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Schwing America, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE:
BUILDINGS
PROMOTIONS
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
ENGINEERING
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
SUSTAINABILITY
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
 
NRMCA’s Developing Industry Leaders program is now accepting nominations through Monday, June 15, for a limited number of middle managers to challenge themselves by thinking about an issue our industry faces. The goal of the DIL project is to broaden participants’ understanding of the ready mixed concrete industry at a more strategic, long-term, level while giving them the opportunity to also work on a team with a diverse group peers from across the country. This peer-centric program, with its accompanying industry mentorship, allows participants to not only make lifelong, career friends but to also gain insight into a specific national challenge.

This program differs from other association programs in that individuals are placed on a team. Each DIL team chooses a separate topic to research and address over the Fall and Winter months. The group first meets at ConcreteWorks, where it is expected to attend various committee meetings so it can gain insight from senior managers from many perspectives. The DILs then return home to continue their work via conference calls, e-mails and Webinars with their team. The DILs reconvene in March at NRMCA's Annual Convention where individual teams formally present their findings during NRMCA’s semi-annual membership meeting. After that, the DILs are invited to become active on a committee of their choice so they can bring expertise with fresh, new insight to the working body.
 
There is no fee for the DIL program, nevertheless, DILs are expected to attend ConcreteWorks in September and the Annual Convention in March.

Click here to download the information letter and application/nomination form. It is short and simple; it is due no later than Monday, June 15. For more information, contact NRMCA’s Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.
 
The Euclid Chemical Company
BUILDINGS
Along with industry allies, NRMCA Vice President of Sustainability Tien Peng will testify on proposals at the International Code Council (ICC) Committee Action hearings in Memphis next week. There will be a catalog of proposals from the wood industry to modify the building code, including amendments to adopt the use of CLT (cross-laminated timber) for tall structures, traditionally built with concrete. NRMCA’s code activities are a part of a sustained effort to defend concrete interests in regulatory and code issues, and engage decision makers, that can then be adopted by state and local jurisdictions. Members interested in supporting the code efforts are encouraged to provide brief testimony developed by NRMCA to oppose the wood proposals.

Click here for more information or contact Tien Peng at 206-913-8535 or tpeng@nrmca.org.
 
PROMOTIONS
With the continued success of NRMCA’s Selling Concrete Parking Lot Boot Camps with individual members across the country, it was decided to produce a different version that would allow state associations to bring a 3-hour focused course on concrete parking lots to their members. As a result, this newly created NRMCA Concrete Parking Lot Workshop is designed to inform Producer members of state associations, along with their contractors, on specific methods for converting parking lots to concrete.

Currently, there are workshops scheduled in Maryland, New York and Tennessee, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O'Neill. Each workshop is geared toward helping ready mixed sales personnel better understand their particular markets while focusing on partnering with contractors and other industry resources. The goal is to help each participant recognize the steps necessary to increase his or her market share of concrete parking lots along with providing the support necessary for success.

For more details on how to schedule a Workshop in your area, contact anyone on the National Resource team or e-mail Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.
 
Representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently attended a Permeable Pavements Workshop which focused on utilizing permeable pavements for stormwater management. NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge participated in the workshop, speaking on "Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete." In his presentation Kresge highlighted significant points of ACI 522.1 Specification for Pervious Concrete Pavement. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of using NRMCA-certified pervious concrete installers and/or craftsmen. He also recommended that pre-placement conferences, utilizing the NRMCA Checklists for Pervious Concrete Contractors and Suppliers, be a mandatory part of the construction process. Lastly, he spotlighted the NRMCA Pervious Concrete Pavement Maintenance and Operations Guide, and encouraged all specifiers to include the Guide on every pervious concrete project.

The workshop was hosted by ODOT’s Office of Local Programs and its Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP). Kresge’s participation was facilitated by Tom Rozsits of the Ohio Concrete Association.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.
 
NRMCA Paving Engineer Amanda Hult, and Vice President, National Resources, Jon Hansen will host a free, one-hour Design Assistance Program (DAP) Webinar on Thursday, April 30, at noon Eastern time. This Webinar will detail the free services provided to the industry through NRMCA's design assistance programs. NRMCA staff will discuss in detail the information provided in the deliverables as well as how to use this information as a part of the promotional effort for parking lots and streets and local roads.

This Webinar is ideal for those involved in the promotion of concrete pavements or looking for assistance in gaining market share in concrete parking lots and streets and local roads. Designers and specifiers looking for information on how to submit for pavement design assistance are also invited to attend.

Click here to register. For more information, contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org.
 
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in February is 17.6 million cubic yards, 2% higher than that in February 2014. The production through February 2015 is estimated at 27 million cubic yards, 7% higher than that during the same period in 2014.

Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. Details are available to NRMCA members on NRMCA's Web site.
 
At its recent convention in Kansas City, MO, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) elected a new president, vice president and four board members. Sharon L. Wood has been elected to serve as president of the Institute for 2015-2016; Khaled Walid Awad has been elected ACI vice president for a two-year term and Michael J. Schneider is now the Institute’s senior vice president, which is also a two-year term. Additionally, four members have been elected to serve on the ACI Board of Direction, each for three-year terms: JoAnn P. Browning, Cesar A. Constantino, Kimberly Kayler and Roberto Stark. 

Ms. Wood is the dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and holds the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering No. 14 at The University of Texas at Austin (UT). Wood has been a member of the faculty at UT since 1996. Khaled Walid Awad is the chairman and founder of ACTS, a leading material and geotechnical consulting firm based in Beirut, Lebanon. New director JoAnn P. Browning was named the dean and David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair of the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Engineering in August 2014. Cesar A. Constantino is director, business development, for Separation Technologies LLC, a Titan America Business. Kimberly Kayler is president and founder of Constructive Communication, Inc. (CCI), Dublin, OH. Roberto Stark is the president of Stark+Ortiz, S.C., a consulting firm based in Mexico City, which provides structural design services for urban and infrastructure projects throughout Mexico.

Source: An ACI press release. For more information, contact contact Julie Webb at 248-848-3148.
 
Lionel Lemay, NRMCA senior vice president, sustainable development, was named a Fellow of ACI at the ACI Spring Convention in Kansas City, MO (see related item under Engineering). Lemay was recognized for his active participation and contributions on ACI committees 130, 301, 332 and 560. Lemay joins NRMCA’s Colin Lobo and Karthik Obla as previously honored ACI Fellows. Also instituted as ACI Fellows were Teck Chua, Vulcan Materials, an active member of NRMCA's RES Committee; Heather Brown, chair of the CIM Program at Middle Tennessee State University; John Cook, with Thomas Concrete; Mike Donovan, recently at Central Concrete Supply, CA; Bev Garnant, executive director of the American Society of Concrete Contractors; Rita Madison, executive director of the Arkansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association; Paul Tennis with the Portland Cement Association and Jim Turici with CEMEX.
 
ENGINEERING
The ACI Spring Convention in Kansas City, MO, was held during the week of April 12. Below is an update of some of activities that involved NRMCA representation.

130 – Sustainability Committee: Lionel Lemay maintains NRMCA representation on ACI 130. The main focus of the committee is to develop a guide to concrete sustainability. The committee can now ballot the entire guide. Several sections, including materials, production and construction, were previously balloted and therefore will not be subject to re-balloting. Lemay will continue to monitor this committee to ensure ready mixed concrete’s interests are maintained and performance specifications and life cycle assessment, including work at MIT are properly described and acknowledged.

132  Responsibilities in Concrete Construction: ACI Committee 132’s document – ACI 132R-14 Guide for Responsibility in Concrete Construction – is available from ACI. It outlines responsibility of various stakeholders, including the owner, licensed design professional, general contractor, design/builder, subcontractor, specialty engineers and subcontractors, concrete material supplier, testing/inspection agency, construction manager and failure analysis consultant. The document discusses associated responsibility with prescriptive and performance specifications. Jeff Coleman will step down as chairman and names have been recommended for the new chairman. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 132.

201 – Durability: The 201.2R Guide to Durable Concrete is being revised. All chapters have been completed; negatives on the chapter on corrosion were resolved. A sentence stating that other national standards consider chloride limits by percent cementitious and not by percent cement has been added.  NRMCA has provided input to this document.  A task group is working on a tech note for recommendations for physical salt attack. Future sessions are planned on the following: 1. Sulfate Attack; 2. Chloride Limits and Thresholds. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 201.  

