Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge recently met with representatives from Prince William County, VA, to discuss incorporating pervious concrete in the designs for their proposed Central District Police Station project. Attendees included engineers and project managers from the county's Facilities and Construction Management Division, as well as representatives from the Prince William County Department of Transportation and Police Department. Also present were individuals from Moseley Architects and Rinker Design Associates, who are working together as the design team for the county on this project. The meeting was facilitated by Hessam Nabavi, director of industry services for the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (VRMCA).

Kresge explained pervious concrete’s role in stormwater management and how it can help the county in complying with Virginia’s new stormwater regulations. He also provided guidance for designing and specifying the pervious concrete system. Additionally, he highlighted NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP) and encouraged the county to utilize the service on this, and other upcoming projects.

The county appears to be very interested in pervious concrete for this project, Kresge said. Within 24 hours of the meeting, Nabavi received, and forwarded to NRMCA Director of Pavement Structures Amanda Hult, the geotechnical report and site plan for the project for DAP review and recommendations. Hult’s final report will include design recommendations for the pervious concrete system, as well as possible recommendations for utilizing conventional concrete pavement in certain areas of the site.

NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O’Neill reports that efforts to communicate the advantages of offering a competitively designed and bid concrete alternate has lead to several key players working together for the same goal. The opportunity was uncovered by Jim Langlois, executive director of the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council who said that a local design firm that has worked on several National Account projects was interested in learning more about pervious concrete and conventional paving. Langlois had planned to share with his contacts a copy of NRMCA’s CPA software in an effort to help the firm better understand concrete alternates and their costs. O’Neill suggested teaming up with a producer and one of its contractors which would allow real world numbers to be plugged into CPA.

O’Neill and Craig Dauphinais, division manager at NRMCA member Construction Services, Inc., then met with one of its larger contractor and explained the concept of partnering with industry promoters to increase opportunities to flip parking lots. "When a contractor recognizes that the industry is behind helping them build their business, good things happen", O’Neill said. After meeting with the contractor and getting a feel for some real world numbers, O’Neill and Langlois were able to approach the design team and offer a much more accurate CPA report.

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

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in July 2014 is 33 million cubic yards, 11.4% higher than that in July 2013. The estimated production through July 2014 is 178 million cubic yards, 7.7% higher than during the same period in 2013.

This week, NRMCA continues to highlight a company 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, there's less than two weeks to register. This week, Sika Corporation is the tenth company in the series.

Want to exhibit at the Show? Space is selling quickly, so please click here for more information or contact Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

In honor of long-time NRMCA friend and concrete industry legend Richard Gaynor (1931-2014), NRMCA personnel have formed team "Concrete Cures" to raise money and 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 and support our efforts by visiting the team's Web page. From there, you can visit individual walkers' pages as well.

Please join us the morning of Tuesday, September 23, for the 3rd Annual Walk for Wellness to support the RMC Research & Education Foundation. The Walk will again take place in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks Conference and Fall Board of Directors’ Meeting, this year in Indianapolis. Please join us in spreading awareness of how wellness is an important element of daily life, including at the workplace. Your participation is a tremendous opportunity to also support this initiative and the Foundation at the same time. Registration will be $25 per walker and will be complimentary for drivers participating in the 9th Annual Truck Mixer Driver Championship.

Sponsorships for the event are also available and are a great opportunity to support the event, the Foundation and advertise your company all at the same time. The sponsorship form is available here; one half of the cost of each sponsorship is tax deductible as a contribution to the Foundation. Thank you to BASF Corp. for its pre-walk coffee sponsorship and Concrete Supply Co. for its general sponsorship of the walk.

NRMCA has announced the winners of its 2014 NRMCA Excellence in Quality Awards. Winning producers have demonstrated that they followed and exceeded quality management principles over a broad range of activities from commitment to quality, materials management, managing production facilities, product quality control and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. The winners below will be honored on September 22 during the awards luncheon at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks and Board of Directors’ Meeting in Indianapolis.

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 4

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 5

CalPortland Arizona Division

CEMEX Florida Region

CEMEX Northern California Region

Cemstone Products Company, Inc.

GCC of America Ready Mix & Aggregate

Irving Materials Inc., imi North Region

USC Atlantic, An US Concrete Company, Eastern Concrete Materials & Superior Concrete Divisions

Vulcan Materials Company, NOVA/DC Ready Mix East Region

Aggregate Industries Northeast Region

Anderson Concrete Corp.

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 1

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 2

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 3

CalPortland Nevada Region

CalPortland Oregon Division

Chandler Concrete Co., Inc.

