NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. concludes its July entries with two more histories of Producer and Associate members - see below for their respective Web site links. This week's industry milestone: In 1969, construction began on the Shell Oil Building in Houston. When completed, it became the tallest concrete building in the U.S., at the time topping 714 feet.

Colas, Inc. - Colas was founded in France 1929 by Shell as the Société Routière and Société Générale d'Entreprises (SGE) to operate the "Cold Asphalt" bitumen emulsion patent. The company originally specialized in the production of bitumen emulsion in addition to road works. In the 1930's, it established operations in northern and western Africa and the French Caribbean. Read more.

An NRMCA producer member since 2003 

Butterfield Color - Butterfield Color was incorporated in 1994 to manufacture decorative concrete products and nearly 20 years later the company manufactures the Uni-Mix® and Perm-Cast® brand names. Butterfield Color products have been used in projects ranging from new installations in commercial, residential, institutional development to historic parks, museums and public area renovation projects throughout the U.S. and Canada. Read more.

An NRMCA Associate Member since 2004

The reconstruction of a $13.5 million runway at a Massachusetts airport will be made of concrete to better accommodate F-15 fighter jets. "The runway has had repairs, but as we transitioned from an A-10 base to the heavier F-15s that use afterburners, a harder toll was taken on the runway," said Col. Peter T. Green, aircraft maintenance group commander for the 104th Fighter Wing. "We’re going from lots of asphalt to concrete in key areas that will be able to take the punishment of the F-15s."

Furniture makers are finding surprising new uses for concrete. Once used mostly for outdoor building and industrial applications, concrete is becoming a popular material for today’s furniture makers. By mixing it with fibreglass or micro fibres, designers have been able to transform a cold building material into thin elegant structures with incredible strength, from tables and chairs to candelabras and cushions. Here is a look at some of their creations.

With more than 75 percent of people expected to live in cities by 2050, public and private sector leaders are expressing an increasing desire to build greater resilience, yet many have neither the technical expertise nor the financial resources to create and execute resilience strategies on a city-wide scale, in a way that addresses the need of the poor or vulnerable people. To enable 100 cities to better address major 21st century challenges, the Rockefeller Foundation is inviting cities from around the world to apply for the 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge. Winning cities will be announced in three rounds over the next three years, with the final round of winners named in 2015.

Source: The Rockefeller Foundation. Read more.

Earlier this month NRMCA Director of Pavement Structures Amanda Hult attended the Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association (CRMCA) Board of Directors’ meeting held in Vail, CO, discussing the services available to the Association and member companies through NRMCA’s Technical Services Department. Much of the presentation was focused on NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP). Hult provided step-by-step instruction on how to obtain project assistance as well as how to use the design report recommendations in the parking lot and streets and local roads promotional efforts. She challenged each member company present to find a project to submit to DAP and to "give us a try."

"Amanda has provided us with a great opportunity for project assistance. This program is not being utilized by our industry like it should be," said CRMCA Executive Director Todd Ohlheiser.

Executive Director Jim Langlois of the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council recently partnered with NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources Doug O’Neill in presenting ACI 330R-08 to a group of engineers from a Northeast-based, employee-owned design firm that is working on several NRMCA National Account client projects across the region. As is typical with many civil engineering firms in the Northeast, not one hand was raised when asked if they used ACI330R-08 when specifying for a concrete parking lot. Most either relied on the recommendations of their hired geo technical engineer or used some form of AASHTO or state DOT guidelines.

The presentation was well received by the attendees, with one commenting on "how is it that we’ve never heard of ACI 330R-08 before?" The main reason is that since concrete is not normally specified in Connecticut, there has been no need for civil or geo techs to stay up-to-date on what is common practice in other, more "concrete friendly" areas of the country, O'Neill said.

Langlois spoke to the group on the history of concrete paving in the state along with an update on pervious concrete and then offered several specific projects that have gone concrete over the last several years. O’Neill stressed how the use of ACI 330R-08 should be thought of as an insurance policy for design teams to hang their hat on when it comes to specifying, designing and constructing concrete pavements. He also mentioned how many NRMCA National Account clients are looking for a concrete option on their projects to allow for competitive situations that would otherwise not be available to them. The hope is that this meeting opens up the opportunity for offering an NRMCA Design Assistance Project for an upcoming job.

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

NRMCA reported in the May 27 edition of E-NEWS that the Science Museum of Virginia (SMV) had incorporated pervious concrete into its RainKeepers Project, an urban retrofitting demonstration, monitoring, training and certification program. We are happy to now report that the first results are in and pervious concrete is a winner: "We are tremendously happy with the project," says Dr. Eugene Maurakis, director of science at SMV. "It has been a collaborative effort all the way from inception to submittal of the proposal, to the present. And we hope to do more." Maurakis adds that the pervious concrete has played an active role in the site’s overall low-impact development (LID) stormwater management practices which should result in reducing the annual $20,000 stormwater fee paid to the City of Richmond by as much as 50 percent.

The pervious concrete is also a hit with visitors to the museum, noted NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge. The goal of the RainKeepers Project is to help the public understand the new techniques available for mitigating stormwater flows and how it can help by modifying its environmental behaviors. The exhibit features an interactive survey that asks patrons various questions about their willingness to change current practices. In response to the question, "Would you be willing to replace solid concrete or asphalt with pervious concrete," over 70% of the respondents indicated that they indeed would or that they already have done so.

The concrete was supplied by NRMCA member Titan America/Powhatan Ready Mix from its Chesterfield plant. 

