NRMCA e-news
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
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.
Click here to download the information letter and application/nomination form. For more information, contact NRMCA’s Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org or 240-485-1164.
PAVEMENTS
NRMCA has joined forces with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to teach a two-day, intensive course on the design and construction of concrete pavements. The next offering of this course will be in Denver on September 11-12. Personnel from state, city and county government, consulting firms and military installations are encouraged to attend. Currently, there are courses scheduled in Cincinnati (November) of this year and one scheduled in Orlando (March) for the first quarter of 2015.
The courses are taught by NRMCA Vice President Pavement Structures Brian Killingsworth and Director of Pavement Structures Amanda Hult. The course covers the design and construction of pavement for parking lots, city streets and higher volume facilities using conventional concrete, overlays, roller compacted concrete and pervious concrete. Attendees receive copies of NRMCA Concrete Pavement Analyst software as well as the NRMCA Rigid Pavement Technical Assistance Guide for Local Jurisdictions. This partnership with ASCE opens avenues to reach designers and decision makers to NRMCA for technology transfer and the introduction of innovative rigid pavement materials for various applications.
See the ASCE continuing education Web site to register for upcoming course or contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org for more information.
PROMOTIONS
Contractors continue to be a key element in improving specifications to position concrete more favorably, reports NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller. More than a year ago Rafael Jimenez, P.E., market development manager of NRMCA Producer member Cemex, submitted documentation to optimize concrete pavement sections for an engineering firm retained by an NRMCA National Account. Initially, the firm was unwilling to fully revise its specifications, resulting in a concrete pavement that was substantially more expensive than it needed to be. The firm cited "standard practice" for its methodology for over-designing concrete pavements. Jimenez continued visiting the firm and delivering the message that properly-designed pavements would bring the greatest value to its clients. Most recently, this engineering firm changed its design recommendations to adhere to ACI 330 R-08 guidelines. The change was precipitated by the the insistence of the National Account's general contractor, after a design review with Jimenez. The engineering firm finally agreed to make those changes only because the contractor requested them.
"When the owner is making concrete pavement decisions based on the advice of its consultants and contractors, it’s critical that our industry properly educates, and facilitate a dialogue among, all parties involved," Jimenez said. "In this case it took a broad consensus, as well as persistent effort from both the NRMCA and CEMEX, before the owner agreed to accept a major deviation in the traditional design and construction of its retail sites."
"This is not uncommon," added Miller. "We’ve seen major changes happen at large National Accounts only when the primary consultants are in agreement. Those consultants often include key contractors with whom the national account has built a long-standing and trusting relationship." For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) is using one of its major employee parking lots as a testing ground for various types of permeable pavement materials, designed to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting local rivers and streams, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge. Funded by the PWD and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the project will help advance strategies under the city’s nationally-renowned Green City, Clean Waters stormwater management plan.
The parking lot consists of sections of cast-in-place pervious concrete in the main entrance areas and main drive aisle, colored/stamped pervious concrete in one parking bay, pre-cast pervious concrete panels in another bay, two types of permeable pavers in two separate parking bays and porous asphalt in the remaining drive lanes – plus a rain garden in the grassed areas – for a total of seven different stormwater management areas. The120 cubic yards of pervious concrete comprise 70% of the total paved area. The cast-in-place concrete portions of the project were placed by Nova Crete, an NRMCA-certified pervious concrete installer from South Amboy, NJ; the concrete was supplied by L&L Redi Mix of Southampton, NJ.
The project was the result of work by Ken Crank, Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association/Pennsylvania Concrete Promotion Council (PACA/PCPC), and Ken Justice, PCA-Northeast. Beginning with meetings and presentations as far back as 2010, Crank and Justice provided assistance with specifications and with locating contractors and ready mix producers to bid the project. Justice also provided design assistance.
For more information, contact Ken Crank at ken@pacaweb.org, Ken Justice at kjustice@cement.org or Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.
NRMCA member Riccelli/Northern Ready Mix, operating in the Syracuse, NY, marketplace, recently decided to start promoting Roller Compacted Concrete. Senior Vice President Sam Chiodo contacted NRMCA Senior Director, National Resource, Doug O’Neill and asked if he would be willing to make a presentation to a local design firm on RCC based on its participation in one of NRMCA’s Webinars hosted by O'Neill's colleague Phil Kresge.
