NRMCA e-news

National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

Schwing America, Inc.
Kryton International
Admixtures On The Go!
Fritz-Pak Corporation
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Buildings

Learn how you can help transform the way we build by joining NRMCA for this free Webinar series. Communicate, educate, advocate and convert are the key strategies to increase market share of concrete in the low/mid-rise building market. Since its launch in 2016, the Build With Strength initiative has helped bolster concrete’s position in the low and mid-rise building markets. Join NRMCA to learn how you can engage in the concrete industry’s most comprehensive promotion program ever.

For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at Llemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.

Presented by: CSHub Executive Director, Dr. Jeremy Gregory

Thursday, March 15, at 11 a.m. Eastern time

Life cycle assessment (LCA) seeks to quantify the environmental impacts of infrastructure over a lifetime by identifying and accounting for impacts resulting from each phase of the life cycle. LCA can be used to obtain credits in certification systems like LEED, but traditional LCA methods can be time, resource and data intensive. For complex systems like residential buildings, these demands can lead to delayed assessments with evaluations carried out after important design decisions have already been made, reducing their effectiveness.

CSHub researchers have developed a streamlined approach to LCA that requires significantly less time and data, which can reduce expense as well as uncertainty and allow assessments to be conducted earlier in the building design process when decisions can have the greatest impact. This Webinar will present an overview of the CSHub’s streamlined tool, known as the Building Attribute to Impact Algorithm, and a discussion of recent work on the topic.

Click here for more information and to register.

WAM USA, Inc.
CarbonCure Technologies Inc.
BASF Construction Chemicals
True Dispatch
Government Affairs

Mark your calendars and make plans now to attend the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In, May 15-16, 2018, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. As has been our tradition, NRMCA will likely host a Government Affairs event independently the morning of May 15 with the official TCC program beginning that afternoon. NRMCA will host a DC Days for NRMCA members in conjunction with the TCC Legislative Hill Days. Make your reservations directly with the Grand Hyatt by calling 888-421-1442. Mention TCC Fly-In for the discounted $329 per night room rate. Cut-off date is April 20. Registration information will follow.

In addition to the TCC Fly-In, the 2nd Annual Cement and Concrete Fly-In will be held April 24-25, 2018. For more information on this event, please click here.

CONCRETEPAC congratulates Mr. Bill Sandbrook, NRMCA vice chairman and president & CEO of U.S. Concrete, for winning the coveted door prize at the CONCRETEPAC Bruno Benna ‘BACK-the-PAC’ Appreciation Dinner & Auction during NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Houston. This year’s event raised $136,792, bringing CONCRETEPAC’s political war chest to $480,000. CONCRETEPAC is the ready mixed concrete industry’s leading political action committee that supports federal candidates running for election who will champion a pro-business, pro-ready mixed concrete legislative agenda.

CONCRETEPAC thanks the following sponsors for supporting our NRMCA Annual Convention events: Landmark Sponsor: CalPortland, CEMEX, Concrete Supply Co., The Euclid Chemical Company, LafargeHolcim, Oldcastle, US Concrete, Summit Materials and Thomas Concrete; Statesman Sponsors: Ash Grove Cement Company, Chandler Concrete Co. Inc. and Cemstone; Ambassador Sponsors: Argos, Carew Concrete & Supply Co., Chaney Enterprises, GCP Applied Technologies, Ozinga Ready Mixed Concrete, Port Aggregates, Inc. and Suzio-York Hill. It was a very successful week for CONCRETEPAC. Thank you!

For more information contact Taylor Drzewicki at 240-485-1136 or tdrzewicki@nrmca.org.

Award-Winning McNeilus FLEX Controls™
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc.
FLEX Controls™ are the new nerve center that meets the demands of your job today and seamlessly upgrades for the demands of tomorrow. Recently acknowledged with two awards; “Top 100 Product” and “Most Innovative Product,” the industry has spoken. Whether it’s simple reliability or complex precision, our flexible system lets you add or take away functionality to meet your needs so you can focus on getting the job done right.
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Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc.
Euclid Chemical Company
SEO

Registration for NRMCA’s Spring 2018 Safety Course is still open; please note that this course is close to selling out very soon. It will take place April 10 - 12 in Orlando, FL. This 2.5-day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance. It begins with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, firefighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspection and more.

Click here for location details, registration options and staff contacts.

The 2018 Fleet Benchmarking Survey is filled out by industry fleet managers and/or financial managers early each year, based on data gathered from the previous calendar year’s performance. This year’s form includes new questions on mixer drum composition, idle time and types of fuel being used. The survey is used to establish industry benchmarking norms and procedures. Information gathered is published each autumn in a report in NRMCA's Concrete InFocus magazine. A shorter Executive Summary of the survey is also made available to all.

Entries must be e-mailed to Gary Mullings by Friday, April 20, 2018. Click here for more information on and to download the 2018 Fleet Benchmarking Survey entry form.

The 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 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2017. 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 e-mailed to NRMCA's Karen Bean by Friday, April 27. Click here for staff contact, more information and to download the entry form.

