NRMCA e-news
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
NEWS LINKS
A January 5 article posted by the Daily Commercial News and Construction Record discusses the findings of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario (RMCAO). In a presentation at the recent Construct Canada conference, Mick Prieur, senior pavement engineer with RMCAO, pointed to an Applied Research Associates Inc. (ARA) study, entitled Methodology for the Development of Equivalent Pavement Structural Design Matrix for Municipal Roadways, which said concrete can handle heavier loads in its life cycle. Click on the following link - http://dcnonl.com/article/id48193/--concrete-vs-asphalt-on-roads-who-wins - to read more. The Obama administration's effort to make government buildings more eco-friendly is drawing fire from Congress. The recently passed 2012 Defense Authorization Act bars the Defense Department from certifying new buildings as meeting LEED Gold or Platinum status. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold and Platinum are the two highest ratings given by the U.S. Green Building Council to recognize environmentally sustainable construction. The Defense Department and other agencies typically strive to attain LEED status for all new facilities as part of the administration's green government initiative. Source: A January 7 article in the Federal Times: http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20120107/FACILITIES02/201070302/ A recent article in the magazine Foreign Affairs suggests that what the world needs now is a little more concrete. What's the connection between reducing the effects of hookworm in Kenyan children and some ready mixed concrete? Click on the following link - http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/03/paving_paradise - to learn more. PROMOTIONS
Many months ago, NRMCA received a note from Sean Van Delist, formerly of the Cement Council of Texas, letting us know about a Tanger Outlet being built in Houston. Follow up confirmed it would be designed with concrete, reports NRMCA South Central Senior National Resource Director Vance Pool. He said that the concrete parking has been placed and the tilt walls are now being erected. "This is the most cost effective way to build retail," Pool said. "Concrete parking costs about half as much as asphalt to own. Tilt up construction is very fast and the economic benefits are understood in many markets." But it is not enough just to have a specification for concrete, Pool stressed. Work done by NRMCA producer member Cemex in partnership with the concrete subcontractor led to these cubic yards going down. Local involvement is key to closing the deal. Tanger Outlets operate strip centers throughout the U.S. For more information, contact Vance Pool at vpool@nrmca.org. Las Vegas’ two newest fire stations are using insulating concrete forms (ICFs) to ensure safe, quiet and, most importantly, energy efficient quarters for the firefighters. According to reports, the bulk environmental footprint of a fire station is the energy consumed to heat and cool the structure. The ICF walls will reduce heating and cooling loads by 46 percent every month for the lifetime of the building and provide a fire resistance rating of two to four hours. In addition, the architects specified ICF walls to take advantage of their noise reduction attributes. This will allow the firefighters to have a quiet, peaceful area to retreat to, regardless of the time of day. Construction on the projects started summer 2011 and is expected to be completed spring 2012. Source: Portland Cement Association's Executive Report e-newsletter for January 9, 2012. The January 10 Webinar titled Effectively Communicating Sustainability was canceled due to technical difficulties and has been rescheduled for Friday, January 13, at 11 a.m. and Monday, January 16, at 11 am. Click on the following link for more information and/or to register: ASSOCIATION & INDUSTRY NEWS
The beginning of this New Year marked a new delivery method for NRMCA's E-NEWS. Please open the following file to learn more about Safe Sender guidelines for this document. If you have any questions, comments or problems with the delivery of E-NEWS, please e-mail Frank Cavaliere at fcavaliere@nrmca.org. OPERATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & HR
Operations and HR Management relevant news can now be found at the very bottom of the OES Home Page, under the heading HR News. Please click to read it at: http://www.nrmca.org/operations/default.htm#hr_news. The first, and very important announcement, relates that the new federal regulation by the National Labor Relations Board requiring ALL private sector employers to post an 11"x17" announcement that relates to the employees’ rights to unionize has been delayed until April 30, 2012. Further information can be found at www.nlrb.gov. There are five other labor-related stories with links to the appropriate news service for the complete article. They all impact operations and human resource management. Please take the time to visit this update. If you would like to receive a weekly roundup of Capitol Hill news that impacts ready mixed concrete producers, please e-mail NRMCA's Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. The NRMCA Fleet Benchmarking and Costs Survey was established to provide concrete producers with information to evaluate and benchmark ready mixed concrete fleet maintenance and utilization. The survey was developed and responses analyzed by the NRMCA Operations, Environmental and Safety (OES) Committee. The form can be downloaded from the NRMCA Web site. The deadline for returning the survey is Monday, April 1. For more information, contact NRMCA's Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org. NRMCA will conduct its annual Mentor Driver® program January 31 - February 1 in Portland, OR. The Mentor Driver® program teaches your premier mixer driver how to conduct a peer-to-peer, pre-shift, 20-minute, turnkey training program on one critical skill every driver can apply immediately. Over 90 topics can be used by your "Mentor Driver" once he/she returns to your company. For more information, click the following link: http://nrmca.org/Education/Mentor-Driver_Program.htm or contact NRMCA's Jessica Walgenbach at 1-888-846-7622, ext. 1152 or by e-mail, jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
SUSTAINABILITY
Researchers at the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) have completed the Manual of Practice for Sustainable Concrete Pavements which introduces the concepts of sustainability and why sustainability is critical to the concrete paving industry. The publication, which was funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), was reviewed by concrete pavement experts, including Brian Killingsworth and Lionel Lemay of NRMCA. The manual focuses of the following topics: • Pavement Sustainability Concepts The CP Tech Center is part of the Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University. To download copies of the Sustainable Concrete Pavements: Manual of Practice, please visit the NRMCA Web site. For more information, contact Brian Killingsworth at bkillingsworth@nrmca.org or 830-438-2690. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
To read government affairs-related stories that relate to the ready mixed concrete industry for the week of January 2-6, please click on the following link: http://nrmcavoice.com/news/government-affairs-roundup. 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 this link - http://my.nrmca.org/scriptcontent/BeWeb/Orders/ProductDetail.cfm?pc=2PEB119 - and receive 50% off. Internet Special $20, plus shipping. Please use Discount Code ISJAN12 to receive the online discount. CALENDAR
January 16-19, Online Course
Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 January 18, Webinar Green-Star Auditor Certification Email: kbean@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1168 January 23, Webinar Introduction To Concrete Pavement Analyst Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 January 23, Webinar Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete (*Part 2 is January 30) Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 January 31-February 1, Portland, OR Annual Mentor Driver® