NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. continues its June offerings with the histories of one of the Association's oldest Producer members along with a relatively newcomer Associate member - see below for their respective Web site links. This week's industry milestone: In 1940, four million square yards of pavement were placed in 2 ½ months for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

 

Lyman-Richey Corp. - Lyman-Richey Corporation has its origin as the Lyman Sand Company, which was established in 1884 when the company began excavating sand with a clamshell from the Kaw River in Lawrence, KS, and delivering it by horse and wagon. In 1892, the company moved to Nebraska where it has been based ever since. The company’s current name came about from its acquisition of the Richey Sand Company in September 1918. Read more.

An NRMCA Producer member since 1934

Fritz-Pak Corporation - Fritz-Pak Corporation was established in Texas in 1998 from the acquisition of the Concrete Admixtures Division of Fritz Industries. The Fritz-Pak Corporation product line is the result of over 40 years of experience in providing products that enable the concrete producer to save money while improving concrete quality and performance. Read more.

An NRMCA Associate Member since 2007

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has outlined a $20 billion plan to protect the city from rising sea levels, storm surges and climate change. The project includes construction of levees, bulkheads and flood walls to provide protection for the city's 520 miles of coastline; new building codes and a landfill neighborhood that would enlarge Lower Manhattan.

The natural catastrophes that hit the U.S. last year resulted in $110 billion in damage, making 2012 the second-costliest year since 1980 for such disasters, according to a report from the National Climate Data Center. Hurricane Sandy, drought, Midwest tornadoes and a "derecho" storm were among last year's 11 major weather-related events that caused at least $1 billion apiece in damages.

NRMCA Producer member Hawkeye Ready-Mix in Hiawatha, IA, was recently in the news when Iowa Governor Terry Branstad traveled to its offices to sign a bill into law that will cut property taxes for businesses and individuals. Hawkeye Ready-Mix has plants in several eastern Iowa locations.

One of the most expensive and challenging construction projects currently underway in the U.S. is New York City's Second Avenue Subway. NRMCA Producer member Ferrara Bros., among other companies, has supplied ready mixed concrete for the project. The project has actually been discussed by city planners for nearly 100 years and construction began decades ago, only to be shelved for funding reasons. In the past decade, however, work resumed in earnest. When completed - and native New Yorkers aren't holding their breath that the 2016 completion date will be met - the subway will be the city's first new one since 1932.

Source: The June 18 edition of AGC's SmartBrief e-newsletter which contained this June 16 article by The Daily Mail of London.

In September 2012, E-NEWS reported on the Kentucky Ready-Mixed Concrete Association’s (KRMCA) "Keep Louisville Cool" campaign. Now the KRMCA has upped the ante by erecting billboards tied to the campaign, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources Phil Kresge. The 20 billboards are featured throughout the Louisville area and carry the message, "Things Are Heating Up - Keep Louisville Cool." They also direct viewers to the KRMCA cool communities Web site for more information.

"The Web site we developed went from 20 hits per day to over 110 hits per day," reports KRMCA Executive Director Finley Messick. "While visits on the site vary, it has more than quadrupled since the first day of the billboard rollout. It is my hope that this will only continue to increase. If this campaign does nothing else, it will teach Kentuckians that there are quantifiable differences in concrete pavement and buildings." Messick also reports that the Web site has been redesigned to be more user-friendly; previous sites such as "coolconcrete.org" and "keepconcretecool.org" are now automatically directed to the new site.

"This is the type of awareness campaign that can really open eyes and make a difference," Kresge said. "And KRMCA is doing an excellent job on the public relations end of promoting its efforts." Press releases were sent to all media outlets to coincide with the billboards. KRMCA’s Technology and Education Specialist Brett Ruffing told Kresge that they are working with selected news outlets on potential programming opportunities. Ruffing also said that KRMCA is more than willing to work with other state associations that want to launch similar campaigns. Those interested can contact him at bruffing@krmac.org or 502-695-1535.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.

NRMCA's remaining promotion-focused Webinar for June is scheduled for Thursday, June 27: Effectively Communicating Sustainability is an hour-long program that takes what you already know about concrete’s sustainability along with recently-released MIT research results and incorporates that information with a Communications 101 course, geared toward helping attendees understand what it takes to improve our communication skills.

Click here for more information, including staff contact and online registration link.

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 titled White Cement Delivers Beautiful, Profitable Mixes. Next week, E-NEWS will feature Part 14 of the series titled Impact of Concrete Quality on Sustainability. Click here to access the White Cement article along with the rest of the magazine's summer issue.

The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) has named Michael W. Johnson its next president and CEO, effective August 1. He succeeds R. A. "Gus" Edwards, III, who is retiring after more than 16 years with NSSGA. Johnson is currently the executive vice president and chief advocacy officer of the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Johnson is familiar with the construction industry, having spent nearly five years with the National Association of Home Builders. His association work also includes six years with the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. Johnson began his career with then-Senate Majority Whip Wendell H. Ford (D-KY). Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Source: NSSGA news release. Click here to read more.

The Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Promotion Council notes the death of Smitty Crouch. The first treasurer of the council in 1997, Crouch died on June 13. He worked closely with current Promotion Director Tom Evans who praised Crouch as always supportive of the council and its members. Louis Smith Crouch was the husband of the late Hallie P. Crouch and is survived by Andrew S. (Erin) Crouch and William L. Crouch, four grandchildren, and was the brother of Jane Cowart and John Crouch. He is also survived by many loving relatives and friends. A memorial service was held this past Sunday. Donations in Crouch's name can be made to St. John's Episcopal Church. To do so, contact the Harry H. Witzke Family Funeral Home here.

Earlier this month, the RMC Research & Education Foundation hosted a Webinar highlighting the Virtual Cement & Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL), developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The recording of that Webinar, along with the PowerPoints from each of the three presenters – Dr. Jeffrey Bullard with NIST, Jon Belkowitz with Intelligent Concrete, LLC, and Dr. Wilasa Vichit-Vadakan with SGC – is available from the Foundation’s homepage. The Webinar included an overview of the software and the software’s successful application. It also includes a question and answer segment. 

The following is a summary of actions at the ASTM meeting of Committees C09 on Concrete attended by NRMCA staff earlier this month in Indianapolis. 

C09.20 Concrete Aggregates - A proposed revision to specifically include reference to recycled aggregate in Specification ASTM C33 received some negative votes and will be revisited. Revisions were in process for C88 on soundness. The method will require an automated temperature measuring device for the test. A task group working on a specification for mineral fillers for use in concrete balloted a revised version and received several negatives that are being considered for revised version for a future ballot. This specification will support the use of mineral fillers in concrete, which may be used in self-consolidating concrete or for other purposes. A new rapid (5 minute) test method to determine the methylene blue index (MBI) of aggregate was balloted at main committee ballot and resolutions to negative votes will result in a revised version for another ballot. The test is a colorimetric method and is considered simpler, more accurate and less subjective than an existing AASHTO method. The purpose of the test is to identify the presence of active clay minerals in aggregates or in mineral fillers.

C09.24 Supplementary Cementitious Materials - On ASTM C618 – Specification for Fly Ash, revisions are being developed for the following – not using the autoclave test requirement for Class F fly ash, measurement and reporting of Blaine fineness, eliminating the composition based differentiation between Class C and Class F but requiring that the fly ash chemistry be reported.  Various processing and co-combustion additions in fly ash manufacturing will be considered for incorporation in C618. ACAA will survey its members on typical additions in power plants. A new specification for alternative SCMs that will be qualified using the C1709 guide is being planned.

C09.26 Chemical Reactions - The subcommittee is evaluating whether the C1293 test method variability will justify reporting to the nearest 0.001%. Some subcommittee members feel it should be to the nearest 0.01% as required in C1567. New business items planned include:
1. introduction of "as is" aggregate grading option in C1260, C1293 and C1567 tests;
2. permitting the use of C595 and C1157 cements in C1293 and C1567;
3. modifications to C1567 to evaluate the effectiveness of lithium admixtures based on Corps of Engineers' standard CRD C662;
4. changing the precisions statement for the ASR tests to include language of range between the three prisms averaged for a test result; and
5. eliminating the requirement to place test specimens in a moist room for 16h prior to the reading for C1293.

C09.40 Ready Mixed Concrete - Two significant revisions to ASTM C94 were approved: 1. the limit on 300 revolutions to the end of discharge has been removed. The purchaser has the option to state a limit or the manufacturers sets a limit on revolution based on their considerations to control the quality of concrete; 2. A revision to Section 19 that addresses a resolution process in case of low strength tests was revised to remove the suggestion of arbitration by a three member panel. The revision suggests that the purchaser and manufacturer confer to arrive at an agreement to establish adjustments to mixture proportions, production processes or testing procedures. The subcommittee continues to work on other revisions to C94 to include: revisions to the scope of the document; changes to the air content table, several revisions to the section on batching concrete, revisions to the annex on mixing uniformity and on the appendix for strength overdesign.

A new specification addressing the reuse of fresh returned concrete was balloted at the subcommittee level and received several negatives that were constructive and will be considered in a revision for a reissue of a subcommittee ballot.

C09.49 Pervious Concrete - A proposal to use the Marshall hammer instead of proctor hammer to consolidate ASTM C1688 specimens for fresh density has been withdrawn. A new ballot on C1701 Field infiltration rate will be created to clarify testing twice at a given location on the same day. A new ISO standard is being developed that is a lab infiltration rate test.

C09.50 Risk Management for Alkali Aggregate Reactions (AAR) - The new practice "Determining Reactivity of Concrete Aggregates and Minimizing Risk of Deleterious Expansion" has been balloted in the main committee and drew 11 negatives. Some of those were considered. The issue of providing a specification limit to the nearest 0.01% or 0.001% for C1293 was again discussed.

C09.60 Fresh Concrete Tests - ASTM C172 is being revised to include sampling from volumetric mixers. A revised flowchart is being proposed for the rollometer air content test in C173. The subcommittee is planning a new inter-laboratory study to develop a precision statement for the pressure air method, C231. It is unclear whether AASHTO will drop the method for the measurement of water content of fresh concrete using the microwave oven, AASHTO T318, or if it will accept revisions developed by the ASTM subcommittee. The primary revisions was to provide a realistic precision statement and to account for aggregate absorption in the measured water content.