MAPEI
Xypex Chemical Corp
Pavement

NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem, PE, along with Spencer Guthrie, Ph. D., Civil Engineering Professor, Brigham Young University, provided a Webinar for the Illinois Ready Mixed Concrete Association (IRMCA) cement slurry committee, as well as for several engineers from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The committee is working toward creating a specification for IDOT to allow for the use of cement slurry for soil stabilization and full depth reclamation. The presentation was sponsored at the suggestion of Theron Tobolski, assistant executive director, IRMCA. The focus of the presentation was the use of a ready mixed concrete truck to deliver and spread the cement slurry necessary to improve the reclaimed road base material. The Webinar was attended by over 15 engineers, contractors and IRMCA Producer members. NRMCA will continue to work with both IRMCA and IDOT to address quality control issues associated with the slurry approach. This Webinar will be offered to the broader industry later this spring.

For more information, contact Don A. Clem at dclem@nrmca.org.

Almost 40 construction industry personnel attended an extended luncheon meeting in Reno, NV, last week to hear NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen discuss industry standards for collecting, protecting and transporting concrete samples.

“This problem is not unique to Reno,” Hansen said. “Almost everywhere we go we hear from our Producer members suffering from low strength test samples being caused by improper collection, protection and transporting of test cylinders. Our message, prepared by the NRMCA engineering department, is consistent and industry based, referencing the proper procedures to the appropriate industry document, be they ASTM, ACI, etc."

The audience attending included testing firms, the city of Reno engineering department, NRMCA Producer member and area non-members, cement and admixture companies, state association members for both Nevada and California, and concrete contractors.

For more information about this program, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org.

Ryder Fuel Services
Mack Trucks, Inc.
Business Advancement

Now in its 15th year, NRMCA's Developing Industry’s Leaders (DIL) program is a premier career development tool. Participants are given the opportunity to advance their strategic thinking skills and network with peers while being mentored by NRMCA’s senior staff. The DIL agenda differs from other leadership programs in that it exposes 24 selected participants to our industry’s big issues from an all-encompassing, national perspective. Once done with their formal training, DILs are expected to make a long-term commitment to move their team’s initiative forward by joining, and attending, the appropriate NRMCA committee, meeting twice each year. DIL participation on NRMCA’s committees infuses new blood into an industry’s leadership track.

Once selected, DILs work over the summer via conference calls and Webinars. They are then required to attend ConcreteWorks in Washington DC, September 28 - October 1. The group continues to work via conferenced calls over the fall and winter. They will present their findings at the March 5-7, 2019 NRMCA Annual Convention in Tampa, FL. During their second year, DILs attend a two-day June networking and leadership workshop facilitated by an executive coach. Finally, DILs are always invited to attend NRMCA’s semi-annual Board of Directors meetings to watch senior level executives deliberate and make strategic decisions that impact the industry, both short- and long-term.

If your company has a rising star whose career is ready to work on a national level and will be given the time to participate in the required activities, please submit his/her application no later than Friday, June 15.

Click here to access and download the application form. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.

May 22 – 24, Dallas
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

May 23, Bozeman, MT
Handling Concrete Specifications
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

September 29 – October 1, Metro Washington, DC
NRMCA's ConcreteWorks
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

December 11 – 14, Austin, TX
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

Engineering

NRMCA is offering its information-packed, one-day course, Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals, intended for concrete producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs on Wednesday, May 23 in Bozeman, MT, in association with the Montana Contractors Association. The course will discuss the latest changes to the code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301, ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete. This course will address many topics, including answering the following questions:

  • What are the durability exposure classes in ACI 318?
  • What are the changes in the new ACI 318, ACI 301, ASTM C94 that are related to ready mixed concrete?
  • What are some specification revisions that can provide all around benefits in performance and cost?
  • What are the causes for low strength problems and who is responsible?
  • What should be on a concrete test report?
  • How does one improve the quality of acceptance testing?
  • Non-destructive testing, Coring – when and how?
  • How to do a proper mixture submittal?

Course instructors are Luke Snell, P.E., FACI, FASCE, Western Technologies and Karthik Obla, Ph.D., P.E., NRMCA vice president, technical services. Producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs will find the discussions on investigating low strength problems and specifications very helpful to address issues that impact partnering, project cost and schedule. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will earn 8 professional development hours, a certificate of completion and credits toward NRMCA’s STEPS program.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contacts.

Naylor Association Solutions
Calendar

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

March 15, Atlanta
Improving Concrete Quality
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

March 27 – 29, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

March 27 – 30, Louisville, KY Sold Out
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

April 10 – 12, Orlando, FL
NRMCA Safety Course
Email: Meghan Callahan, 240-485-1135

April 18, Silver Spring, MD
Regional ConcreteWorks, Atlantic Region
Email: Tamara Waugh, 240-485-1132

Logo NRMCA
900 Spring Street
Silver Spring, MD, 20910
Phone: 301-587-1400 Toll Free: 888-84 NRMCA (846-7622)
Email: info@nrmca.org