Persistence Proves Successful in South Florida Concrete Pour
We often hear our members say "jobs can’t be converted once they are designed with asphalt" as well as "the owner will NEVER pay more for concrete than asphalt." Recently, a team from CEMEX in South Florida proved both of these objections are mere hurdles, reports NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Amy Miller. Ryan Hobbie, CEMEX account manager; Dave Aiken, director business development; and Rafael Jimenez, market development manager, joined forces to pursue a very large project in South Florida.
Miller said that Aiken learned of this job through a very strong relationship with a local general contractor. When he learned the project only incorporated an asphalt design he created a plan with the contractor and colleagues Jimenez and Hobbie to pursue concrete in the pavement. Jimenez met with the engineer of record (EOR) and put together a concrete design for the engineer to review. While the EOR did not use Jimenez’s exact design, Jimenez was able to get the engineer to optimize the new design. Hobbie then helped pull CEMEX customer Cobra Construction, a concrete contractor, into the job. Hobbie also helped pursue the process through to fruition.
Through established relationships and a team effort they were successfully able to convert the project even though concrete was more costly than asphalt (rumored $40k). The owners felt the additional cost was of value based on concrete’s long-term durability. Also, the owner was pursuing LEED accreditation and concrete’s ability to provide a point for heat island, non-roof credit was a bonus, allowing a cost-effective way to receive an additional LEED point.
For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association