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IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWS LINKS
PROMOTIONS
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
ENGINEERING
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
EDUCATION &TRAINING
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
NEWS LINKS
Gentleman, Valentine’s Day is weeks away and possibly this year the typical flowers and candy might need an upgrade. Herewith, we introduce you to Hungarian designer Katalin Ivanka who recently unveiled a line of concrete handbags at a London fashion show. The world’s most versatile building material indeed. Source: A January 16 posting on AggregateResearch.com. Read more. Now there’s a headline you don’t see every day. But officials in the Asian country of Indonesia have a problem. Commuters climbing atop train roofs. Enter a possible solution: concrete balls hanging from selected spots above the tracks to, well, you get the idea. Source: A January 19 article by United Press International. Read more. PROMOTIONS
The Concrete and Aggregates Association of Louisiana (CAAL) recently held training sessions on the streets and local roads market, reports NRMCA South Central Senior National Resource Director Vance Pool. The CAAL team of Bill Temple, Brandon Hayes and Alison Young got the word out and 25 people attended with about half ready representing ready mixed concrete producers. CAAL has already established alternate bidding in the state which was a huge first step. Pool led training on strategy, tactics and other relevant topics. "It is great to see another state driving forward with grassroots-led SLR promotion. With the great message we have, it is only a question of time until we see benefits from these efforts," he said. If your state is interested in moving forward, contact your NRMCA National Resource Director to see how NRMCA, PCA and ACPA can help. You can also contact Vance Pool at vpool@nrmca.org to help point you in the right direction. What do you do when someone asks "who else has done this"? Are you at a loss for examples? Do you go on a time consuming hunt for projects? Concretepromotion.org has added another link to local projects, this time to a listing of 14 paving projects hosted on the Illinois Ready Mixed Concrete Association Web site. The projects cover a wide range of applications, including full depth paving, pervious concrete, parking lots and concrete overlays. The one-page project sheets are free downloads for your promotion efforts. For more information, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org. ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in November 2011 is 22.7 million cubic yards, 5.7% higher than November 2010. The year-to-date production through November 2011 is estimated at 247.4 million cubic yards, 2.1% higher than during the same period in 2010. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For this preliminary report, USGS indicates it made some estimates to accommodate a lack of reporting of cement shipments in some regions. It will correct these in subsequent reports, which will be reflected in future NRMCA estimates of ready mixed concrete production. NRMCA members can access this information here. Mohamed Mahgoub, PhD, assistant professor and Concrete Industry Management program director in the Department of Engineering Technology, has been appointed chairman of the American Concrete Institute Committee 555, Concrete with Recycled Materials, for a three-year term, which runs through the 2015 ACI Spring Convention. The ACI 555 is a technical committee organized in year 1985. Its mission is to develop and report information on recycled concrete and other recyclable materials in concrete. Mahgoub has been involved with research in recycled concrete properties, jointly with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association joins the industry in noting the death of longtime industry supporter Jim Speakman. Speakman,of Hendersonville, TN, died January 21 at the age of 60. He is survived by his wife, Carol; son, Jimmy D. Speakman Jr; daughter, Alicia (Kevin) White; granchildren, Lane Speakman, Kendall Ryan and Kaden White; and half brother, Franklin Rigsby. Speakman had a lengthy and distinguished career, most recently with the Durafiber Group in Nashville. He willingly lent his expertise to numerous NRMCA committees, including Concrete Promotion, Educational Activities and Vision Strategic Planning. Speakman also was a member of the RMC 2000 committee charged with guiding the industry into the new century and also served as a member of NRMCA's Materials Division Board of Directors. Speakman was involved in the RMC Research & Education Foundation and the Concrete Industry Management Program initially offered at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and since expanded to a number of college campuses across the U.S. Speakman's funeral service was scheduled for earlier today. Friends and colleages may view the guest book here. More information may be obtained by calling the Cole & Garrett Funeral Home at 615-859-5231. ENGINEERING
NRMCA is now accepting responses to its 2012 Quality Survey. This is the second quality survey; the first survey was conducted on 2010. Only by measuring quality it is possible to improve it and this survey provides a means for companies to do so. The survey has a measurement section which can be used to quantify the benefits of improved quality. Several survey questions establish industry benchmarks for frequency of testing, quality control personnel, quality documentation and equipment monitoring. Producers responding to the survey will be able to compare their systems to these industry benchmarks and improve their processes if necessary. The survey is sponsored by the Research Engineering and Standards Committee. Survey participants are asked to respond to a multiple-choice application form on a spreadsheet. The deadline for receiving the completed survey forms is Friday, March 2. Survey participants receive 5 points that count toward the 2012 Quality Award if they participate. Survey responses of individual companies will be kept confidential while summarized survey responses will be shared with all the survey participants. A report of the survey results will be published in NRMCA’s quarterly Concrete InFocus magazine. The survey form can be downloaded from NRMCA's Web site or is available by e-mail from NRMCA’s Shawnita Dickens at sdickens@nrmca.org. A company must be an NRMCA member in good standing to participate. Companies can submit their responses as a company or a division. The University of Toronto is offering a unique and popular course that has been run five times previously and consists of lectures covering chemistry and physics of the following subjects: cement manufacture, phase equilibrium & reactions in cement kilns, supplementary cementing materials, hydration of cements, chemical admixture effects in hydration, microstructure of cement and hydrates, sulfate reactions and attack, alkali-aggregate reactions, chloride and corrosion reactions and mechanisms related to freezing and scaling of concrete. The course is open to both graduate students and cement and concrete industry professionals. The instructors include world-renowned researchers and practitioners in this field. The course is scheduled for May 14-18 at the University of Toronto. The registration deadline Thursday, April 5. For more information, contact Diane McCartney at 416 946-3791 or by e-mail, dpm@civ.utoronto.ca. 
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
To read government affairs-related stories that relate to the ready mixed concrete industry for the week of January 16-20, 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 Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. EDUCATION &TRAINING
NRMCA will host its one-time, annual Concrete Sales Professional (CCSP) Module IV, Professional Sales Skills workshop, March 20-22 in Silver Spring, MD. With another challenging market projected for this year, the content has been revised to fit the current climate. There has never been a better time for mid-level staff involved in the sales process to hone higher level skills as they relate to ready mixed concrete-specific consultative sales practice. Whether your staff must continue to leave no stone unturned or if stimulus package or green building impacts open the markets quickly, your staff will be prepared.
We encourage interested parties to act quickly. This workshop is a required class in the STEPS Sales and Promotion Track. For more information, contact NRMCA’s Shawnita Dickens at sdickens@nrmca.org. PRODUCTS & SERVICES
NRMCA's January Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, January 31, is the Concrete Floors and Moisture book. This book discusses sources of moisture, drying of concrete, methods of measuring moisture, construction practices, specifications and responsibilities for successful floor projects. This edition incorporates a brief discussion of terrazzo issues, additional references on drying times of lightweight concrete, an extended discussion of issues with ASTM F1869 moisture emission testing, and updates to the sources of supplies and standards. Order online today from and receive 50% off. Internet Special $20, plus shipping. Please use Discount Code ISJAN12 to receive the online discount. CALENDAR
January 31-February 1, Portland, OR May 17, Webinar |
January 25, 2012
 
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