211 – Mixture Proportioning: The committee has completed several documents in the last year – Proportioning with Ground Limestone and Mineral Fillers; Guide to Troubleshooting Concrete Mixtures and Aggregates Suspension Mixture Proportioning Method. A new electronic document (E-doc) on Aggregate Suspension Mixture Proportioning method has been published. The committee is voting on a document on Mixture Proportioning for Pumpability. A task group working on assessing aggregate gradings issued a ballot and NRMCA provided input to the document based on past research conducted at the NRMCA Research Laboratory. A new task group was created to work on 3-point curves. The main 211 proportioning document is being revised with input from NRMCA. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 211.

214 – Strength Tests: The committee plans to update the report with information on percent within limits concepts that are being used by some DOTs for allocating incentives and penalties. The committee decided to develop tech notes on two topics - strengths of cubes vs cylinders; and use of two 4x8 in. concrete cylinders for acceptance. Karthik Obla is as an associate member.

232 – Fly Ash: The committee will conduct an ACI Webinar on high volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete on Tuesday, June 9. The committee is working on a new document Guide to Specifying Fly Ash for Concrete Performance. The committee has successfully balloted revisions to the ACI 232.2R, Use of fly ash in concrete and the document will now go to TAC. Many sessions are planned in future conventions, including one to honor Tarun Naik in Milwaukee. Karthik Obla has completed his term as chairman of ACI 232 and will be followed by Larry Sutter.

240 – Natural Pozzolans: This new committee on natural pozzolans discussed whether to expand its scope and consider other supplementary cementitious materials like ground glass, rice hull ash etc. which are strictly not natural pozzolans. Several new sources of natural pozzolans are being talked about. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 240.

301 – Specifications for Structural Concrete: ACI Committee 301 devoted considerable meeting time addressing comments on the revised specification from Technical Activities Committee (TAC). The specification was updated to reflect the ACI 318-14 Code requirements and several other improvements have resulted from this review. The committee will complete the resolution through web meetings and plans to have the document available for public comment in July. The ACI public comment period will be a 6-week duration. The committee plans to complete its resolution to public comments at the Fall Convention and publish the document early in 2016. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 301.

318 – Building Code for Structural Concrete: With the release of ACI 318-14 and the establishment of the new committees, there is considerable work at the subcommittee level to work on improvements to the re-organized code. The chapters of interest to concrete producers are Chapter 19 that states requirements for concrete, including the durability provisions, and Chapter 26 that includes provisions that the designer needs to include in construction documents.

ACI 318 Subcommittee A on concrete materials discussed the following:  – clarifying acceptance requirements for strength, remove reference to ACI 301 for proportioning concrete, permitting the calculation of chlorides in lieu of testing to document conformance to chloride limits, and clarifying that water and admixtures do not have limits on chlorides. The subcommittee is also working on code proposals that will include shotcrete in the code, consideration of performance-based alternatives to w/cm ratio, consideration of elastic modulus of high strength concrete, revising the inspection provisions for concrete to be consistent with the International Building Code (with a goal that IBC will reference ACI 318), defining the lambda-factor for design with lightweight concrete based on equilibrium density, and considering different levels of specified strength for air-entrained and non air-entrained concrete based on the required w/cm for durability. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 318 and ACI 318A.

325 – Concrete Pavements: NRMCA’s Brian Killingsworth maintains representation on ACI 325 on concrete pavements. The committee currently has seven documents under development or revision. The report ACI 325.9R Guide for Construction of Concrete Pavements has been completely revised and will be published in the next few months. The committee is also rewriting ACI 325.12R-02 (Reapproved 2014): Guide for Design of Jointed Concrete Pavements for Streets and Local Roads and is being led by Killingsworth. Revisions to this document will be completed this summer and balloted in the fall. The committee is also developing ACI 325.XR Report on Precast Concrete Pavements - State of the Practice which is based upon work completed by Tayabji for SHRP2. The committee is also developing ACI 325.YR Proportioning, Quality Control and Evaluation of Concrete Pavement Strength Relationships. The document is complete and is being prepared for publishing by ACI. A revision is underway of ACI 325.11R Accelerated Techniques for Concrete Paving. Work is nearly complete and will be balloted in the next few months. Work is also underway to update ACI 325.ZR: Design and Construction of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements over the next year. Lastly, ACI 325.13R-06: Concrete Overlays for Pavement Rehabilitation is being reviewed and updated. This work will continue over the next year. Killingsworth will ensure that considerations for streets and local roads will be included in all documents.

327 - Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements: Killingsworth maintains representation on this committee. ACI 327R-14 Report on Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements was recently published by ACI. It is intended for this document to replace ACI 325.10R-95: Report on Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements (Reapproved 2001) at some point in the near future. The committee has also initiated development of an RCC specification for materials and construction to supplement report 327R-14.

