NRMCA e-news
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
NEWS LINKS
"America is one big pothole," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He urged the Senate to pass its two-year, $109 billion transportation bill as a start to repair and rebuild roads and bridges. He also wants to get support for the Senate bill from the House, which LaHood says is in "disarray" with its transportation bill. Source: AGC SmartBrief e-newsletter for March 13 which contained this March 12 story from The Hill newspaper. (Please also see related item under Government Affairs on this year's Rally for Roads event). Now here's something you don't come across every day. A host of concrete mixer trucks placed on barges and floated to the job site, all part of the never-ending challenges of bringing water to a thirsty Nevada region. Las Vegas tunnel contractors are pumping concrete 350 feet to the bottom of Lake Mead as part of construction for a new intake pipe to deliver drinking water to the valley. Source: The Las Vegas Review-Journal covered the story on March 6. Read more. Why is U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta concerned about concrete? Specifically, the strength of the mix used in Iran? That's because Iran is an earthquake zone, so its engineers have developed some of the toughest building materials in the world. Such materials could also be used to protect hidden nuclear installations from the artificial equivalent of small earthquakes, namely bunker-busting bombs. Source: A May 3 posting by The Economist magazine. Read more. There perhaps is no more famous boardwalk than the one that graces Coney Island, so when New York City officials initially proposed replacing the aging and occasionally unsafe wooden planks with concrete, a cascade of feedback quickly ensued. The latest attempt at pleasing all sides - using a hybrid concrete and plastic replacement - will soon come up for a vote. Source: The New York Observer for March 9. Read more. PROMOTIONS
NRMCA Senior Director of National Resources Phil Kresge recently attended the 2012 Virginia Concrete Conference for the Transportation Industry. The theme of this year’s conference was "Concrete: The Competitive Choice" and provided an emphasis on technical advancements/improvements and the viability of concrete for transportation applications. Kresge’s presentation, Concrete Roundabouts, addressed the benefits of roundabouts for safer, more efficient traffic control. More specifically, he focused on the benefits of concrete’s rigidity, durability, low maintenance and superior life-cycle performance for not only roundabouts, but also streets and local roads. He also took the opportunity to introduce the attendees to NRMCA’s Concrete Pavement Design Assistance Program for Streets and Roads. The annual conference is co-sponsored by the American Concrete Pavement Association – Mid-Atlantic Chapter, the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Advisory Council, the American Concrete Institute – Virginia Chapter, the Virginia Precast Concrete Association, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. It provides an annual forum for the exchange of information and technology transfer with focus on concrete pavements and structures, as well as concrete materials. For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org. The Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association is offering a one-day seminar on designing, producing, placing, testing and maintaining pervious concrete pavements in Omaha on Thursday, April 26. Seminar speakers include Matt Offenburg (WR Grace and ACI 522 chairman), Heather Brown, PhD (Middle Tennessee State University), Walt Flood IV, M.S., P.E. (Flood Testing Laboratories), David Mitchell (Bunyan Industries) and Scott Erickson (Evolution Paving Industries). NRMCA is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this event. Click here for more information or contact Jereme Montgomery at 402-325-8414. NRMCA's national resource directors have one Webinar scheduled for the next couple of weeks, so be sure to click on the link for more information or contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Tuesday , March 27 – Introduction To Concrete Pavement Analyst Software ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
Please join the RMC Research & Education Foundation for a free informational Webinar on Thursday, April 5, at 11 a.m. Eastern time to receive a comprehensive update on the work of the Foundation. Topics will include updates on the work taking place at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, new industry tools and resources that will be available this summer, and information on outreach activities. Please click here to register for the Webinar. Please also feel free to distribute this link to other colleagues who may also be interested in participating. The link, and other materials, are also available from the Foundation’s Web site at www.rmc-foundation.org. For more information, contact Foundation Senior Director, Communications & Programs, Jennifer LeFevre at 240-485-1151 or at jlefevre@rmc-foundation.org. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded NRMCA member CalPortland Company a 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award for protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The Glendora, CA-based CalPortland will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC, on March 15. CalPortland has been an ENERGY STAR partner since 1996. This is the eighth consecutive time it has been awarded an ENERGY STAR award at the national level with the last six awards being for Sustained Excellence. Recent accomplishments include: For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call 888-782-7937. ENGINEERING
The CPRoad Map Enews is the newsletter of the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology. The January-February 2012 issue has the following items with more details at e-news homepage.
