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Schwing America, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE:
PROMOTIONS
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
SUSTAINABILITY
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
EDUCATION &TRAINING
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CALENDAR
 
NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. concludes its August submissions with two more histories of Producer and Associate members - see below for their respective Web site links. This week's industry milestone: In 1995, roughly 2.5 million cubic yards of concrete was used to construct Denver International Airport runways, taxiways and aprons.

To have your company featured in this space in the coming weeks, please contact 
NRMCA's Kathleen Carr Smith at kcarrsmith@nrmca.org or 301-587-1400, ext. 1145.

Sequatchie Concrete Service - In 1954, Robert R. Thomas and Sam Hunter formed the Hunter Ready Mix Concrete Company. A batch plant consisting of two aggregate bins and a bucket elevator was erected on a lot adjacent to the railroad. Cement was purchased in bags from the Penn Dixie Cement Company. The only delivery vehicle was one truck with a 3 ½ yard Rex mixer. The company’s first order was 100 yards to Brown Brothers Construction Company for pavement for the Texaco Station at the corner of 4th Street and Cedar Avenue. Read more.

An NRMCA producer member since 2003

FMI Corporation - FMI is a provider of management consulting, investment banking and research to the engineering and construction industry. The company was founded by Dr. Emol A. Fails in 1953 and now has professionals in offices across the U.S. FMI delivers innovative, customized solutions to contractors; construction materials producers, manufacturers and suppliers of building materials and equipment, owners and developers, engineers and architects, utilities and construction industry trade associations. Read more.

An NRMCA Associate Member since 1997
 
GivenHansco, Inc
PROMOTIONS
Wayne Steven, owner of The Wayne Companies in Northwestern Pennsylvania and Southwestern New York recently completed a Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) unbonded overlay for a local Catholic school parking lot (shown below). The roughly 50,000 sq. ft. parking lot was paved with 4 inches of RCC directly on the existing asphalt, which makes it one of the few, if not the only, unbonded overlay projects using RCC in the country, notes NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Doug O'Neill. By utilizing a conventional asphalt paver and hauling the RCC in dump trucks, Wayne was able to encourage the owners that RCC could solve their situation more economically than tearing up the old asphalt and replacing with either new asphalt or conventional concrete.


"Wayne relied heavily on the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots," O'Neill said. The guide was initiated by the NRMCA Promotion Committee and funded by the RMC Research & Education Foundation, along with being produced by the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University's Institute for Transportation.

Despite RCC's low rate of shrinkage cracking, the decision was made to joint the pavement similar to a conventional overlay to reduce the risk of reflective cracking from the old asphalt. The new RCC parking lot came in under the asphalt bid and should provide years of service due to the durability of concrete.

Wayne Steven will be one of the featured speakers at next month’s NRMCA ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo. To learn more about the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots or to get further information on this years’ ConcreteWorks conference, contact Doug O'Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.
 
NRMCA’s Full-Loop promotion efforts are centered around the Design Assistance Program (DAP). As a result, NRMCA's national resource directors continually reach out to Association members, encouraging use of DAP. Most recently, Senior National Resource Director Amy Miller met with Concrete Supply Company sales personnel from South and North Carolina. The discussion included a presentation on how DAP can be used on a local level to engage not only engineers, but also owners and contractors in gaining more concrete pavement projects. Also included was the many facets of concrete pavement that can be addressed through DAP, including streets, roads and parking lots done in traditional concrete, pervious concrete and roller compacted concrete.

If you’d like to hear more about DAP, please contact one of the NRD team members.
 
The NRMCA Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee will meet at the upcoming ConcreteWorks Conference & Expo at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa outside Las Vegas on Sunday, September 22, from 2:30-4 p.m. in the Hills Meeting Room. Topics of discussion will include reviews of the proposed Pervious Maintenance Guidelines and the Guidelines for Specifying Pervious Concrete.

"More and more, we are seeing pervious concrete spec’d on projects," says NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge, "and that is an indication that our promotion efforts have been working. However, many times the specifications are incorrect, self-contradictory and even sometimes unachievable. By developing these guidelines and providing them in conjunction with ACI 522R and 522.1, we can make sure that specifiers have everything they need to develop a good, workable pervious concrete specification."

The subcommittee meeting is open to all NRMCA members and invited guests. For more information or to RSVP, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org. Click here for more information on ConcreteWorks and a copy of the full conference agenda.
 
The last promotion-focused Webinar for August comes up this Friday, August 30. ACI 330 R-08 – The Gold Standard of Concrete Parking Lot Design discusses the basis of the design guide, gives an overview of the sections of the guide and, most importantly, compares and reviews other commonly used design procedures to that of ACI 330 R-08. Please click here to learn more and register online.
 
