NRMCA e-news

National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

PAVEMENTS

NRMCA, National Account Discuss Parking Lot Options

While in its city conducting a Concrete Parking Lot Boot Camp, NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen and Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge met with one of NRMCA’s National Accounts to discuss parking lot construction and maintenance strategies. The meeting was arranged by Jeff Guy and Matt Wood, both from NRMCA member company Ash Grove Cement. All aspects of concrete parking lots were discussed, with Kresge speaking on conventional, pervious and roller-compacted concrete. Hansen introduced concrete overlays of existing asphalt as a long-term solution to maintenance concerns. While the client has had an affinity toward concrete in the past, the majority of its parking lots are asphalt. It is estimated that it spends as much as $80 million dollars annually on parking lot maintenance. It was not surprising that it was excited to learn that it has a choice when it comes to pavement overlays.

The promotion team left copies of the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots and the Guide for Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements, as well as the complete NRMCA Concrete In Practice (CIP) series of articles. Hansen and Kresge also encouraged the client to use NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP) for both new construction and overlay options.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org or Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org.

NRMCA Helps Massachusetts Strengthen Relations with State DOT Officials

Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association Executive Director Craig Dauphinais recently teamed up with NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Doug O’Neill to help foster a new relationship with MassDOT and other players in the marketplace. For the last 10 years or so, there really was no contact between the state DOT and the concrete industry’s promotion effort in Massachusetts for a variety of reasons, O'Neill said. "As the new executive director, one of Craig’s goals was to make contacts within MassDOT and make some headway at bringing it up to speed on what concrete paving has to offer a state that is almost 100% asphalt." O’Neill stated.

The promotion team had meetings last week with not only MassDOT, where the interest was such that they were invited back to present to a committee on "innovations," but also with Baystate Roads, which is a cooperative effort among the Federal Highway Administration, Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The program provides technology transfer assistance to all communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as it relates to pavements. Up until now, they did not provide any education related to concrete pavements. Now that the lines of communication have been opened, Baystate Roads will be looking to MaCAPA/NRMCA to provide support for its educational offerings which will now include a concrete paving component.

For more information contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.

BUILDINGS

Experts Urge More Stringent Building Standards in Aftermath of Tornado

As populations grow denser throughout the "tornado alley" that stretches from Texas to North Dakota and Colorado to Ohio, many experts say communities should consider designing buildings to withstand twisters just as coastal communities build to survive hurricanes. Concrete has long been recognized for its strength and durability, making it a natural building material to resist natural hazards. As a result, a key component of NRMCA’s strategy to promote concrete buildings is to encourage states to adopt incentives and encourage resilient construction. To that end, NRMCA has authored model legislation that provides insurance subsidies for those who build a home or building to resist loss due to natural events (click here to download the model legislation).

In addition, NRMCA has resources to help members and state affiliates advocate for resilient construction, including developing legislation, talking points, public relations and other key strategies.

Click here to read about efforts to make building standards more stringent in the wake of such a disaster in Texas. To learn more about how NRMCA can assist in state advocacy, please contact John Loyer, senior director of state and local government affairs, at 703-675-7603 or jloyer@nrmca.org.

Builders Asked to "Change Platforms" from Wood Framing

In a recent article in Builder magazine, Sam Rashkin, the chief architect of the Building Technologies Office, laments the lack of innovation in the housing sector when compared to other sectors such as automobiles. With the quality of wood framing deteriorating and exposure to more mold issues as homes become tighter for energy efficiency, Rashkin calls for a change of platforms. This includes "Insulated Concrete Panel (ICP) technology that doesn’t use any wood, is very energy efficient, and results in a highly resilient home."

For many years, NRMCA and its allies such as the Council of ICF Industries (CICFI) have been promoting the benefits of concrete homes. Not only do we have a product that is flexible, strong and energy efficient, but concrete homes can withstand the increasing risks of natural hazards as well.

For more information, contact Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.

ENGINEERING

Report Released on Concrete Pavement Joint Deterioration

The National Concrete Paving Technology Center based at Iowa State University has released Conclusions from the Investigation of Deterioration of Joints in Concrete Pavements, a report that summarizes work conducted under an Iowa-led pooled fund, parallel work funded by FHWA, and other efforts at Purdue University and Michigan Technological University. The report identifies two primary mechanisms driving joint distress: freeze-thaw damage resulting in saturated concrete (scaling) and paste deterioration due to chemical attack originating from the presence of chloride-based deicing chemicals. Strategies to avoid deterioration are suggested and include: using concrete with a low w/cm of 0.40 to 0.42, use of supplementary cementitious materials and cementitious systems with certain chemistry, ensuring drainage, use of penetrating sealers and limiting the use of aggressive salts to situations when necessary for safety.

The report is available here.

OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR

NRMCA Seeks Entries for 2016 Safety Contest, Benchmarking Survey

NRMCA's 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 survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2015. 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 received by e-mail to Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org no later than April 15, 2016. Click here for more information and to download the Benchmarking Survey entry form or contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org.

SUSTAINABILITY

Resilience is Key Topic at 2016 International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Resilience will be highlighted at the 2016 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, scheduled for May 16-18 in suburban Washington, DC. As climate change influences natural forces, designing and constructing resilience structures becomes more important. During the 3-day conference, learn about research for planning and design that strengthens and renews the social and economic fabric of a community. Examples of resilience topics include:

• Gonzalo Barluenga, University of Alcala, Spain - Assessment of Resilience and Sustainability of Cement-Based Facades for Mid-rise Commercial Buildings Exposed to Coastal and Seismic Hazards, Gonzalo Barluenga, Oluwateniola Ladipo, Georg Reichard and Roberto T. Leon

• Leandro Sanchez, University of Ottawa, Canada - Recent Advances on the Use of Sustainable Structural Concrete: A Materials Perspective, Leandro Sanchez, Martin Noël, Gholamreza Fathifazl and Bruno Damineli

• Wil Srubar, University of Colorado Boulder, U.S. - Design of Sustainable and Resilient Concrete Mixtures via Multi-objective Optimization, Wil V. Srubar III and Joseph R. Kasprzyk

2016 ICSC will feature 80 researchers and practitioners from 30 countries who will present the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research, tools and solutions for sustainable concrete manufacturing, design and construction. Other topics include low impact development, life cycle assessment, material science and social responsibility (learn more).

SCC 2016 will feature nearly 120 expert researchers and practitioners from nearly 50 countries presenting on topics ranging from SCC materials and design methodology to production and quality control. Performance measurement, economics and sustainability of SCC, and many case studies involving the use of SCC in iconic structures will also be presented (learn more).

Click here now to register for both conferences for one low price. For more information, contact James Bogdan at JBogdan@nrmca.org or 412-420-4138.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

NRMCA Advocacy News Roundup Updated Through February 26

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 February 22 - 26, 2016, 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 Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org.

CALENDAR

A Look Ahead

*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

March 7, 2016, Chattanooga, TN

Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification Course

Email: dsparkman@tnconcrete.org, 615-360-7393

March 15 - 17, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills