NRMCA e-news
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
PROMOTIONS
In the question of what came first, the chicken or the egg, the same can be said for NRMCA Design Assistance Program (DAP) projects, reports Jon Hansen, vice president of national resources. Do we only do a DAP in a region where there are contractors available to bid and perform the work or do we "lay the egg" out there in the form of a DAP to show there is potential for concrete if we get contractors on board? The popularity of a concrete option for parking lot paving is gaining strong momentum in some regions of the U.S., Hansen said. Owners want to explore the correct design and cost of a concrete option. Producers are fully engaged in the process. These people are finding the help they need in the form of DAP.
"The missing part in the process is having an informed contractor base that knows and understands the work NRMCA is doing to expand the parking lot market," Hansen added. "NRMCA’s Selling Parking Lots Boot Camp is one way of putting producers and contractors together to pursue local projects, but in some regions we are not keeping up with the demand of the DAP’s completed and then following up with contractor quotes." Partnerships with other contractor associations are one way all can work together with more contractors, notes Hansen. Working with equipment manufacturers are another avenue to contractors. It is a mission we all need to embrace for us to expand our parking lot market.
If you would like to learn more about NRMCA’s efforts to partner with contractors, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org.
Thanks to the efforts of NRMCA Producer member CalPortland and its Northwest Division Marketing Director Dave Frentress, the concrete industry was given the opportunity to deliver several presentations to both the structural and civil engineering teams at KPFF, a national design firm with offices in 20 cities across the U.S., reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O’Neill. The team of O’Neill and Frentress presented ACI 330 to 25 civil engineers and sustainable design with concrete to the 52-person structural group at the KPFF Portland, OR, offices. Also in attendance was Diane Warner, P.E., pavement engineer with the PCA’s Northwest Region who was able to add valuable local knowledge, including making the group aware of a recent concrete street project being completed in West Linn, OR, a suburb of Portland. With the help of Frentress and Warner, O’Neill hopes to set up similar meetings at other KPFF locations across the U.S.
For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org. NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller recently spoke at the summer Expo of The Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrrmesores de Puerto Rico (CIAPR) after being invited by the Puerto Rico Concrete Association (PRCA) Executive Director Thomas Kierce, who also serves on the Board of the CIAPR. Miller discussed the sustainable aspects of concrete because the theme of the Expo was focused on designing toward sustainable energy and economics.
"I was glad to see that engineers in Puerto Rico are evaluating the sustainable aspects and economics of building products," Miller said. "Concrete ranks highly in both of these categories. I was also honored to be a part of this well attended convention and look forward to the working with this fantastic group of professionals." For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org. The Kentucky Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (KRMCA) has developed a concrete tagline focusing on concrete’s longevity and it is hoping it catches on with the rest of the industry, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge. "CONCRETE LASTS A LIFETIME" is a new promotional/educational effort for branding concrete as a resilient and durable product. "We are more than happy to share the tagline artwork with the industry," says KRMCA Executive Director Finley Messick. "Our hope is that, with a unified message from the concrete industry, people will begin to realize that concrete does indeed last a really long time."
To date, the tagline has been used on nearly 2,000 bumper stickers, chip clips and golf shirts. KRMCA has received orders from several member companies for approximately 2,200 promotional tee shirts.
 "These t-shirts are a walking billboard," says Messick. He adds that a typical promotional t-shirt lasts about 5 years. Additionally, KRMCA has created a social media hashtag to accompany the initiative- #concretelastsalifetime. The tagline is also featured in the monthly message that KRMCA runs in The Lane Report business magazine (previously reported in the June 18 edition of NRMCA E-NEWS).Messick is pleased to report that several states have already contacted KRMCA about the use of the artwork and tagline and he encourages others to consider doing so. For more information, contact Finley Messick at finley@krmca.org or Brett Ruffing at brett@krmca.org.
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in June 2014 is 31 million cubic yards, 10% higher than June 2013. The estimated production through June 2014 is 145 million cubic yards, 7% higher than during the same period in 2013. Production in 35 states was higher than that in 2013.
Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. Additional information, including production by state in the second quarter of 2014, is available for NRMCA members here.
The Spouse/Guest Brochure with detailed information and descriptions about the activities taking place at the 2014 NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting is now available online. Activities include a school supply drive benefiting the Indianapolis local school system, a hands on glass blowing class at the Indianapolis Arts Center, and a Coffee and Canvas hands on painting class in the hospitality suite (no experience necessary). We’ll round off the conference with a FREE trip to the Indianapolis Zoo!