* Also in the May 27 E-NEWS brief, NRMCA incorrectly identified the lightweight aggregate supplier for the project. Northeast Solite Corporation, Mt Marion, NY, supplied the expanded shale material for the infiltration base beneath the pervious concrete. Kentucky Solite Corporation, Brooks, KY, expanded shale was used as the filtering medium for the bioswale and for several tree-well cisterns. NRMCA apologizes for the error and for any inconvenience it may have caused.

Bruce Cody knows the importance of patience and persistence when it comes to promotion. As concrete promoter for the Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA), Cody was involved several years ago with a pervious concrete program hosted at NRMCA member Austin/Servall Concrete. That program was also attended by Crawford County Conservation District staff member Tracey Crawford. When the opportunity arose to secure a Greenways Block Grant through the Northwest Commission to create a stormwater management Best Management Practices (BMP) showcase at the Woodcock Township Municipal Building, Crawford remembered Cody’s presentation and contacted PACA for assistance.

The project includes pervious concrete sidewalks and a handicap parking area. Cody and Crawford quickly realized that the project could be leveraged to educate local officials, engineers and contractors about pervious concrete and so the partnership was developed and an educational event was planned. Approximately half the pervious concrete was placed two weeks in advance of the program. The remainder was placed the day of the event, allowing attendees to "smell, taste and feel" the in-place concrete while seeing the placement procedure first-hand. Additionally, the installation allowed a demonstration of ASTM C1701 – Infiltration Rate of In-Place Pervious Concrete to be conducted.

Cody reports that more than 60 people attended the event, including area civil engineers, members of the Erie Chapter of the Green Building Alliance, and officials from several of the surrounding townships and the city of Meadville. The program also included presentations from Audubon Pennsylvania, Natural Resources Conservation Service, PA Department of Environmental Protection and Crawford County Conservation District.

The calendar turns to August tomorrow, which means it's time to register for two of NRMCA's sustainability-focused promotion Webinars: Sustainable Design with Concrete takes a detailed look at the important and growing role played by ready mixed concrete in green building design and construction and Effectively Communicating Sustainability which takes what we already know about concrete’s sustainability along with the 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 on the respective links below to learn more and to register.

• Thursday, August 1 - Sustainable Design with Concrete
• Thursday, August 22 - Effectively Communicating Sustainability

NRMCA’s Developing Industry Leaders program is now accepting nominations for a limited number of middle managers from various companies to come together and challenge themselves to strategically address issues facing our industry. This program differs from other association programs in that individuals participating in this program will form teams, with each choosing a separate industry issue, to work via conference calls, e-mails and Webinars over several months, with a culminating presentation at NRMCA’s 2014 Annual Convention next March. This experience will broaden participants’ understanding of their industry while giving them the opportunity to work on a team with other developing leaders across the country. There is no fee for participation other than the cost to send your employee to the convention for his/her presentation.

Please join us on the morning of Tuesday, September 24, for a Walk for Wellness to benefit the RMC Research & Education Foundation. The event will be held in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo and Fall Board of Directors Meeting outside Las Vegas. Please join us in spreading awareness of how wellness is an important element of daily life, including at the workplace. Your participation is a tremendous opportunity to also support this initiative and the Foundation at the same time. Registration will be $25 per walker and will be complimentary for drivers participating in the 8th Annual Truck Mixer Driver Championship.

NRMCA and Iberoamerican Federation of Ready Mixed Concrete (FIHP) will partner to host the International Concrete Sustainability Conference, Latin America, February 6-7, 2014, in Medellin, Colombia. The conference is an expansion of the popular International Concrete Sustainability Conference and International Concrete Technology Forum hosted by NRMCA since 2006 throughout the U.S. and the Middle East. Next year will mark the first time the conference will be held in Latin America.

The conference provides learning and networking opportunities on the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research and solutions for sustainable concrete manufacturing, design and construction. The Latin American conference is one of four sustainability/technical conferences hosted by NRMCA over the next 10 months with more in the planning stage. The lineup includes:

• October 6-7 - Doha, Qatar

• November 26-27 - Dubai, UAE

• February 6-7, 2014 - Medellin, Colombia

• May 12-15, 2014 - Cambridge, MA (metropolitan Boston)

In 2012, the EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division presented the first Climate Leadership Awards to one individual and 20 organizations from across the U.S. who are leading the way in the management and reduction of GHG emissions — both in internal operations and throughout the supply chain. The Climate Leadership Awards is a national awards program that recognizes and incentivizes exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change. NRMCA member companies with Environmental Product Declarations and/or NRMCA Sustainable Plant Certifications or other similar program that identifies reduction in emissions are encouraged to apply.

Climate Leadership Award Recognition Categories are:

1. Organizational Leadership Award


2. Individual Leadership Award


3. Supply Chain Leadership Award


4. Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award)
 

5. Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate)

Past winners include Intel, Ford Motor Company, International Paper, Bently Prince Street, UPS, Office Depot and Turner Construction Company. Early bird deadline for award applications is Wednesday, August 7, 2013 with a final deadline of Friday, September 13.

Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2218, the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act by a vote of 265 to 155 (click here for the final vote tally). The legislation is a direct response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule to regulate the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) as hazardous waste, including fly ash. Assessments of the rule’s effect on the industry have suggested possibly higher priced fly ash, restricting or ending the use of fly ash in concrete in certain municipalities and types of projects, less durability concrete, lost jobs, and a greater likelihood of insurance and litigation lawsuits. Despite EPA’s attempt to unnecessarily regulate an important concrete ingredient, Rep. David McKinley (R-01-WV) introduced H.R. 2218, which would pull back the reins on the rule by prohibiting the EPA from regulating fly ash as a hazardous waste, and instead establish minimum state disposal requirements.

For more information on EPA’s proposed fly ash rule or H.R. 2218, please click here.

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 22 - 26, please click here.

NRMCA's 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.

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