C09.61 Strength - A proposed revision to reuse the portion of the sample used for the slump test in C31 received several negatives and was rejected. To do the same in the lab in C192 was considered more acceptable. FHWA has performed research on a smaller beam specimen for flexural strength tests and revisions will be made to C31, C78 and C293 to accommodate this size. 

C09.66 Fluid Penetration - This subcommittee is involved in developing three new test methods:
1. One-point bulk water sorption of dried concrete (main);
2. Surface resistivity using Wenner probe (sub); and
3. mass loss vs. time for one-dimensional drying of saturated concrete.

The subcommittee reviewed several negatives and will reissue revised versions of these standards for future ballots. More recent data from an inter-laboratory study was reviewed and might be used to revise the precision statement of ASTM C1202 – the rapid chloride permeability test. No significant improvement in the precision compared to that in the current standard is evident from the new data.

C09.67 Resistance to Environment - The subcommittee discussed potential changes to ASTM C666 and C1646 as well as a new salt scaling test.  Ballot items are expected before the next meeting.

Workshop - A planned workshop on Product Category Rules (PCR) for the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for concrete was cancelled and postponed to December.

Awards - Ara Jeknavorian with Grace Construction Products was presented the Award of Merit, ASTM’s highest honor; Doug Hooton, University of Toronto, was presented the Frank E. Richart award; Karthik Obla received an award of appreciation for his service as chair of Subcommittee C09.49 on Pervious Concrete.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Colin Lobo at clobo@nrmca.org or Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org.

NRMCA recently completed the Concrete Durability Course outside Chicago at the offices of CTLGroup in Skokie, IL, with 22 attendees. The course was well endorsed by all attendees. NRMCA congratulates the 16 individuals who passed the exam and the 10 individuals who obtained the NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 4 certification. Level 4 certification is awarded to those also having the Concrete Technologist Level 3 certification at the popular Technical Short Course.

The next Concrete Durability Course will be held at the office of Central Concrete in San Jose, CA, from August 27-29. Hotel room details are being finalized and will be updated later. Early registrants will be notified about final details.

NRMCA will host the August 13-16 Plant Manager Certification workshop in Silver Spring, MD (metro Washington, DC). This class not only serves producers, but specifically meets the Army Corp of Engineers' contract spec requirement for personnel who must be certified as part of awarded federal contracts. It is also a required class in the NRMCA Operations and Production Track in the STEPS program.

According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90% of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with your bottom line at stake, it has never been more important for your crew to be at the top of its game when it comes to efficiency and productivity. Whether your operations staff now manages more plants, is new to plant management and batching or has unplanned down time, the curriculum intensely covers product knowledge, plant safety, environmental regulations, plant operations and ready mixed industry business principles.

 

There is a strong movement in many states to legislate the use of wood over other building materials for state-funded projects. The effects of this legislation are potentially devastating to the concrete industry. NRMCA will introduce a strategy to stem the adoption of more Wood First legislation in your region during a Webinar scheduled for Wednesday, July 3 and repeated on Tuesday, July 30. Join NRMCA’s Tien Peng, senior director of sustainability, codes and standards, for this informative one-hour Webinar covering the history of the Wood First movement, the battle over wood certifications and legislative talking points for the industry. Past NRMCA Chairman Henry Batten will update Webinar participants on the current legislative skirmish in North Carolina.

• Click here for the July 3 Webinar
• Click here for the July 30 Webinar

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 10 - 14, please click here.

Yesterday, NRMCA’s Operations, Environment and Safety (OES) Committee Vice Chairman Jeff Hinkle with Chandler Concrete Company, Burlington, NC, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. Hinkle testified on behalf of NRMCA on how the July 1, 2013, Federal Drivers’ Hours of Service (HOS) regulations changes will affect commercial motor vehicle operators, such as ready mixed concrete mixer truck drivers.

Hinkle told lawmakers that the new HOS rule changes hinder the ability to run a successful business and that they unnecessarily and unfairly affect the delivery of ready mixed concrete, and the practices of the ready mixed concrete business without improving safety. Hinkle also testified that "...requiring this 30-minute break, which more often than not will be required to be taken as off-duty/non-paid time, ultimately keeps drivers away from their families longer and with no additional pay." Hinkle went on to state, "...the easiest and clearest solution to the problem... is to reinstate the pre-December 2011 HOS regulations. We should be smart enough to recognize unique industries and how these types of regulations unnecessarily, adversely affect them."

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 25, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

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

 

June 27, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

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

 

July 18, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

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 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 22, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

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

 

August 27, Webinar 

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

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

 

August 27-29, San Jose, CA

Concrete Durability Course

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

 

August 30, Webinar

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

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

 

September 12, Webinar

Effectively Communicating Sustainability

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

 

September 19, Free Webinar

Coal Ash Material Safety—A Health Risk-Based Evaluation of USGS Coal Ash Data from Five US Power Plants

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

September 22-24, Las Vegas

ConcreteWorks & 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