Also, for our equipment manufacturers, service and materials providers, don’t miss your chance to be among the best in this year’s expo hall. The expo hall serves as the central meeting grounds at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & BOD Meeting and it is filling up fast so don’t wait to reserve your space at this year’s event. Exhibit space is sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please click here to access NRMCA's Web site that includes links for the full Spouse/Guest Brochure, Exhibitor Application Form and full ConcreteWorks program schedule and description of events or contact the Meetings department at meetings@nrmca.org or jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. This week, NRMCA continues to highlight one of the companies that has chosen to exhibit at this fall's annual ConcreteWorks conference in Indianapolis. The conference is one of the industry's best opportunities for ready mix producers to interact with companies that provide goods and services to the concrete industry. But you must hurry, exhibit space is going quickly. This week, Stephens Manufacturing is the seventh company in the series.
Manufacturer of batch plants and components, bins and silos (concrete), cold bin feeders and conveyors, conveyors (belts), hoppers (concrete), plants (multipurpose concrete), reclaimer/recycle systems (concrete). Since 1957 Stephens has manufactured ready mixed batching equipment, including portable and stationary plants, dust collecting equipment, ready mix reclaimers and custom plants for precast and product plants. A member since 1975, Stephens Manufacturing will be located in 110.
NRMCA is proud to recognize the Association’s newest members that have joined after January 2014. The addendum also highlights member updates since the original directory’s publication. The Addendum is now available to view from NRMCA’s Web site.
ENGINEERING
The CP Road Map E-News is the newsletter of the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map), a national research plan developed and jointly implemented by the concrete pavement stakeholder community.
Moving Advancements into Practice (MAP) Brief - The August 2014 MAP brief summarizes what is known about deicer-related distress on concrete pavements and discusses how to make concrete pavements better able to resist the effects of winter maintenance activities. News from the Road: • The Minnesota DOT's cold weather pavement research facility, MnROAD, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and is looking toward the future.
• In a recent project, the Kansas DOT evaluated the benefits of internal curing for concrete pavements.
• Recent research by the New York State DOT and Ohio DOT found that environmental factors impact loss of support and load transfer efficiency for concrete pavements.
• A recent report from the Transportation Association of Canada evaluated the long-term performance of an unbonded concrete overlay.
Updates from the States: FHWA • Ongoing and completed research at the Federal Highway Administration is addressing research needs outlined by the CP Road Map.
Each of the above stories can accessed here. NRMCA's Engineering Department will teach its annual introduction to concrete fundamentals for those who need a broad overview of technical and operations essentials. The curriculum is appropriate for sales reps, dispatchers, administrative/home office and mid-level staff as well as those in an executive function whose jobs do not relate to concrete per se, but who should have knowledge of the industry. This class is NOT appropriate for technical ready mixed concrete personnel.
The workshop will be held October 7-9 at the RMC Research & Education Foundation Center in Silver Spring, MD. The attendees’ exam will be the morning of October 10. For those working toward their NRMCA STEPS® CCPf certification in Sales and Marketing Track, this is a required class. For others working toward CCPf certification in other STEPS tracks, the class is the qualifying prerequisite or an elective.
Click here for more information, including registration options and staff contact. OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Various articles relating to operations, environmental and safety issues have been published and posted online over the past few weeks. Please click here to access the various links from NRMCA's Web site.
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 August 11 - 15, 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 Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The NRMCA August Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, September 2, is the Concrete In Practice (CIP) Bundle – CIP100. This bundle package contains 20 sets, of each CIP 1-43. Concrete in Practice Sheets are short one-page discussions on various concrete topics. Written in a "What? Why? and How?" scheme, they are intended to provide information in a non-technical format. The CIP topics are researched and written by members of NRMCA's Research Engineering and Standards Committee.
Order online today and receive 20% off. Regular member price for this package is $230, Internet Special is $184, plus shipping. Use Discount Code AUG14.
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
August 21, Free Webinar Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
August 26, Kansas City, MO
Regional ConcreteWorks South Central Region
Email: Nicole Maher, 1-888-846-7622, ext. 1158
September 8-10, Orlando, FL
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 9, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete Part 1 (Part 2 is September 16)
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 12, Free Webinar
Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
September 12, Webinar
Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!
Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850
September 21-23, Indianapolis, IN
NRMCA's ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 30, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
September 30, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
October 7-10, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
October 15, Silver Spring, MD
Improving Concrete Quality
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
October 22, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
November 3-7, Silver Spring, MD
Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
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 2-5, Austin, TX
CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge
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
December 16-18, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge - Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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