NRMCA e-news
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
NEWS LINKS
Well, they're not building any more land onto Manhattan island, so ultra-expensive real estate must look toward the heavens. Thanks to high-strength concrete, residential towers in New York City are not only growing taller but slimmer as well. One challenge in building the ultra-slender towers is making sure its "structure and stiffness" are not sacrificed. The use of high-strength concrete is key to building these towers, according to Silvian Marcus, the director of building structures at WSP Architectural Record magazine. According to Marcus, high-strength concrete (around 14,000 psi) is essential in slender towers. Concrete mixes have improved a great deal in recent years, he says, with additives enhancing workability. Fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, is increasingly used to replace a large portion of Portland cement in these mixes, because it offers strength without the substantial heat normally generated during cement-curing, which can cause cracking.
Source: The April 7 edition of the AGC SmartBrief e-newsletter which contained the article from Architectural Record magazine.
The Portland Cement Association has developed an interactive map of pothole references in social media and news outlets, with an eye toward promoting concrete. Click here to learn more.
Chalk up another plus for concrete's versatility: One of the exhibitors for this year’s show at the Milan Design Week is Hungarian designer concrete firm IVANKA, which will be presenting The Water of Life, a project allowing houses to turn rain into high-quality drinking water by filtering it through a bio concrete system. The new technology makes use of concrete rooftops, surfaces and cisterns developed to collect rain, with a special concrete that is enhanced with a filtering function and pH neutral orientation to create the new water management system.
Source: An April 8 article in infolink, Australia's Architecture, Building, Construction and Design Directory.
PAVEMENTS
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has recently published a revision to ACI 325.12R-02 Guide for Design of Jointed Concrete Pavements for Streets and Local Roads. This guide was originally developed using System International (SI) units as the primary units, which may have hindered its use and adoption by local governments and consulting engineers. The ACI 325 Committee began revising the guide last year to make U.S. Customary the primary units and correct some minor errors in the document. The document is now available for download from the ACI Web site.
Along with pavement design tables, the document contains guidance on concrete paving materials design, jointing and subgrade characterization. Individuals involved in the design of local roads (e.g. residential, collector or arterial streets) are encouraged to utilize this guide to determine appropriate pavement thicknesses, evaluate the need for subbases, determine optimal joint spacing and identify the joint types necessary at various locations in the pavement. For more information about concrete pavement design, contact NRMCA’s Brian Killingsworth at bkillingsworth@nrmca.org or 830-438-2690.
PROMOTIONS
Meeting with design engineers remains an important part of the educational process when advocating for increased concrete specifications in any area, reports NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller. She said that Andrew Lester, product development and promotions manager at NRMCA Producer member MMC Materials, has identified a key engineering firm in the Memphis, TN, area that influences a project within his company’s service area. This firm does work for NRMCA National Accounts such as the supermarket chain Kroger and includes a civil engineering department that influences the decisions related to paving material selection. Lester invited Miller to speak to those civil engineers on designing concrete parking lots by incorporating ACI 330, The Guide to Design and Construction of Concrete Parking Lots. Also discussed was NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP). The group had many basic questions, including many related to overlay design assistance.
"It’s important our industry continues to provide direction to those who are influential in not only deciding on pavement material, but those key factors associated with design that can drive up pricing unnecessarily," Miller said. For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org. Recently, Matt Wood, the supplemental cementitious manager with NRMCA Associate member company Ash Grove Cement Company in Portland, OR, shared a story in the April 12 edition of The Oregonian, highlighting the collision course that the ODOT is in with falling gas taxes, less federal help and big debt payments ahead. It stated that the department’s construction programs totaled about $800 million in 2009, but is projected to fall by 2020 to $300 million or less depending on Federal funding. This is a story that, unfortunately, is shared by an increasing number of states across the U.S., notes NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O'Neill. More states are facing significant deterioration of their asphalt roadways and limited resources to fix their problems. Whether it’s the state DOT or a local municipality, they are facing the same troubles.
So what can ready mix producers and their allies do to get our voices of reason heard? A great place to start is with NRMCA’s SLR Promotion & Advocacy Webinar series, said O'Neill. One of the Webinar topics, "Winning Initial S&LR’s Projects in Counties & Municipalities," covers approaches that have worked to generate initial concrete projects. "I can’t stress enough how important it is for each ready mixed concrete producer to develop a relationship with the local municipalities within their marketplace," he added.
Another step is to reach out to your state association that may already have a S&LR promotion program going. If not, start one, O'Neill said. That’s exactly what a road paving contractor in New York State did several months ago. Frank Surianello with Surianello General Concrete Contracting based in Buffalo is also a former chairman of the ACPA. He decided to call together the industry in New York to meet and develop a plan of action for moving the promotion of S&LR’s forward. The initial meeting brought together representatives of NRMCA, PCA, ACPA, contractors and ready mix producers, O'Neill said. The support from the PCA with its lobbying efforts at the state level along with the resources available from NRMCA with its Design Assistance Program, ACPA and other educational opportunities are helping to move this effort forward. The article from Oregon only reinforces the opportunities that exist for the concrete industry to get our message out to the states and local municipalities that concrete paving can be a solution to their problems. For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org. 
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 17, NRMCA invites you to participate in a new, free Webinar on how to conduct your own local mixer driver championship. This Webinar will outline how to plan for an oversight committee, budget, trucks, insurance, challenge course layout and set up, point system, judges responsibilities, written exam, types of questions, reference material, visual inspection, truck defects, security and fairness, awards and so much more.
Click here to register, for more information and staff contact.