329 – Performance Criteria for Ready Mixed Concrete: With the completion of ACI 329R-14, Report on Performance-Based Requirements for Concrete, the committee will focus on developing a "Guide to Writing a Performance-Based Specification." The committee has established several task groups to work on individual chapters. It has also discussed its participation on technical sessions on performance-based specification for the next two ACI conventions. It is also working on a "canned" presentation on performance-based specifications and the content covered in ACI 329R document. Mark Chrzanowski with CH2M Hill has completed his term as chairman of ACI 329. David Tepke with SKA Consulting Engineers, Inc. will serve as chairman for this committee. Colin Lobo (secretary) and Karthik Obla maintains representation on Committee 329.

330 – Parking Lots: The ACI 330 Committee is in the process of completing the ACI 330X "Guide to Design and Construction of Industrial Pavements."  The task group discussed and reviewed committee members’ responses to the Technical Action Committee comments. Amy Miller maintains representation on Committee 330.

ACI 332 – Residential Concrete: Lionel Lemay represents NRMCA on the residential committee. The current focus of the committee is to revise the guide to residential concrete to more closely match the new 2014 residential building code provisions. Lemay, who chairs the subcommittee on materials, production and delivery, revised the section in the guide, balloted and resolved several negatives at this meeting. The guide will be ready to go to TAC by early summer 2015.

365 – Service Life Prediction: This committee is balloting changes to its State of the Art document on Service Life Prediction. NRMCA has provided input. Several sessions are planned at upcoming conventions. Karthik Obla maintains representation on Committee 365.

555 – Recycled Materials: The document "Removal and Reuse of Hardened Concrete" is undergoing revisions and will include discussions on crushed returned concrete aggregates based on research work conducted at the NRMCA Research Laboratory.  The committee continues to organize many technical sessions on the use of recycled materials in concrete at each ACI convention; all of these sessions are very well attended which underscores the importance of this topic. Use of recycled concrete aggregate as unbound base will also be discussed. A survey was presented that showed that out of 40 state highway DOTs, 33 allowed it for that application. AASHTO M319 is a specification for this application. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 555.

560 – Insulating Concrete Forms: The guide to insulating concrete forms is nearly complete and will soon be ready to go to TAC. Lionel Lemay monitors this committee and continues to ballot and protect ready mixed concrete’s interests.

601B - Concrete Quality Technical Manager Certification: ACI has developed a new Concrete Quality Technical Manager (CQTM) certification program.  It is intended that to work as a special inspector at any nuclear facilities construction project, individuals will need to be certified as a CQTM. The program policy has been approved by ACI and this committee will be dissolved and a new committee C 690 will take over this certification.

Technical Sessions
Lionel Lemay presented during two different technical sessions at the convention, both related to resilience. The first was during the ACI Hot Topic Session on Sunday evening titled Resilience: What Role Will Concrete Play in Making our Communities Safer? which described the NRMCA’s Pathways to Resilience initiative (www.nrmca.org/resilience), including codes and standards advancement and legislative activities. The second presentation was during a session on resilient residential construction titled Tornadoes and Storm Shelters: Update on FEMA Design Guides.
 
The NRMCA Concrete Durability Course is scheduled for June 2-4 at the Aloft Nashville West End in Nashville, TN. The course is taught by Michael Thomas, University of New Brunswick, Kevin Folliard, University of Texas at Austin and NRMCA Engineering Staff. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the nature of cement and concrete as they relate to durability of concrete. Topics will cover cracking, alkali aggregate reactions, sulfate attack, corrosion of reinforcing steel, freeze-thaw durability and other aspects. A group exercise will be facilitated to walk attendees through ConcreteWorks' software that can be used to develop concrete mixtures for durability and to evaluate the potential for temperature-related cracking. The course also discusses the durability provisions in the Building Code - ACI 318-11 and how specifications can be structured to address durability.

Comprehensive reference material is provided as course notes; an excellent resource to concrete producers and associated technical personnel. The course concludes with a comprehensive exam on the subject matter covered. Those with the NRMCA Level 3 Certification obtain the NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 4 Certification when passing this exam. However, it is not essential to have attended the NRMCA Technical Short Course to attend the Durability Course. The course provides required learning units toward the technical track of the NRMCA STEPS certification program. Please register early if you wish to attend.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contacts.
 