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Registration is open for the annual Webinar Dispatch Management: Real Time Supply Chain Management Solutions in Tight Times to take place May 15-16, from 1 - 2 p.m. Eastern time. The two live online seminars will discuss creative and sound dispatch business processes and management systems that add dollars to your bottom line at a time when every penny counts. The content concentrates on strategic delivery concepts as they relate to pricing, changing your customers’ market environment and possible dispatch performance incentives. These tools, tips, and tactics are practical coaching tools you can share with your dispatch staff so they help reduce delivery costs while maximizing efficiency and customer service. Senior level dispatch managers, operations managers, area managers and sales managers will benefit from this course. Because of the content, it is not recommended for dispatch staff. Click here for registration options or contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at 888-846-7622, ext. 1152 or by e-mail, jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
SUSTAINABILITY
NRMCA Senior Director of Sustainability, Codes and Standards, Tien Peng recently delivered a series of professional seminars on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and the research activities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSH) to address the dual use aspect of concrete. The presentations took place in various Kentucky cities the week of February 13. The seminars, titled LCA: Essential for Sustainability, were well attended by over 200 professionals, including planners, engineers, architects and local concrete industry members. Participants’ comments included "value of a full LCA", revealing the timeliness of the subject in the growing green building market as standards and rating systems adopt LCA as a credible methodology. The presentations were organized by the Kentucky Ready-Mixed Concrete Association and included a brief overview of LCAs, how material selection contributes to meeting our carbon constrained future and recent reports from the MIT CSH. Peng also demonstrated the environmental and cost advantages of concrete and the potential for improvements on various building types. For more information on the MIT CSH research activities, click here or contact Tien Peng at 206-913-8535 or tpeng@nrmca.org. The MIT CSH was established in 2009 by the RMC Research & Education Foundation and the Portland Cement Association. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
To read government affairs-related stories that relate to the ready mixed concrete industry for the week of March 5 - 9, 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. The second annual Rally for Roads event will take place Tuesday, March 20, at 11 a.m. on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Rally, co-hosted by NRMCA, is being held to stress the importance of Congress needing to pass a long-term, fully funded surface transportation reauthorization bill. The Rally will feature employees from all facets of the road construction industry, including materials providers, road pavers, highway users, labor organizations, safety groups, and equipment manufacturers and dealers. Members of Congress will also address the crowd of industry workers, with the media covering the event. Co-hosting with NRMCA is: The Rally for Roads will be held on the 15th Street panel between 14th and 15th Street NW, one block east of the Washington Monument between Madison Dr., NW, and Jefferson Dr., SW. NRMCA asks that anyone planning to attend to be on site by 10 a.m. wearing hard hats and your usual work clothes. To register or for more information about the Rally for Roads please visit www.RallyforRoads.com or contact NRMCA’s Kerri Leininger at 240-485-1159 or kleininger@nrmca.org. Congratulations goes to Dr. Colin Lobo, Ph.D., P.E., senior vice president of engineering, NRMCA, for winning the coveted door prize at the CONCRETEPAC Appreciation Low Country Boil Southern Supper & Auction during NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Savannah, GA. As this year’s door prize winner, Dr. Lobo, will have his choice of a 2012 Chevy Camaro convertible or $30,000. Over the course of the week, several events were hosted and over $161,000 was raised benefitting CONCRETEPAC. CONCRETEPAC is the ready mixed concrete industry’s leading political action committee that supports federal candidates running for election who will champion a pro-concrete, pro-business legislative agenda. CONCRETEPAC currently boasts the balance of over $500,000 in reserves. We thank all of our supporters and sponsors of CONCRETEPAC events during the Convention. It was a very successful week for CONCRETEPAC. Thank you. For more information, contact Kerri Leininger at 240-485-1159 or by e-mail at kleininger@nrmca.org. EDUCATION &TRAINING
On Tuesday, May 22, NRMCA will conduct Re-Entrepreneuring, 7 Strategies for Rebuilding Your Ready Mix Business in the New Economy, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The glimpses of hope for an economic recovery offer ready mix producers an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild and reshape their businesses to succeed in the emerging 21st century economy. As the market improves, it won’t be/can’t be business as usual - not only has the competitive landscape changed, but so have customers and their expectations. As producers begin the process of rehiring and rebuilding operations, there is an opportunity to "re-entrepreneur," that is to "start from scratch," by fundamentally reshaping their companies for the new marketplace. Learn How To: Click here for more information, including registration options or contact Jessica Walgenbach at 888-846-7622, ext. 1152. PRODUCTS & SERVICES
NRMCA's March Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, April 3, is the Highway Safety for Ready Mixed Concrete Drivers (Safety Binder). This CD-based PowerPoint presentation and instructor notes are designed to teach mixer drivers the importance of safety in highway work zones. Order online today and receive 20% off. Regular member price is $75, Internet Special $60, plus shipping. Please use Discount Code ISMARCH12 to receive the online discount. CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. |
|