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IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWS LINKS
PROMOTIONS
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
ENGINEERING
SUSTAINABILITY
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. continues in July with the histories of two more Producer and Associate members - See below for their respective Web site links. This week's industry milestone: In 1966, over 102,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed at Mossyrock Dam in Washington State in just 23 days.
To have your company featured in this space in the coming weeks, please contact
NRMCA's Kathleen Carr Smith at kcarrsmith@nrmca.org or 301-587-1400, ext. 1145. Central Concrete Supermix - In 1976, the Dias family began work in Brazil, laying the foundation for what would become a successful concrete business. It opened operations in Florida in 1989 and now has 16 locations, 20 batching plants and more than 200 mixer trucks. The family also continues to own and operate over 120 plants and over 1,250 trucks in South America. Read more.
An NRMCA Producer member since 1989 American Geothermal Inc. - American Geothermal Inc. was founded in 1981 to provide geothermal heat pump heating and cooling systems for commercial and industrial process water heating and/or cooling applications. Read more.
An NRMCA Associate member since 1983
NEWS LINKS
Despite softening sales growth during the second quarter, economists are confident that during the next year, the economy will expand more than 2%, according to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). Nearly 40% of respondents said they expect more employment at their companies during the next six months. "Most of them treated the second quarter as a temporary lull," said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America and president of NABE. "They still expect expansion going forward."
Source: AGC SmartBrief e-newsletter for July 23 which contained this July 22 posting from The Wall Street Journal.
With more than 20 million people and hundreds of thousands of cars, Mexico City has a pollution problem. So why not have buildings that eat smog? City officials chose to test a German company's technology and the results so far are encouraging.
Source: A July 22 video posting by CNN. View here. Count The Huffington Post as another media outlet to discover the versatility of concrete throughout the home. A recent article and photo display describe concrete as part of a "chic and stylish" home interior. And the praise continues, "this material can be used as a really beautiful finish and even to make some interesting furniture pieces."
Source: A July 19 posting by The Huffington Post. Read more. PROMOTIONS
As we all know, concrete parking lots can play a major role in helping a design team earn credits for LEED certification, reports NRMCA Senior National Resource Doug O'Neill. Because of the light color of concrete a design team can take advantage of the "Reducing the Heat Island Effect" credit which accounts for one LEED point. If conventional concrete is used in conjunction with pervious concrete to address stormwater issues, then the opportunity exists to earn a possible three credits just for the parking lot. The Regional Priority Credits offer additional advantages to concrete parking lots in many areas of the country - these were first introduced in LEED 2009 and are designed to take into account the differences in environmental priorities across the country. For instance, the heat island effect may not be as much of a worry in rural areas, but in highly congested areas the heat island effect may be a concern.
"Unfortunately, concrete is not on the minds of most design teams so it’s up to us to remind them of our vast superiority as a building material," O'Neill said. "Learning what the Regional Priority Credits are for a particular project location is easy. Simply go to the USGBC’s Web site and plug in the ZIP code of the project location. You’ll be shown the six possible Regional Priority Credits for that location. The design team is able to take advantage of up to four of these six credits and, in many cases, concrete can play a role. Now you’re informed, so on your next LEED project take a minute to look at the Regional Priority Credits and maybe you’ll be able to make a case for concrete’s advantages."
For more information, contact Doug O'Neill at doneill@nrmca.org. Recently, NRMCA senior national resource directors Jon Hansen and Amy Miller along with industry partners Corey Zollinger of CEMEX and Jason Wimberly of EAS Consultants participated in an educational program at national home improvement Lowe's at the company's request at its Wilkesboro, NC, location. The subject matter was arranged by Lowe's and included various topics related to concrete parking lot construction, repair and pervious concrete. The presentation was well-attended by Lowe’s employees in project management and design and construction.
Lowe’s appreciates the value of concrete; it was the first NRMCA National Account to include ACI 330 requirements in its design recommendations to its consultants, along with a request for a concrete design in every project, Miller said. The Lowe's relationship has continued to progress as it continues to explore concrete opportunities. Along with constructing concrete parking lots designed using ACI 330, it has also constructed a 100% pervious parking lot and has successfully completed a roller compacted concrete distribution center. "Lowe’s is a bellwether National Account to which we are able to point other national accounts," Miller said. "It is savvy in that it understands the value of competitive bidding via appropriately designed concrete sections and is open to trying other concrete options that make financial sense to its business." "Based on this meeting and our interaction here, I’m looking forward to future developments in the works at Lowe's involving concrete," added Zollinger. "Even through the economic downturn and its slowdown of construction projects, it continues to explore alternative ideas with concrete that will add to its bottom-line." For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org. NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Philip Kresge recently met with the sales staff from NRMCA Producer member Eastern Concrete Materials to provide assistance for its promotional efforts. Kresge’s presentation outlined the importance of focusing those efforts on pavement promotion to break the concrete industry’s dependency on residential construction. He also highlighted the many benefits of concrete pavement. Pervious concrete, roller-compacted concrete and concrete overlays were also discussed as viable options for the pavement market.