The CP Road Map E-News is the newsletter of the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map), a national research plan developed and jointly implemented by the concrete pavement stakeholder community. The newsletter contains the following articles:

• The April 2015 MAP Brief, "Concrete Pavement Curling and Warping: Observations and Mitigation," describes the mechanisms thought to be responsible for pavement curling and warping and strategies for mitigation.

News from the Road:
• The International Society for Concrete Pavements (ISCP) has announced the 11th International Conference on Concrete Pavements.
• The FHWA has developed a new reference document that summarizes the vast body of research and practical information that has been developed regarding sustainable pavement practices.
• A recent paper in the ACI Materials Journal presents results from a preliminary study that investigated the potential of using drinking water treatment waste sludge as an internal curing agent for concrete.
• The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development recently investigated the use of polyurethane foam as a way to lift and correct faulted joints.
• Recent research at the University of Illinois developed a back-calculation procedure for bonded concrete overlays of asphalt.

Updates from the States: Nebraska
• Ongoing and completed research in Nebraska is addressing research needs outlined by the CP Road Map.

Click here for links to each of the above stories.
 
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Earlier this month, NRMCA participated in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) subcommittee meeting in San Antonio, TX, to discuss potential revisions to the 2014 B30.27 standard covering safety while working around concrete pumps. In early 2014 ASME finalized and published a new concrete pumping safety standard aimed at increasing safety at job sites and reassigning responsibility/liability for different concrete pumping operations. Of concern to the ready mixed concrete industry are four provisions that erroneously place new responsibilities on concrete mixer truck drivers. These objections to the new standard were addressed at the subcommittee meeting. The specific provisions in question, B30.27-3.1.3.4.2(a) through (d), relate to air and foreign material entering a concrete pump’s hopper, emergency stop control and the rate of concrete being delivered into the hopper. (Click here to obtain a copy of the standard.)    

The revision schedule for the B30.27 standard, unfortunately, is every five years so any potential changes will not be made until 2019 at the earliest. However, to that end NRMCA has been invited to continue to attend the committee meetings and become a member of the subcommittee. NRMCA is committed to establishing and continuing a working relationship with ASME to advance safety around concrete pumps. The next committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for early Fall 2015.

For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.
 
Now Due Thursday, April 30 - 2015 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey Entry Forms: 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 2014. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location. 

Please e-mail entries to Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.orgClick here for more information, including staff contact.

Now Due Thursday, April 30 - 2015 Fleet Benchmarking Survey Entry Forms: The 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 question on mixer drum composition, idle time and types of fuel being used. The Fleet Benchmarking Survey is used to establish industry benchmarking norms and procedures. Information gathered from the annual Fleet Benchmarking Survey is published in a full report in Concrete InFocus magazine each autumn. A shorter Executive Summary of the survey is also made available to all.

Please e-mail entries to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.orgClick here for more information, including staff contact.

Due Friday, July 31 - NRMCA 2015 Environmental Excellence Awards:NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. Any NRMCA member company producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada is eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits; companies may choose to enter plants from any or all the five production volume categories. All entries and photos must be received (via email to gmullings@nrmca.org) by Friday, July 31, 2015.

Please e-mail entries to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.orgClick here for more information, including staff contact.
 
SUSTAINABILITY
Last week, NRMCA Vice President of Sustainability Tien Peng presented the Disaster Resilient Construction Workshop at the Eastern States Building Officials Education Conference in Portsmouth, NH. Approximately 25 building code officials and planners attended the session on resiliency and risk reduction of our infrastructure. The code officials in the New England states are strong supporters of robust structures, having experienced an increase in disaster events including Hurricane Sandy. Peng was invited to speak at the event by Audrey Cline, chairman of the training and education committee for the New Hampshire Building Official Association. Ms. Cline was an organizer of the conference and arranged the education sessions. NRMCA encourages its members to participate in their local professional efforts and offer topics and speakers for education programs. 

Click here for more information on building resilience initiatives or contact Tien Peng at 206-913-8535 or tpeng@nrmca.org.
 
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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 April 13 - 17, 2015, 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 Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org.
 
Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act (H.R. 1732) by a bipartisan vote 36-22. Specifically, HR 1732 directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a new rule and to work closely with states and small businesses to further examine the impacts of EPA’s proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The bill also mandates that a comprehensive economic analysis be conducted to fully study the rules economic impact. An amendment to the bill proposed by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) highlights the state’s authority to manage and operate its own water resources and was passed unanimously by the committee. The WOTUS rule was proposed last year and has been one of the most highly contentious rules from the Obama Administration in recent years. Floor time for the bill has yet to be determined by the full House of Representatives.