"The team at Riccelli/Northern recognized the need to start telling the construction community about the many other concrete-related alternatives out there. We need more producers with the foresight to bring this information to their customers and partners," O’Neill stated. As a new member of the New York Construction Materials Association, the team at Riccelli/Northern also reached out to Greg Novitzk, vice president at NY Materials, to get involved along with its admixture supplier, Tom Hitchings with NRMCA Associate member BASF. "The concept of Full Loop promotion, where producers partner with their suppliers and the Associations they belong to is on full display in this situation," O’Neill said.
Novitzki will be partnering with them at a local civil engineering expo in the near future and the hope is that after hearing O’Neill’s presentation that this particular design firm will consider RCC as a viable option on future projects. For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org. ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
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, BASF Corporation is the eighth company in the series.
BASF’s Construction Chemicals Division is the worldwide supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. The North American Construction Chemicals Division is comprised of four business lines that offer products and solutions primarily for commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure construction, improving durability, water resistance, energy efficiency, safety and aesthetics. The Admixture Systems business is a leading innovator in advanced products used to improve the placing, pumping, finishing, appearance and performance characteristics of concrete supplied to the ready mix, precast/prestressed, concrete masonry, paving and underground construction markets.
NRMCA has been proud to count BASF as a member since 1941 and for its support of the association through its annual Super Sponsorship. BASF will be located in Booth 300. In honor of long-time NRMCA friend and concrete industry legend Richard Gaynor (1931-2014), NRMCA personnel have formed team "Concrete Cures" to participate in the Washington, DC, "Walk to End Alzheimer's" on Saturday, October 25. Several of our walkers also have family who have suffered or are suffering now from this disease as well. You can learn more about the walk by visiting the team's Web page. From there, you can visit individual walker's pages as well.
If you are in the Washington, DC, area and would be interested in joining team "Concrete Cures" for the walk in October, you (and family members) would be welcome; please contact NRMCA's Nicole Maher at nmaher@nrmca.org for more information. Past NRMCA Board of Directors Chairman Norman J. Fredericks, Jr. died in May 2013. NRMCA was recently informed of his passing by his widow, Marge, whom he was married to for 48 years. They had three children and numerous grandchildren. He was a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Georgetown University. He spent his career working at Koenig Company, a family owned business started in 1870. He was a 50-year member of the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC), where he excelled in handball and squash. Fredericks was an avid golfer, belonging to Bloomfield Hills Country Club and The Yacht & Country Club in Stuart, FL. Fredericks was chairman of the board in 1990.
ENGINEERING
The NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards (RES) Committee has reviewed and revised the following topics in the popular NRMCA Concrete in Practice (CIP) series. Revisions to CIPs are periodically needed to address changes in the standards and other industry guidance documents that impact the content of these two-page information sheets developed primarily for customers of ready mixed concrete companies.
• CIP 7 – Cracks in Residential Basement Walls
• CIP 9 – Low Concrete Cylinder Strength
• CIP 10 – Strength of In-Place Concrete
• CIP 12 – Hot Weather Concreteing
• CIP 15 – Chemical Admixtures for Concrete
• CIP 24 – Synthetic Fibers for Concrete
• CIP 25 – Corrosion of Steel in Concrete
• CIP 30 – Supplementary Cementitious Materials
• CIP 34 – Making Concrete Cylinders in the Field
• CIP 35 – Testing Compressive Strength of Concrete
CIPs are sold in various packages – sets of individual topics for distribution individually; collated sets that can be provided to customers; or collated sets of special compilations. Contact Jacques Jenkins or visit the NRMCA Web site where CIP topics can be viewed and purchased. OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
NRMCA has announced the winners of the 2014 Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards. Entries were reviewed by a panel of judges based on a written narrative covering 11 evaluation criteria and photographs. The Environmental Excellence Awards program is co-sponsored by Concrete Products magazine. The program offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound environmental management practices in their operation. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance requirements and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment.
