NRMCA e-news

The NRMCA Promotion Committee has recognized Jereme Montgomery of the Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association (NCAA) as its State Affiliate Promoter of the Year. The award Promoter of the Year Award recognizes outstanding concrete promotion contributions by an employee of one of NRMCA’s State Affiliate partner organizations. Mongomery's recent noteworthy accomplishments include:

• Parking lot market share - Starting in 2006, the NCAA started surveying Nebraska’s 10 largest counties to establish concrete market share for new construction. With the exception of the first year, Nebraska’s concrete market share has increased every year and has recorded an astounding 96% in 2012 and 2013.
• Pervious concrete - Few have established a better quality assurance program for producing and placing pervious concrete than Nebraska. Since 2009, Nebraska has established quality control measures to ensure that the hardened "in-place" void content is predictable. If you can predict the in-place void content, you can also predict infiltration, strength and, most importantly, DENSITY. Density is our Destiny, and Nebraska has the data to prove it.

The award will be presented to Montgomery on March 3, 2015 during the NRMCA Annual Convention In Orlando. For more information about the award program itself, contact Glenn Ochsenreiter at glenn@nrmca.org.

NRMCA's Amanda Hult and Amy Miller recently attended the Kentucky Ready-Mixed Concrete Association's (KRMCA) winter meeting in French Link, IN. Hult, director, pavement structures, and Miller, vice president, national resources, presented, "Concrete: The New Black" which encompassed opportunities related to concrete parking lots in the current market and included tools and examples. Hult included information on NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program as  a way to increase opportunities and success. Miller concluded with information on NRMCA’s Concrete Parking Lot Boot Camp, a live, interactive class taught one-on-one with a producer member and the member’s key contractor.

"We always appreciate the opportunity to speak to our industry and particularly when invited by our fantastic partners at KRMCA," Miller said. "The opportunities in the marketplace are abundant and we need everyone to be pursuing them for the betterment of the entire industry. We always hope to inspire others to make an effort and to let them know NRMCA is available to help either through our tools or through our own efforts."

NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge recently met with representatives from Land Development Consultants, Inc. (LDCI) at its Fairfax, VA, office to discuss pervious concrete. Kresge’s presentation focused on designing and specifying pervious concrete, as well as explaining its role in stormwater management. LDCI had expressed an interest in pervious concrete as a means of complying with the new stormwater regulations set forth by the VA Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The meeting was facilitated by Hessam Nabavi, director of industry services for the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association's (VRMCA) Northern VA Concrete Advisory Council.

Land Development Consultants provides civil engineering, land planning and surveying services to land owners, real estate developers, builders, architects, school districts, municipal governments and several federal government agencies in Virginia, Maryland and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

The hotel reservation deadline for the 2015 NRMCA Annual Convention has been extended to Thursday, February 12. The NRMCA room block is limited so please make your reservations soon. To make your hotel reservations, please contact the Orlando World Center Marriott at 407-239-4200 and state that you are with the "NRMCA 2015 Annual Convention" to receive the discounted room rate of $225 per night plus applicable taxes. Optional resort fee of $20 per night covers several amenities; more details can be found in the convention brochure.

Please assist the association in meeting our hotel room requirements by making your reservations now. Hotel contracts require NRMCA to be financially liable for unused sleeping rooms. The sleeping room rate covers the cost of meeting space, upkeep and utilities of the hotel. Staying at the convention hotel also provides you with the benefit of after hours networking and easy accessibility to meetings and sessions. Please help NRMCA avoid these unnecessary penalties and keep registration fees low by booking your sleeping room at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

The Concrete Pavement 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.

• The January 2015 MAP Brief, "Producing Freeze-Thaw Durable Concrete", describes the importance of developing a good air-void system in concrete mixes.

• A recent study by the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center investigated and recommended testing standards for permeability-reducing admixtures.

• In a recent project, the Washington State DOT evaluated the environmental impact of evolving pavement material practices.

• Recent research in Virginia recommended concrete overlays as an effective alternative to HMA overlays for pavements constructed by the Virginia DOT.

• A recent paper in the ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities investigated the long-term performance of concrete pavements with diamond grinding.

• Ongoing and completed research in Iowa is addressing research needs outlined by the CP Road Map.

Click here to access each article listed above.

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), put into law in 1986, requires industries to report on the "storage, use and releases of hazardous chemicals (and materials) to federal, state, and local governments." This specific reporting requirement under EPCRA is commonly referred to as Community Right-to-Know (CRTK) reporting, Tier II reporting and/or Section 311/312 reporting. The reporting deadline is Sunday, March 1.

Click here to learn more about EPCRA, chemical/material thresholds and how to report or contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

More than 10 years ago federal transportation officials revised the Hours of Service (HOS) rules which had been in effect and virtually unchanged since 1939. However, shortly after the rules were adopted, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the new federal drivers' HOS rules; ever since, the rules have been subject to further court actions. Do you know how will these rules affect the ready mixed concrete industry? Is your company in compliance? NRMCA's 2015 Drivers' Hours of Service Regulations Compliance Guide covers the new, mandatory 30-minute break, the July 2013 and December 2014 34-hour restart changes, egregious violations for both company and drivers, and much, much more. The Guide has all the answers to help you and your company be prepared for complying with Hours of Service regulations.