The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey has for years been a safety performance and incentive/award program aimed to foster safe practices at ready mixed concrete plants across the nation. The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2013. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location.
Entries must be submitted via e-mail to NRMCA's Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org by Thursday, May 1. Click here for more information, download the 2014 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey entry form and staff contact. 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. Any NRMCA member company producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada is eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits; companies may choose to enter plants from any or all of the five production volume categories.
All entries and photos must be received via e-mail to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org by Thursday, July 31. Click here for more information, to download the 2014 Environmental Excellence Awards entry form and staff contact. 
SUSTAINABILITY
Friday, April 18, is the early registration deadline and hotel cutoff date for the 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, scheduled for May 12-15 just outside Boston in Cambridge, MA. Over 60 world-renowned speakers from 10 different countries will present during the conference. This year’s conference is being held in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Concrete Sustainability Hub Showcase scheduled for May 15. The conference is co-sponsored by NRMCA, the RMC Research & Education Foundation and the Portland Cement Association. The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Showcase will feature key researchers who will present research on life cycle assessment of building and pavements and on concrete science using poster sessions, plenary presentations and interactive workshops.
Click here to access the complete speaker schedule, more details and registration links for the conference or contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
The second annual Cement & Concrete Day on the Hill, April 29 - 30, brings together representatives from more than a dozen related-industry associations. The goal is to promote the expanded use of cement and concrete in federal infrastructure projects, from highways and bridges to dams and mass transit. The Primary Advocacy Issues for this year’s Day on the Hill include a fully funded, multi- year Highway Bill Reauthorization, with reforms to maximize impact of each dollar spent, promoting a Federal Resilience Tax Credit and enactment of a new Federal Water Resources (WRDA) Bill.
Sponsored and hosted by Portland Cement Association, the event is open to member company executives and staff of concrete and masonry related associations’ member associations. In addition to NRMCA, 2014 sponsors include the American Coal Ash Association, American Concrete Pavement Association, American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Association, Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association, Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, National Concrete Masonry Association, Slag Cement Association and National Precast Concrete Association.
Click here to register. For more information, contact Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org or 240-485-1156. EDUCATION &TRAINING
NRMCA will host a 90-minute personal leadership and coaching Webinar on Wednesday, May 21. The content is designed for every ready mix concrete manager – sales, service, dispatch, admin and executive – any manager who wants to become a more effective leader and coach.
What will be covered:
• The important difference between management and leadership – and why it matters
• When to be a "Manager" and when to be a "Leader" – a critical difference
• The 4 Coaching Strategies – different coaching styles for different employees
• "C4 Leadership" – How to become an effective leader.
Click here for more information, registration links and staff contact. PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Concrete In Practice (CIP) single set package. Order online today and receive 20% off. The regular member price is $30, Internet Special $24, plus shipping. Included in this set is the newest CIP topic and seven revised topics:
• (NEW) CIP 43 – Alkali Aggregate Reactions (AAR) discusses the causes for deleterious expansions due to alkali silica and alkali carbonate reactions in concrete, test methods, and methods of mitigating the problem – in the What? Why? And How? Format.
The following CIP topics have been revised to include more current information:
• (UPDATED) CIP 1 – Dusting Concrete Surfaces
• (UPDATED) CIP 2 – Scaling Concrete Surfaces
• (UPDATED) CIP 4 – Cracking Concrete Surfaces
• (UPDATED) CIP 5 – Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
• (UPDATED) CIP 6 – Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade
• (UPDATED) CIP 26 – Jobsite Addition of Water
• (UPDATED) CIP 27 – Cold Weather Concreting
Click here to order. Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the CIP series. Also, two new topics were also released in the Technology in Practice (TIP) series. The TIP series is intended for education of ready mixed concrete industry personnel while CIPs are typically directed toward users and customers of ready mixed concrete. The two new topics in the TIP series are:
• TIP 11 – Testing Concrete Cores
• TIP 12 – Slump Loss of Concrete
Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the TIP series. CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
April 25, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
May 6, Webinar
Soils 101
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
May 8, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
May 12–15, Boston
International Concrete Sustainability Conference
E-mail: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101
May 21, Webinar
Personal Leadership and Coaching
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
May 29, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
June 3-5, Silver Spring, MD
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
June 5, Free Webinar
Overlays for Streets & Local Roads
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
June 10, Free Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete for Streets & Local Roads
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
June 11-12, Online Course
Designing Pervious Concrete Pavement for Municipal & Commercial Applications
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
June 13, Free Webinar
Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
June 17, Webinar
Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
June 19, Free Webinar
Utilizing MIT Research Results
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
June 23-26, Online Course
Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
June 26, Free Webinar
SLR Concrete Construction & Repair Basics
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
July 7-10, Online Course
Building Green with Concrete
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
July 8, Webinar
Understanding Asphalt
Email: Brian Killingsworth, 830-438-2690
July 11, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
July 15, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
July 29-30, Online Course
Designing Jointed Concrete Pavement for Streets and Parking Areas
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
July 30, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 4-7, Online Course
Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
August 12-15, Silver Spring, MD
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
August 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 19, Webinar
Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs
Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382
August 20, Webinar
Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
August 21, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
September 10, Webinar
Re-Entrepreneuring: 7 Strategies for Rebuilding Your Business in the New Economy
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
September 12, Free Webinar
Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
September 12, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
October 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 7, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
November 18-20, Silver Spring, MD
The Effective RMC Supervisor - Silver Spring, MD
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
November 19, Webinar
Sales Performance Assessments and Review for Ready Mix Sales Managers
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
December 3-5, Phoenix
Environmental Professional Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
December 9-12, Phoenix
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
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