The Euclid Chemical Company
ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The early bird registration deadline for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting is this Friday, August 30. Register before then to save more than $100 on your registration fees. This year’s event will feature general session speakers Bruce Wilkinson, CSP, a leadership and implementation specialist, who will speak on the importance of making safety a personal value, not just a priority, as well as Kermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects. NRMCA also has a broad range of speakers for its multi-track educational breakout sessions, an expo hall showcasing the latest and greatest technologies, products and services for the concrete industry, and the popular NRMCA’s National Mixer Driver Championship, plus much more.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Due to great demand, the NRMCA room block at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa has sold out. In addition, the hotel is currently showing as completely sold out over a few of the NRMCA days. Since availability of rooms at the hotel fluctuates daily (as guests make and cancel reservations), you may still be able to reserve a room at the Red Rock by clicking here, but note that you will be charged the hotel’s prevailing rates which may be higher than our original group rate. There are also alternate accommodation options nearby; for a list of those hotels, please visit the NRMCA Web site.    

For more information about hotel reservations or NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting, please contact the NRMCA Meetings Department at meetings@nrmca.org or 888-846-7622 ext. 1152.
 
OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a proposed rule, years in the making, to overhaul the current allowable exposure limits for "respirable" crystalline silica. OSHA’s proposed rule is broken into two separate rules, one for general industry and maritime (which the ready mixed concrete industry falls under) and another for the construction industry. In the ready mixed concrete industry, respirable crystalline silica is typically found during chipping concrete from mixer drums or possibly while mixer truck drivers are on an active construction site. OSHA estimates that the ready mixed concrete industry has 43,920 workers currently exposed to respirable crystalline silica, 32,110 of which are exposed to levels above the new proposed permissible exposure limit (PEL).

Although NRMCA is still analyzing the proposed rule, these are the main elements:
• Reducing the PEL from 100 μg/m3, averaged over an 8-hour day, down to just 50 μg/m3, averaged over an 8-hour day;
• Required measuring of silica that workers can be exposed to if it is at or above 25 μg/m3, averaged over an 8-hour day;
• Limiting worker access to areas where the PEL is above 50 μg/m3;
• Required dust controls to reduce worker exposure to limits above the new PEL;
• Employers will be required to provide respirators to workers when dust controls cannot reduce worker exposure to limits above the new PEL;
• Medical exams every three years for workers who are exposed to limits for 30 or more days a year above the new PEL;
• New worker training; and
• New recordkeeping requirements.

OSHA suggests the new proposed standard will save roughly 700 lives and prevent 1,600 new cases of silicosis. OSHA estimates average net benefits of about $2.8 to $4.7 billion annually over the next 60 years, with a cost of about $1,242 for the average workplace. OSHA estimates the new standard to cost companies with fewer than 20 employees about $550.

The proposal has a 90-day comment period, which will be followed by public hearings scheduled to begin in March 2014. Click here to view the proposed rule, factsheets, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and much more.
 
SUSTAINABILITY
NRMCA, along with the Portland Cement Association (PCA), met last week with a representative of President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to discuss synergies between the federal government’s strategies and the concrete industry’s strategies for rebuilding in the face of natural disasters. The task force released a report on August 19 that outlines the rebuilding strategy for communities affected by Hurricane Sandy and is intended to serve as a model for other communities facing greater risks from extreme weather. The report contains 69 policy recommendations that will help homeowners stay in their homes, strengthen small businesses, revitalize local economies and ensure entire communities are better able to withstand and recover from future storms.

During the meeting, NRMCA and PCA outlined their strategies for resilient construction which closely aligns with the federal government’s strategies. NRMCA presented details of legislation it initiated in Congress, H.R. 2241, the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2013, which would provide tax incentives for building owners and homeowners who rebuild using resilient construction methods in the aftermath of federally declared disasters. NRMCA also provided details of a comprehensive strategy outlined in a report it issued earlier this year based on a series of workshops it organized over the span of 10 months, starting in early 2012. The workshops, titled Adopting Disaster Resilient Construction at the Local Level, generated 48 recommendations that called for the reinvention of the way we build our infrastructure, buildings and homes in the face of rising disasters from extreme weather events.

The full Hurricane Sandy report is available here. The NRMCA Workshop report can be downloaded at www.nrmca.org/resilience. Contact Kerri Leininger at KLeininger@nrmca.org or Lionel Lemay, LLemay@nrmca.org.
 
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Last week the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published in the Federal Register NRMCA’s application for an industry-wide exemption from the new Hours of Service 30-minute break provision (FR notice can be viewed here). FMCSA’s Federal Register notice requests comments on the exemption application by Thursday, September 19: It is very important to not only relay to FMCSA the burden the 30-minute break has on the industry, but also to show overwhelming and broad industry support for the exemption. To these points, NRMCA is urging individuals and companies to please submit comments to the Federal Register docket on the exemption application. While original and unique submissions are preferred, NRMCA has drafted template comments for your use (please click here to download).