Chaney Enterprises

Concrete Supply Co., Charlotte Division

Irving Materials Inc., imi South Louisville Group 

Irving Materials Inc., imi Southwest Region

Irving Materials Inc., imi Tennessee Region 

Preferred Materials, Inc., Oldcastle Southern Group

S&W Ready Mix Concrete Company

Titan Concrete LLC Florida Business Unit

Titan Virginia Ready-Mix LLC Northern Region

Titan America/Titan Virginia Ready Mix, Southern Region (TVRM SOVA) 

Category C (annual production less than 250,000 cubic yards):

ARGOS USA RMX - Area 6

Dolese Bros. Company, Oklahoma Metro Division

Dolese Bros. Company, Tulsa Division

Powhatan Ready Mix, Titan America 

The criteria for this award were established by NRMCA’s Research Engineering and Standards Committee to recognize the commitment to quality of NRMCA member companies. Companies applied either as a single entity or a division within a company and responded to a multiple-choice type application form that generated their scores; a minimum score of 75% with supporting validation qualified a company to receive an award.

For more information, contact Karthik Obla at 301-587-1400, ext. 1163 or kobla@nrmca.org.

Mitigating the industry’s #1 safety challenge no longer needs to be balanced by report times and delivery schedules. NRMCA’s online safety learning site is accessible from any computer, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Tools include a web-based management system that automatically tracks individuals’ proof of training. The video lessons were shot at ready mixed concrete producers’ plants and at onsite pours so employees can quickly link the safety concepts to their job execution. Viewing access is purchased in small units of 10 participants for a 30-day streaming period.

Both lessons are appropriate for both front and rear discharge mixer drivers. Watch a preview clip about the two backing lessons. NRMCA’s next pair of online safety lessons address lockout/tagout/tryout, the third most cited OSHA violation. Release is September 15. The development of this online safety series was funded by the RMC Research & Education Foundation.

NRMCA will conduct The Effective RMC Supervisor November 18-20 in Silver Spring, MD. Class audience is driver supervisors, operations, fleet and QC supervisors. Content includes hands-on exercises to develop solid procedures and communication skills to deal with front line employees. The class goal is to increase daily operations efficiency and reduce front line employment liabilities. The certification program fulfills a requirement for NRMCA's Operations and Production Track in the STEPS© program. Development of this workshop was funded by the RMC Research & Education Foundation.

 

At this year’s NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks being held later this month in Indianapolis, there will be a host of different education seminars on ready mixed concrete environmental issues. The scheduled sessions pertaining to industry environmental issues include:

• Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF): Environmental and Operational Best Management Practices presented by Brendon Foster, Benecor

• Plant Efficiency Benchmarking and Baselines: When, Where, How, Why presented by Greg Elliott, MCT Group, Inc.

• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): One of the First in the Industry Tells You How presented by Godwin Amekuedi, Argos

• Clean Water Act Expansion: EPA’s "Waters of the U.S." Power Grab presented by Elizabeth Fox, NRMCA

• New Products Speedway: One Hour Long, Five Minutes Each presented by various ConcreteWorks exhibitors

NRMCA's free Green-Star Auditor Webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, from 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern time. This is a required Webinar to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor. This Webinar explains the educational and work experience needed to be an Accredited Green-Star Auditor and along with the continuing educational requirements to keep the certification. The Accredited Green-Star Auditor certification is valid for three years at which time the auditor must reapply. A few handy templates are covered to assist the company in starting Green-Star. At the conclusion of the Webinar the attendee will understand the requirements to be an accredited Green-Star Auditor and the expectations that accompany certification. This course earns 1 credit hour toward a CCPf certification.

 

Argos Ready Mix has certified an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for 342 products it manufactures at its plants in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. This is the fourth EPD Argos has published, making it one of the leaders in this area. Developing and certifying an EPD requires a rigorous process of conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) of plant operations and product formulation followed by an extensive review by independent LCA professionals using a standard called a Product Category Rule (PCR). Argos chose the NRMCA EPD Program to certify its EPD. It followed the Product Category Rule for Concrete developed by the Carbon Leadership Forum and relevant international standards. PRé Consultants conducted the LCA and developed the EPD for Argos. Athena Sustainable Materials Institute verified the EPD. As is required by the standards, the EPD is published on NRMCA’s Web site. 

The concrete industry leads the way with the number of products with EPDs with nearly 2,000 products certified. For more information about EPDs and the NRMCA EPD program, visit http://www.nrmca.org/sustainability/EPDProgram/ or contact Lionel Lemay of NRMCA at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

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 September 1 - 5, please click here.

The NRMCA September Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, September 30, are the NRMCA promotion brochures. NRMCA promotion brochures help you support your business by promoting specific concrete applications and benefits. Designed to inform specifiers, engineers, architects, contractors and their clients, each features four, 8.5"x11" pages of important information, supported by detailed charts and attractive photos. There is also room on the back for a label with your contact information. Make them part of your promotion efforts.

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

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

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 17, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

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 5, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

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 5, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

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

 

 

January 15, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

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

 

January 16, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

February 17-19, 2015, 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

 

March 18, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

March 31-April 2, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop - 24 hours

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