Kresge also introduced NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP) and encouraged the group to offer NRMCA design assistance on every pavement sales call. "We currently have an 85% closing rate when DAP is utilized," Kresge said. "Offering DAP to a client can be as important as asking for the order. It’s no guarantee, but it certainly does up your odds."
The meeting was arranged by Gary Graziano, vice president of sales and marketing for Eastern Concrete. A division of US Concrete, Eastern Concrete Materials supplies concrete and aggregate to the greater New York City metropolitan market.
For information about NRMCA promotion assistance including the DAP program, please contact a National Resource Director. July may be winding down, but NRMCA's national resource directors still have two informative Webinars on tap before the calendar turns to August. Roller compacted concrete and NRMCA's Concrete Pavement Analyst software are remaining topics for promotion-focused Webinars; click on the respective links below to learn more and to register.
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in May 2013 is 28.3 million cubic yards, 2.5% higher than May 2012. The estimated ready mixed concrete production through May 2013 is 109 million cubic yards, 0.6% higher than that during the same period in 2012.
Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. NRMCA members can click here for more details on production. ENGINEERING
It's critical: every ready mix employee must understand the essence of the technical and operations aspects of the ready mixed concrete business. NRMCA’s top executive engineering team annually offers its expertise to non QC/QA technicians. From October 1-4 in Silver Spring, MD (metro Washington, DC), people in your administrative office, your sales reps, your entry level operations people will have the opportunity to learn from the concrete industry's leading authorities exactly what this industry is about day to day.
At this level, your staff will have a full, usable understanding of how to answer questions from customers and work better with your experienced staff, while adding depth to his or her job. Past attendees have ranged from CFOs to new order takers. With today’s continual challenges, can your company afford to have anybody not understand what a ready mixed concrete company does?
Click here for more information, including staff contact and registration links.
The July 2013 Focus newsletter published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) includes the following topics:
• Data Palooza Showcases a New Era of Transforming Technology - From wireless sensors to real-time information to advanced 3-D visualization techniques, the era of data has arrived.
• Pavement Construction and Safety Training on Demand - New free Web-based courses sponsored by FHWA offer construction contractor employees and others the training they need at a time that’s right for them.
• Get Ready for the Next Round of SHRP2 Solutions - Get acquainted with the second round of SHRP2 Solutions products by registering for free informational Webinars to be held this month.
• Your Go-To Course on Geotechnical Aspects of Pavements - Now available from FHWA's National Highway Institute (NHI), a 3-day course on "Geotechnical Aspects of Pavements" (Course No. FHWA-NHI-132040) brings together multidisciplinary teams to address design, construction, and performance issues for pavements.
• Infrastructure Innovation Webinars
• Highway Technology Calendar
Click here to view the newsletter. The National Concrete Bridge Council (NCBC) is a council of allied industry organizations, of which NRMCA is a member, that is dedicated to promote quality in concrete bridge construction; gather and disseminate information on design, construction, and condition of concrete bridges; establish communication with federal and state departments of transportation, city and county public works departments, and consulting engineers; and provide information on behalf of the concrete industries to codes and standards groups.
Twice a year representatives from NCBC meet with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to discuss a range of concrete bridge related topics consisting of technology deployment, technical assistance, research activities and the long-term bridge program. NRMCA Senior Director, Pavement Structures Brian Killingsworth attends these meetings on behalf of the ready mix industry to highlight our various concrete certification programs, research initiatives and training efforts.
Earlier this month, the NCBC-FHWA joint meeting was held at the PCA offices in Skokie, IL. Highlights at this meeting included a discussion regarding the possibility of hosting a Web site that identifies training programs from the FHWA, the National Highway Institute (NHI), and NCBC; organizations specifically related to concrete bridge structures which would promote more efficient technology deployment. In addition, attendees held a brainstorming session led by Sue Lane of the FHWA focused on identifying ideas for collaboration between industry partners and the FHWA’s long-term bridge program. One area that was identified for collaboration was to develop a timeline of when concrete bridge technology and design methods have changed over the years. With this information the FHWA can develop a database that can assist with the identification of technology and methods that have had a significant impact on concrete bridge performance and when they occurred.
For more information about NCBC and its allied organizations, see its Web site or contact Brian Killingsworth at bkillingsworth@nrmca.org or 830-438-2690.
