NRMCA e-news

The Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn Tech) is finalizing the development of a two-year Associate Degree in Concrete Technology, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge. The program will be conducted through the college’s School of Construction & Design Technologies. According to Penn Tech instructor Frank Reber, this will be only the third program of its kind in the U.S. The course load will focus on the practical aspects of concrete construction, with an emphasis on forming, placing and finishing concrete. Students will also learn estimating, concrete testing and how to prevent/resolve problems related to concrete production, construction and performance. Additional course material, such as basic accounting, will prepare graduates to be able to run their own concrete contracting businesses. The program will begin in the Fall 2017 semester.

To assist in the development of the program, Penn Tech has reached out to the concrete industry to form an advisory board. In addition to Kresge, those chosen to serve on the board include Susan Armstrong, Central Builders Supply; Shawn McCoy, Centre Concrete; Ed Groninger, Admixtures, Inc.; Doug Cassat, Lehigh Cement and Ken Crank, Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association.

NRMCA Notes with sadness the death of  longtime Association member and industry leader Earl Callison. Mr. Callison died December 18 at the age of 84. He was the retired CEO and owner of The Walt Keeler Company and was active in local, state (Kansas) and national concrete-related organizations, including NRMCA where he served on the Executive Committee from 1979 to 1984 and Board chairman for a term beginning in 1983.

An obituary was published by The Wichita Eagle; click here to read more.

The Manufacturers, Products & Services (MPS) Division of NRMCA is accepting nominations/applications for the 2016 Concrete Cares Award which recognizes outstanding contributions in community service by an NRMCA producer member company. With ready mixed concrete plants in almost every community in America, NRMCA member companies are making a real difference. From Earth Day celebrations, to organized volunteering for Boys & Girls Clubs, local schools and recreation departments, to raising awareness for breast cancer screenings, ready mixed producers are at work every day in their communities. The Concrete Cares Award aims to recognize these efforts and shine a national spotlight on the positive impact ready mixed concrete companies have in hometowns across the nation. A donation in the name of the selected honoree will be made to the charity of its choice. The award will be presented at NRMCA’s Annual Convention, March 13-15, 2016 in San Diego, during the Association’s annual awards breakfast.

Ready mixed concrete producers that are members of NRMCA are eligible for nomination. Nominations/applications are grouped into two categories – companies producing fewer than 250,000 cubic yards annually and companies producing greater than 250,000 cubic yards annually.

Click here to view past honorees and submit a nomination/application for consideration. Forward the nomination form and supporting materials to Kathleen Carr-Smith, senior vice president, membership and communications, via e-mail at kcarrsmith@nrmca.org or mail to 900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD, 20910. Nominations/applications must be received by January 29, 2016, for consideration.

The Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Toronto will offer its popular course on Chemistry of Cements and Concrete on June 6, 2016; it is open to industry professionals. This is the 6th offering of this one-week course that covers details of cement manufacture and chemistry of cement and supplementary cementitious materials, hydration, microstructure, chemical mechanisms related to sulfate attack, alkali aggregate reactions, chlorides and corrosion of reinforcing steel, and aspects related to freezing and scaling of concrete. The course is taught by eminent researchers in the cement and concrete field. Applications are due by March 17, 2016.

Last month, the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Labor (DOL) announced a new joint initiative to "address environmental and worker safety violations." On the worker safety side, the joint initiative will cover the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The joint effort is meant to "increase the frequency and effectiveness of criminal prosecutions of worker endangerment violations" with the intended result "to enhance penalties and increase deterrence [of crimes and unsafe behavior]".

In late December, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will consider a narrow issue set regarding the controversial "Waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) rule that was finalized last year. In particular, the rule aims to clarify and expand the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) jurisdiction over U.S. waterways. Specifically, the court noted it will review if "jurisdictional determinations" made by the Corps under the Clean Water Act can be subject to judicial review. The court will be reviewing the case Hawkes Co., Inc. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which involves companies in Minnesota seeking to mine on land they owned, but were denied due to the Corps’ determination that its land constitutes "Waters of the U.S." and thus subject to certain permits (click here to read more on the case).

This is the latest development regarding the WOTUS rule. Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement, back in early October, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit issued a nationwide stay of the rule until pending legal challenges against the rule have been settled (click here to read more on the WOTUS rule).

Late last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it "will lower the random testing rate for controlled substances [for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs)] from the current 50 percent to 25 percent for calendar year 2016. The effective date was January 1, 2016.

In its announcement, FMCSA noted, "The FMCSA Administrator has the discretion to decrease the minimum annual random testing percentage rate based on the reported positive random test rate for the entire motor carrier industry. Based on the controlled substances random test data in FMCSA's Management Information System (MIS) for calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013, the positive rate for controlled substances random testing fell below the 1.0 percent threshold for 3 consecutive calendar years. As a result, the Agency will lower the controlled substances minimum annual percentage rate for random controlled substances testing to 25 percent of the average number of driver positions."