NRMCA is concerned about how expansion of federal jurisdiction over marginal waters would place an undue burden on ready mixed concrete operations, aggregate operations and new construction starts.

For more information, contact Jill Landry at jlandry@nrmca.org or 240-485-1156.
 
Last week, Senate Environment and Public Works Ranking Member Barbara Boxer (D-CA) hosted a press conference on the Capitol lawn urging participants of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) to press members of Congress to pass a long-term, fully funded highway bill before the current measure expires on May 31. Also speaking at the press conference was Senate EPW Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) who continued to state his top priority on the committee this year is to pass a fully-funded, multi-year transportation bill. Invited to join Boxer and Inhofe at the press conference were a host of industry representatives, including NRMCA, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Associated General Contractors, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Association Equipment Distributors and AFL-CIO. 

Speaking on behalf of NRMCA was Executive Committee Member and Government Affairs Chairman Robert Sells, president of Titan America, Mid-Atlantic Division. Sells also spoke to the need for a highway bill with full funding for the Highway Trust Fund which is the primary source of funding for federal, state and local highway projects. "Transportation is the lifeblood of our economy, directly corresponding to our standard of living," Sells said. "Infrastructure in our country is in serious need of repairs as major roads are reaching the end of their projected useful life and need to be renewed, repaired or replaced."

The press conference was held during the TCC Fly-In last week; NRMCA is a participating member. This year’s Fly-In had approximately 500 attendees who were in our nation’s capital to make the case to "Fix the Highway Trust Fund." During this time, NRMCA and its member companies in attendance also held separate meetings with members of Congress to discuss the impacts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours’ of Service Rule on the ready mixed concrete industry.

For more information please contact Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org or 240-485-1159.
 
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Pervious Concrete Pavement Maintenance & Operations Guide. Sold in packages of 10, 25 and 250, this 8-page guide is a culmination of the collaborative efforts of the NRMCA's Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee. This is neither a promotional brochure nor a design guide. Rather, it is intended to provide direction for owners and property managers whose sites include pervious concrete as an integral part of their stormwater management. The guide explains the role that proper maintenance plays with regard to pervious concrete's effectiveness and its durability. It then identifies the owner's responsibilities to provide that maintenance. Every pervious concrete contractor should consider providing this guide to each of his or her customers.

Use Discount Code: ISAP15 and Order your packaged set of 10, 25 or 250 online today and receive 20% off the member price:
  • Regular member price for a pkg. of 10 is $10, Internet Special $8, plus shipping.
  • Regular member price for a pkg. of 25 is $25, Internet Special $20, plus shipping.
  • Regular member price for a pkg. of 250 is $250, Internet Special $200, plus shipping.
 
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

April 28, Columbus, OH (Presented by Ohio Concrete)
Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
May 11 - 13, Miami
International Concrete Sustainability Conference
Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101
 
May 13, Webinar
Sales Management 101...
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
May 19, Wheaton, IL
Building Green with Concrete
Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535
 
June 2 - 4, Nashville, TN
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
 
June 2 - 5, San Antonio, TX
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
July 6, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
 
July 13, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
 
July 15, Webinar
Personal Leadership and Coaching
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
July 20, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
 
July 31, Free Webinar
Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
 
August 14, Free Webinar
Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy
Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165
 
September 9, Webinar
Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
September 20 - 22, San Antonio, TX
ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
October 13 - 16, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module I: Concrete 101
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 2 - 6, Silver Spring, MD
Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"
Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168
 
November 4, Webinar
STEPS A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 17 - 19, Silver Spring, MD
Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 18, Webinar
Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 1 - 3, Orlando, FL
Environmental Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
December 1 - 3, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
December 8 - 11, Orlando, FL
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
2016
 
February 23 - 25, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

March 15 - 17, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 

  April 22, 2015
Fritz-Pak Corporation
WAM USA, Inc.
Putzmeister America, Inc.
Xypex Chemical Corp
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc.
True Dispatch
Lehigh Hanson
Naylor Association Solutions
Logo NRMCA
900 Spring Street
Silver Spring, MD, 20910
Phone: 301-587-1400 Toll Free: 888-84 NRMCA (846-7622)
Email: info@nrmca.org

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