SUSTAINABILITY
NRMCA is offering a new version of its popular online course Concrete’s Role in Sustainable Development with significant focus on the new LEED v4 standard. The course is scheduled for August 5 - 8 and consists of four live Webinars, each from noon - 2 p.m. Eastern time, plus online exercises and quizzes for a total of 10 hours of instruction. This newly revised course will feature a comprehensive study of LEED v4, which is radically different than previous versions. It will provide details on how concrete contributes to this new standard. Students will come away with a detailed understanding of what producers need to do to meet the new LEED v4 Materials and Resources credits requiring Environmental Product Declarations, Responsible Sourcing and Health Product Declarations. This course is intended for concrete industry professionals, including sales and marketing, technical and operations professionals.
Click here to register online. For more information, contact NRMCA's Shawnita Dickens at SDickens@nrmca.org or 240-485-1154.
NRMCA is seeking abstracts for the 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference scheduled for May 12-15 just outside Boston at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge. This ninth annual conference will provide learning and networking opportunities on the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research, tools and solutions for sustainable concrete manufacturing and construction. Researchers, academics, students, engineers, architects, contractors, public works officials, material suppliers and concrete industry professionals are invited to submit abstracts. Suggested topics include the latest developments related to design, specifying, manufacturing, testing, construction, maintenance and research of concrete as they relates to sustainability.
Abstracts can be submitted online by November 30, 2013. The 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference is being held in conjunction with the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Showcase scheduled for May 15, 2014. Registrants for the 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference will have the option of attending both events.
For additional details, contact NRMCA's Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.
The 2013 Professors Workshop, held last week in Skokie, IL, was co-sponsored by NRMCA and organized by the Portland Cement Association (PCA). The workshop was designed to provide faculty in engineering, architecture, and construction management programs the tools to teach the latest developments in concrete design, construction, materials, pavements and sustainability. NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay presented a session titled Sustainable Concrete: The Role of Performance-Based Specifications. Professors were provided the presentation, article, student assignment and the NRMCA Guide to Performance Specifications for use in teaching the topic.
The week-long event, which takes place every summer at PCA’s Skokie campus, includes networking opportunities to facilitate the exchange of ideas with professors from many universities. Four comprehensive sessions include: • Concrete Materials and Properties
• Engineering and Economics of Reinforced Concrete Buildings
• Design, Construction, and Performance of Concrete Pavements
• Design and Construction of Concrete Bridges by the AASHTO LRFD
For more information, contact NRMCA's Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.
In an effort to continue sustainable environmental initiatives at ready mixed concrete facilities, NRMCA has renewed its partnership with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) to develop, promote and conduct educational opportunities at corporate sites and public properties to increase awareness and understanding of sustainable business and biodiversity. The WHC has developed a unique approach to sustainability tailored to NRMCA members. The partnership between the two organizations provides guidance to implement on-the-ground biodiversity projects as well as link the successes of the initiatives to community outreach. This unique approach serves the specific needs and potential of ready mixed concrete production facilities to demonstrate environmental stewardship and obtain recognition for voluntary initiatives. It is also compatible with the Sustainable Plant Certification and the WHC accreditations.
WHC is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization headquartered in Silver Spring, MD. Its membership is comprised of corporations, conservation organizations and several academic and government supporters dedicated to the enhancement, creation and restoration of wildlife habitat on public and private lands.
Click here for more information on biodiversity initiatives at production facilities or contact NRMCA's Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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 July 15 - 19, 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.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
NRMCA's July Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, August 6, is the Hot Weather Package. Now that the hot weather is here, help front line staff brush up on tips to help make the job go easier and get better results with a DVD copy of the How to Keep It Cool: a driver training video that offers tips for placing concrete during hot weather; and 50 copies of the two page Concrete In Practice, Topic #12 Hot Weather Concreting. Each is an easy to understand, informative and comprehensive source of timely and important information.
Order online today and receive 25% off. Regular member price is $90, Internet Special $67.50, plus shipping. Please use Discount Code: ISJULY13.
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
July 29, Free Webinar
Design Assistance Program (*NRMCA Members Only)
Email: Amanda Hult
July 29, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
July 30, Webinar
Behind the Wood First Initiatives
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
July 31, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
July 31, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 1, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 6, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on August 13)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 5-8 Online Course
Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development
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, Webinar
Hazard Communication Standard Training for the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
August 27, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Your Third Choice for Pavement
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 10, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
September 10, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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, NV
ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 26, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 1, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on October 8)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 1-4, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP I: Introduction to Concrete Fundamentals—Concrete 101
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 15, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Your Third Choice for Pavement
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 5, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 5, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 7, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
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 12-14, Silver Spring, MD
The Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 19, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on November 26)
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 5, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Your Third Choice for Pavement
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
December 10-13, Orlando, FL
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
December 23, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on December 30)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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July 24, 2013
 
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