Click here to obtain a copy of the updated guide or contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Starting June 1, all employers will need to have in hand and start using the new Hazard Communication labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). To help ready mixed concrete companies comply with these changes, NRMCA has created the Hazard Communication Standards Guide. This CD-based PowerPoint training guide provides the tools to train employees on OSHA's new Hazard Communication Standard changes and what employers need to know to be in compliance. The training guide includes a CD with PowerPoint trainer notes, attendee slides, sample SDS for ready mixed concrete and OSHA QuickCards highlighting the new Hazard Communication Standard changes. Finally, a quiz and training documentation form are enclosed to help track personnel training.

NRMCA's once-a-year Dispatcher Training Forum will be held February 17-19 in Silver Spring, MD. With the recovery happening, it's time to make sure experienced as well as neophyte schedulers and dispatchers are primed to make the order flow seamless. Since their work pressure is building again, they must be terrific at juggling competing demands at a much faster pace. New dispatchers often perform unevenly while under fire, and even seasoned veterans can find it difficult to step back and change old habits. Put learning to work: attendees return ready to perform more efficiently in core skill areas:

• Putting Orders in Order: Mastering technical, practical and customer-service issues;

• Scheduling Success: Juggling priority customers, advance notices, callbacks, plant managers and sales reps, and a possible cement shortage;

• Technically Speaking: Knowing ASTM-C94 is vital to success;

• People Professionalism: Managing stress, phone skills and peers. Customers aren’t always right yet they must be served for their- and a producer’s benefit; and

• Details, details, details: Dealing with clean-ups, small load charges... the list goes on.

This class is highly interactive so your staff can try out new things in a safe environment then "bring home the bacon" to your company.

NRMCA will host a Plant Manager Certification class March 24-27 in Salt Lake City in partnership with Utah’s ACG branch. With no plans to hold the class again until December 2015, act now. Registration is on a first-come-first served basis. Eight seats are still open – that’s it. This class not only serves producers, but specifically meets the Army Corp of Engineers' contract spec requirement for personnel who must be certified as part of awarded federal contracts. It is also a required class in the NRMCA Operations and Production Track in the STEPS program.

According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90% of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with your 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.

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 January 26 - 30, 2015, please click here.

The NRMCA Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, February 10, are four driver training lessons to help ready mix delivery professionals cope with rough winter weather:

• How About This Weather - This video lesson provides guidelines to survive both cold and warm weather situations. The DVD highlights prevention methods against hypothermia as well as dealing with someone who is experiencing hypothermia on preventing overexposure to heat. Regular member price is $70, Internet Special $50, plus shipping. Use Discount Code: ISJAN15. Order here.

• Too Cold! Can't Start? - The lesson discusses cold weather engine start-up procedures and concerns. Regular member price is $70, Internet Special $50, plus shipping. Use Discount Code: ISJAN15. Order here.

• Cold Weather Concrete - This driver training DVD gives information on adjusting mixes for use in cold weather, provides drivers tips on how to properly deliver concrete in cold weather and offers suggestions that delivery professionals can make to customers with regard to placing concrete in cold weather. Regular member price is $70, Internet Special $50, plus shipping. Use Discount Code: ISJAN15. Order here.

• Pressure's On - Pts. 1 & 2 - In a two-part set, this DVD set  explains the function and safe operation of the 10 main components in a typical water system, and the lesson builds on that functional understanding so the delivery professional can recognize when the system is not working properly. Basic winterizing is detailed in this lesson. Regular member price is $99 and non-member price is $129 (no discount). Order here

February 5, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets & Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

February 9-13, Seattle Sold Out

Regional Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

February 10-13, Centennial, CO (metropolitan Denver)

CCSP Module I: Introduction to Concrete Fundamentals (Concrete 101)

Email: Stacy Ehrlick, (303) 290-0303

 

February 17-19, Silver Spring, MD

Dispatcher Training Forum

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

February 24-26, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: Business Skills Basics for Profit - General Business Knowledge

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

February 25, Atlanta

Improving Concrete Quality

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 1-3, Orlando, FL

NRMCA Annual Convention

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 9, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

March 9-11, Nashville, TN (Presented by Tennessee Concrete Association)

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 11, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

March 13, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

March 16-18, West Palm Beach, FL

Safety Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 18, Free Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 23, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected-Official Advocacy

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

March 24-27, Salt Lake City

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

March 31-April 2, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop - 24 hours

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

April 6, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets & Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

April 6-8, Nashville, TN (Presented by Tennessee Concrete Association)

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 11-13, Miami

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 2-3, Nashville, TN

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

July 13, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

July 20, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

November 2-6, Silver Spring, MD

Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

December 1-3, Orlando, FL

Environmental Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152