The program provides awards in five categories based on the plant’s production volume. Eligible plants include NRMCA Producer members located in the U.S., its territories or Canada. "These plants have demonstrated that they are the 'best of the best' when it comes to being good stewards of the environment," said Gary Mullings, NRMCA senior vice president of operations and compliance. "This is another example of the ready mixed concrete industry’s move to environmental excellence" added NRMCA President Robert Garbini. "These winning plants clearly demonstrate the incorporation of environmental management systems into their plant’s operation." The honored plants are as follows:
Category A: Less than 25,000 cubic yards of concrete produced:
Concrete Supply, Co., LLC Salisbury – Salisbury, NC, First Place
Ready Mix USA, LLC Greenville – Greenville, TN, Second Place
CEMEX Orange Park – Jacksonville, FL, Third Place
Category B: Greater than 25,001 but less than 50,000 cubic yards of concrete produced:
Jack B. Parson Companies (Oldcastle Materials), Smithfield – Smithfield, UT, First Place
Dolese Bros. Co.Ada – Ada, OK, Second Place
Evans Construction Co. (Oldcastle Materials), Jackson – Jackson, WY, Third Place
Pete Lien & Sons, Inc. Ready Mix East – Rapid City, SD, Honorable Mention
Category C: Greater than 50,001 but less than 100,000 cubic yards of concrete produced:
Aggregate Industries Beltsville, Greenbelt, MD, First Place
Dolese Bros. Co.Moore – Moore, OK, Second Place
Dolese Bros. Co.Midwest City – Midwest City, OK, Third Place
CEMEX Leesburg – Okahumpka, FL, Honorable Mention
Aggregate IndustriesSloan – Las Vegas, Honorable Mention
CEMEX Temecula – Temecula, CA, Honorable Mention
Category D:Greater than 100,001 but less than 200,000 cubic yards of concrete produced:
Dolese Bros. Co.Edmond – Edmond, OK, First Place
Jack B. Parson Companies (Oldcastle Materials) Spanish Fork – Spanish Fork, UT, Second Place
LafargeVancouver – Vancouver, BC, Third Place Eastern Concrete Materials Inc. (A US Concrete Company) Bogota – Bogota, NJ, Honorable Mention
Dolese Bros. Co.Midtown – Oklahoma City, Honorable Mention
Category E:Greater than 200,000 cubic yards of concrete produced:
Vulcan Materials Co.Mission Valley – San Diego, First Place
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. Quivas – Denver, Second Place
CalPortland Company Seattle – Seattle, Third Place
Plants receiving awards will be honored during the awards luncheon at the NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting in Indianapolis this September. Winning facilities will also be featured in an article in an upcoming edition of Concrete Products magazine and are listed on the NRMCA Web site at www.nrmca.org.
NRMCA recently conducted its annual August Plant Manager Certification class. Congratulations to Cory Wagner, Silvi Concrete, Fairless Hills, PA, who earned the highest exam scores on both exams. 95% of the class passed both exams- it was an exceptional class performance. The next Plant Manager Certification workshop will be December 9-12 in Phoenix. The December class typically sells out; this one is already one-third full.
According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90%+ of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with a producer’s bottom line at stake, it has never been more important for your crew to be at the top of its game when it comes to efficiency and productivity. Whether your operations staff now manages more plants, is new to plant management and batching, or has unplanned down time, the curriculum intensely covers product knowledge, plant safety, environmental regulations, plant operations and ready mixed industry business principles. It’s a must to support your profit margin.
Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.
This year’s NRMCA Safety Course was successfully held August 6-8 in Ontario, CA. The course, which was co-sponsored by CALCIMA, took place at CEMEX’s Ontario Regional Office. This 2.5-day course concentrated on OSHA safety compliance with a ready mixed concrete, industry-specific emphasis. This year, 14 attendees passed the NRMCA Safety Professional Certification Exam, with the "Smartest-Boy-Girl-In-The-Room" honor going to Elaine Ruh of Carew Concrete & Supply Co., Appleton, WI, with a score of 96%.
Course instructors included NRMCA professionals and a group of industry experts, including Tim Kauzlick, CEMEX, Houston; Terry Jones, IMI, Louisville, KY; Terry Tyson, Lehigh Hanson, San Diego and Doug Rexroad, Essroc, Parkersburg, WV. Finally, a huge thanks also goes to CEMEX for providing an active ready mixed concrete plant for the course’s final day field exercise, where course attendees conducted a mock safety audit based on compliance issues covered in the course.