NRMCA has crafted a second annual member survey to gauge regulatory action within the industry in order to determine regulatory trends on specific issues, issue types and in geographic regions. This information, while strictly confidential, will help NRMCA to better tailor its actions to address and/or combat any such issues, and to keep a finger on the pulse of when, where, how and why regulatory agencies are targeting and/or levying enforcement actions against the industry.

The January 2016 issue of Concrete Capitol Connection is now available online. The issue includes an update on passage of the FAST Act and the FY16 omnibus and tax extenders package. Click here to read more.

It's the time of year to show your support for one of NRMCA’s most important programs – CONCRETEPAC. Registration is now open for corporate sponsorship of CONCRETEPAC  events being held during the 2016 NRMCA Annual Convention at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego from April 10-12, 2016. These are CONCRETEPAC's  largest events of the year and we hope you will consider supporting the concrete industry's premier political action committee through corporate sponsorship. This year’s events include a golf tournament and the CONCRETEPAC ‘Back the Pac’ Appreciation Reception & Dinner with live & silent auctions, followed by the most coveted event of the year, a door prize drawing for a 2016 Cadillac ATS Sedan or $30,000.

As you know, supporting  CONCRETEPAC is an excellent way for your company to advertise in front of the industry's top executives. More than 400 of the ready mixed concrete and cement industry's top executives will be in attendance. In addition, registering as a corporate sponsor of CONCRETEPAC helps NRMCA to underwrite the costs associated with hosting fundraisers.  Remember, corporate funds may be used to sponsor CONCRETEPAC  events.

Click here to become a corporate sponsor of CONCRETEPAC. For more information, please contact NRMCA’s Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org.

The deadline to submit entries for NRMCA's 2016 Kids Art Contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. has been extended to January 31. The theme for the contest is "Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Driving Safety". The contest is open to children up to grade 12 who have a relationship to an NRMCA Member.

• All entrants must be related to or sponsored by an NRMCA member.

• Contestants are limited to one entry each.

• Artwork should be 100% produced by the entrant and be original.

• Entries may be in a medium of the artist's choice (oil, water color, pastels, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, crayon, etc.). Entries can be a drawing, collage, painting or other two-dimensional work.

• Entries must incorporate a ready mixed concrete truck in some manner, but should not be limited solely to a picture of a ready mixed concrete truck.

• Entries must be on 11" x 14" flat paper. We encourage artwork to be on good quality bond or drawing paper, or illustration board. Entries should not be framed or matted.

• For contact purposes, please include artist’s name, address, phone number, age and grade, and the name of the NRMCA Member and that relationship to the artist on the back of their artwork.

• Entries must be post marked no later than December 31, 2015.

Entries will be divided into the following grade categories: pre-K - K; 1-3, 4-6 and 7-12. First, second and third place winners will be selected from each grade category. Prizes will be awarded in each grade category ($100 first; $50 second and $25 third place). Entries will be judged only against others in their grade category and based on originality, effort, creativity, composition and interpretation of the theme "Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Driving Safety".  

Winners in each category will be announced at NRMCA’s Annual Convention, March 13-15, 2016, in San Diego. First place entries will be auctioned off at the CONCRETEPAC Auction. Images of the winning entries will be used later in the year to create a 2017 NRMCA calendar; winners and each sponsoring member will receive a free copy of the calendar. Selected entries will also be displayed at NRMCA’s Annual Convention. NRMCA reserves the right to copy and modify any entry for reproduction. Entries will not be returned and may be used for future promotional opportunities.

Entries must be post marked no later than January 31, 2016, and should be mailed or delivered to:

Jill Landry

NRMCA 

900 Spring Street

Silver Spring, MD 20910 

The NRMCA January Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, February 2, is the CIP100 (20 collated sets of Concrete In Practice topics 1 – 43). A longtime industry wide standard, Concrete In Practice is a series of 43 one-page information sheets on important technical topics, written in a non-technical "What, Why and How?" format. Give them to contractors and they'll know that you deliver quality and value and make them a part of your promotion and education program.

Order online today and receive 20% off the regular member price of $230 (Internet Special would be $184, plus shipping). Please use Discount Code ISJAN16.

 

January 13 - 15, Orlando, FL *Sold Out

Dispatcher Training Forum

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

 

January 20-21, Webinar

Building Green with Concrete

Email: Tien Peng or 206-913-8535

 

January 26 - 29, Omaha, NE *Sold Out

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

January 27, Free Webinar

Performance–Based Specifications

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

 

February 8 - 12, Des Moines, IA *Sold Out

Regional Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

February 23 - 25, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

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

 

February 23 - 26, Honolulu

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

February 24, Atlanta

Handling Concrete Specifications

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

 

March 22 - 24, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

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

 

April 5 - 8, Birmingham, AL

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

April 10 - 12, San Diego

NRMCA's Annual Convention

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

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101