. The problem with that project was there wasn’t an RCC producer within range of the site. "The opportunities exist and in some cases are being generated by companies like Wayne Concrete that understand how to make it and how it should be placed," O’Neill said.

Many ready mix producers are not familiar with how to make RCC or what the benefits to themselves would be. All this and more is covered in the two RCC Webinars offered by NRMCA: RCC-Your Third Choice for Pavements is a beginner’s guide to RCC and its benefits and RCC: Intro to Design and Construction is a Webinar that covers the basic material properties of RCC, how to design and construct, and points out key production and construction items to ensure a successful project.

The NRMCA ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo brings together industry leaders to learn and discuss the latest in operational efficiencies, trends in the business, what’s hot in promotion and much more. Your participation in NRMCA’s premiere annual conference can help you connect with your customers, introduce your products and services to potential customers, and get up to speed on all of the latest trends in the ready mixed concrete industry. Space is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so act now to secure your space and show your customers your support for the industry.

This year’s event is being held at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa outside Las Vegas from September 22-24. And of course, ConcreteWorks wouldn’t be complete without the National Truck Mixer Driver Championship! Join us for this exciting event and cheer on your favorite driver.

NRMCA’s National Truck Mixer Driver Championship is just around the corner. Show support for your ready mix customers through NRMCA’s Sponsorship Program and be part of the action! Join us in celebrating the skills and accomplishments of the industry’s finest as they compete for the title of National Truck Mixer Driver Champion. Drivers from around the country will compete in the 8th annual event taking place outside Las Vegas on Sunday, September 22, as part of NRMCA’s 2013 ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo.

The Summer 2013 edition of NRMCA's quarterly magazine, Concrete InFocus, has a number of timely and informative articles available only online, including this article on responsible sourcing through CSR reporting. Next week, E-NEWS will feature an article on white cement that delivers beautiful, profitable mixes. Click here to access the CSR article along with the rest of the magazine's summer issue.

The widow of Bernie Cawley has written a letter to those in the industry who supported her after receiving word of her husband's death last month. Linda Cawley said she received support from many people and companies, many of whom asked to remain anonymous. As a result, she has written a letter of gratitude to everyone who made contributions to the memorial fund and charities published in Bernie’s obituary. Bernie Cawley, a longtime ready mixed concrete promoter in both Michigan and Colorado, died May 9 in Colorado from complications resulting from oral cancer. He was 62. 

Once again, outstanding fleet graphics will be recognized when NRMCA and Concrete Products magazine team up to hold the 10th Fleet Graphics awards competition. The program honors the best ready mix truck paint and decal schemes, and recognizes individual companies’ methods of promoting professionalism and positive public image for the industry.

Award-Winning Categories: First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention Award winners will be selected from producers in three fleet size categories: Fewer than 25 trucks; 26 to 75 trucks; and more than 75 trucks. Special awards will be presented to One-of-a Kind trucks that have unique designs or community service / promotional messages. There is also a fifth category for restored antique mixer trucks. All entries will receive a Special Recognition Award for showing their support of the industry.

Award Presentations: Plaques will be presented to winners during the 2014 NRMCA Annual Convention, which will take place in Las Vegas. Winning and Honorable Mention entries will be featured in an issue of Concrete Products and NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazines.

Entries & Deadline: Entries can be made electronically by completing the entry form linked below. Entries must include high resolution images of front corner angles and side views of a typical truck, plus a group shot of a fleet showing at least five vehicles. For trucks in the Specialty and Antique classes, include only the font corner angle and side views. Entries must be must be received at NRMCA by Wednesday, July 31.

Judging: NRMCA’s OES Committee will assemble a panel of judges representing concrete, trucking and advertising interests. Entries will also be judged by attendees at the 2013 ConcreteWorks to be held outside Las Vegas on September 22-24.

NRMCA's Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. Winning entrants will be honored at the Awards Luncheon at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks which will be held outside Las Vegas in September. Winners will also be featured in a 2013 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine as well as Concrete Products magazine. All entries (winning & non winners) will receive a recognition certificate for participation in the award program.

Entries will be reviewed by a panel consisting of regulatory officials and industry and environmental consultants. Entries will be judged based on an electronic narrative covering 11 criteria. Judges depend heavily on electronic images of submitted plants to complete their evaluations. Participants are required to submit electronic images that clearly demonstrate environmental systems and processes, and at least one image that offers a broad view of the plant site. Judging will take place in early August and entries not using this format will not be judged. All entries must be received by Wednesday, July 31.

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 the Week of June 3 - 7, please click here.

Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the HOS Visor Card for Truck Drivers which summarizes the impending July 1 Hours of Service (HOS) changes. The Visor Card is aimed at attaining compliance with the changes. Specific to the ready mixed concrete industry, NRMCA recently updated and published the NRMCA Drivers’ Hours of Service Regulations Compliance Guide 2013. The guide contains background information on what HOS regulations are, why they exist, who oversees their enforcement, what parts of the regulations specifically affect the ready mixed concrete industry, what changes to the HOS rules are scheduled (including the much debated 30-minute break rule) and how to comply. To obtain a copy of the updated guide please click here.

The Educational Activities Committee invites ready mix producers to submit their company’s most innovative training initiatives of 2012-2013. Companies must submit their entries no later than Friday, August 2. The Innovation in Training Award winner will be recognized at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks to be held September 23 in Las Vegas. Additionally, the producer’s program will be featured in a best-practices article in NRMCA's quarterly magazine, Concrete InFocus. MTSU's Concrete Institute Management faculty will serve as judges.

NRMCA's June Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, July 2, is the Concrete In Practice (CIP) Package Set (contains 20 sets of each CIP 1 thru 42). Concrete In Practice is a series of 42 one-page information sheets on important technical topics, written in a non-technical "What, Why and How?" format. Give them to contractors and they'll know that you deliver quality and value, and make them a part  of your promotion and education program.

June 19, Free Webinar

Environmental Product Declarations

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 25, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

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

 

July 8-11, Online Course

Design of Concrete Pavements

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

 

July 15–19, Skokie, IL

2013 Professors Workshop: Teaching Buildings, Bridges, Materials, and Pavements

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

July 18, Free Webinar

Urban Physics: City Texture Matters

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

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 12-15 Online Course

Pervious Concrete: A Stormwater Solution

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

 

August 13-16, Silver Spring, MD 

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

August 15, Free Webinar

Quasi-Steady-State Equilibrium Estimation of Concrete Pavement CO2 Sequestration

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

August 27, Webinar 

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

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

 

August 30, Webinar

ACI 330 R-08 – The Gold Standard of Concrete Parking Lot Design

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

 

September 19, Free Webinar

Coal Ash Material Safety – A Health Risk-Based Evaluation of USGS Coal Ash Data from Five U.S. Power Plants

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

September 22-24, Las Vegas

Concrete Works & Board of Directors' Meeting

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

 

October 1-4, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP I: Introduction to Concrete Fundamentals—Concrete 101

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

 

November 8, Webinar

ACI 330 R-08 – The Gold Standard of Concrete Parking Lot Design

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

 

November 19-21, Silver Spring, MD

The Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

December 3-5, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP II: Customer Business Knowledge

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

 

December 4-6, Orlando, FL

Environmental Professional Certification Course

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

 

December 10-13, Orlando, FL 

Plant Manager Certification Course

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