Once your comments are finalized, they can be submitted electronically, by fax, mail or by hand (each detailed in the Federal Register notice). NRMCA suggests using the electronic delivery method to ensure that all comments are received by FMCSA, at the latest, close-of-business on September 19.

DIRECTIONS FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL: Please visit www.regulations.gov. In the field titled Search, enter FMCSA-2013-0317 and then click Search. Next to the listing titled Hours of Service of Drivers; Exemption Applications: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, click the button titled Comment Now! Then just follow the 3-step process to upload and finalize your comment submittal.

For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach, Gary Mullings or Kerri Leininger.
 
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 the Week of August 19 - 23, 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 recently conducted its annual August Plant Manager Certification class. Congratulations to Keen Flanders, Chaney Enterprises, Gambrills, MD, and Jason Smitko, Watchtower, Wallkill, NY, for tying with the highest exam scores. Eighty-seven percent of attendees were certified with an average test score of 83.5%. It was an exceptional class performance.

The next Plant Manager Certification workshop will be December 10-13 in Orlando. The December class typically sells out; this one is already one-third full. For those who must pass the course to meet the Army Corps of Engineers' contract spec requirement, NRMCA encourages you to plan well ahead because the first 2014 class will not be until late spring.

According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90%+ of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with a producer’s bottom line at stake, it has never been more important for your crew to be at the top of its game when it comes to efficiency and productivity. Whether your operations staff now manages more plants, is new to plant management and batching, or has unplanned down time, the curriculum intensely covers product knowledge, plant safety, environmental regulations, plant operations and ready mixed industry business principles. It’s a must to support your profit margin.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.
 
It's critical: every ready mix employee must understand the essence of the technical and operations aspects of the ready mixed concrete business. NRMCA’s top executive engineering team annually offers its expertise to non QC/QA technicians. From October 1-4 in Silver Spring, MD (metro Washington, DC), people in your administrative office, your sales reps and your entry level operations people will have the opportunity to learn from the concrete industry's leading authorities on what exactly this industry is about day to day.

At this level, your staff will have a full, usable understanding of how to answer questions from customers and work better with your experienced staff, while adding depth to his or her job. Past attendees have ranged from CFOs to new order takers. With today’s continual challenges, can your company afford to have anybody not understand what a ready mixed concrete company does?

Click here for more information, including staff contact and registration links.
 
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
NRMCA's current Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, September 3, is the promotion Flip Book series. A Flip Book presentation is ready-to-go anytime, anywhere and can be done over an informal cup of coffee or during a one-on-one meeting. They are designed to assist in promoting the benefits of concrete to specifiers. These comprehensive 20-page presentations consist of clear, bulleted text and supportive illustrations to be viewed by the specifier, backed by key additional information that only the salesperson can see. Each of the nine Flip Book topics come with a Windows PowerPoint version on CD-ROM for electronic presentations, which also enables the editing and printing of page updates.

Order any of the Flip Books online today receive 25% off. Regular member price is $29, Internet Special $21.75, plus shipping. Discount Code: ISAUG13.
 
CALENDAR
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

August 30, Webinar
ACI 330 R-08 – The Gold Standard of Concrete Parking Lot Design
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
September 10, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
September 10, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
September 12, Webinar
Effectively Communicating Sustainability
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
September 19, Free Webinar
Coal Ash Material Safety—A Health Risk-Based Evaluation of USGS Coal Ash Data from Five US Power Plants
Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101
 
September 22-24, Las Vegas, NV
ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
September 25-26, Cambridge, MA
MIT CSHUB Showcase 2013
Email: Donna Hudson, donnaon@mit.edu
 
September 26, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
October 1, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on October 8)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
October 1-4, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP I: Introduction to Concrete Fundamentals—Concrete 101
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
October 15, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
November 4, Silver Spring, MD
Concrete Technologist Traning & Certification "Short Course"
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 5, Webinar
Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Software
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
November 5, Webinar
The Quantifiable Advantages of Concrete Parking Lots
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
November 7, Webinar
Sustainable Design with Concrete
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
November 8, Webinar
ACI 330 R-08 – The Gold Standard of Concrete Parking Lot Design
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 12-14, Silver Spring, MD
The Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
November 19, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on November 26)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 3, Webinar
Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 3-5, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP II: Customer Business Knowledge
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 4-6, Orlando, FL
Environmental Professional Certification Course
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 10-13, Orlando, FL 
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 
December 23, Webinar
Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete - Part 1 (*Part 2 on December 30)
Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154
 

  August 28, 2013
Fritz-Pak Corporation
Marcotte Systems Ltd.
MPAQ Automation
Putzmeister America, Inc.
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc.
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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