For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.
SUSTAINABILITY
NRMCA has published a new Concrete Sustainability Report titled CSR09: Concrete’s Role in Reducing Urban Heat Islands. Research shows that on warm summer days, the temperature in large cities can be significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas, mainly due to dark colored roofing and pavements that absorb most of the sunlight that falls on them and heating the surrounding air. This increase in air and surface temperatures results in increased energy demand for buildings, increased greenhouse gas emissions, increased air pollution, reduced human health and reduced water quality. Because of concrete’s light color and high reflectivity, using concrete for paved surfaces, along with roofing and cladding for buildings, can help reduce urban heat islands. This conclusion is based on information sourced from 28 scientifically sound research reports and journal publications authored by world renowned experts on the subject.
CSR09 is 8 pages and can be downloaded for free from www.nrmca.org/sustainability (click here to download). For more information, contact NRMCA's Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101. In order to provide continuing education on three key topics - resiliency, transparency and social responsibility - NRMCA has registered two new seminars with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA-CES) and the U.S. Green Building Council Education Provider system (USGBC-EP). The new one hour seminars are:
• Resilience is the New Sustainability - This course presents the impacts of disaster events to our communities, the benefits of hazard mitigation through resilience planning and why sustainability must now consider the effects of extreme weather and other natural hazards. Click here to get a full course description.
• Radical Materials and Resources Reporting Criteria in LEED v4 - This presentation discusses the three MR credits in LEED: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Responsible Sourcing and Material Ingredients, and how the concrete industry is meeting the challenge. Click here to get a full course description.
NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay will present both of these courses in Northern Virginia next month at a special even organized by Hessam Nabavi of the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (click here to register). NRMCA members and state affiliates interested in having these courses presented for architects and engineers in their area or if they would like to deliver these presentations themselves can contact NRMCA's Shawnita Dickens at sdickens@nrmca.org or 240-485-1154. For details about the new seminars, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or Tien Peng at TPeng@nrmca.org.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
A high quality transportation system is vital for the U.S. to remain competitive in today’s global economy. Unfortunately, America’s infrastructure is crumbling and we continue to fall behind. While Congress acted to avert a disaster in July (see above E-NEWS item), the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund remains in doubt and MAP-21 will expire May 15. We can no longer afford to wait. We must act now to make sure our senators and representatives know not only the benefits these programs bring to their states and districts, but also the incredible impact they have on the national economy.
NRMCA, NSSGA and NAPA will join forces to ensure that our message is heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill. Your congressional delegation needs to hear from you about the importance of continued investment in transportation infrastructure to the nation’s economy. Be sure your voice is heard by registering for this important event. Events will begin at noon on Tuesday, September 9, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel with briefings to get you up to date on the latest Hill actions before you lobby with other industry leaders on September 10.
For more information, please contact Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org.
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 18 - 22, 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.
EDUCATION &TRAINING
It is with great pleasure that the Educational Activities Committee announces that the 2014 Innovation in Training Award is presented to Old Castle Materials Group’s, for its "Environmental Education for the Construction Industries."
In a concerted effort to increase learning retention from its annual compliance-driven environmental training, a new delivery process was developed. Rather than fall back on traditional Power Point lectures, the new instruction centers on small groups’ problem solving by sharing issues, concerns, and solutions around specific environmental regulatory challenges and best practices for the ready mixed concrete industry. Post training measurement shows engagement levels increased substantially with the new focus.
The award will be presented at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks awards luncheon, Monday, September 22, at the JW Marriott, in Indianapolis. As the winning entry, "Environmental Education for the Construction Industries" will also be featured in 2015 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus quarterly magazine.
For more information, contact NRMCA's Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.
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. 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. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org.
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.
September 4, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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 15, Webinar from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time
Pathways to Resilience - A Guide to Developing a Community Action Plan
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
September 21-23, Indianapolis
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 6, Webinar from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time
Pathways to Resilience - A Guide to Developing a Community Action Plan
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
October 7, Webinar
Sustainabile Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
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
November 20, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
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
2015
February 17-19, 2015, Silver Spring, MD
Dispatcher Training Forum
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
|
|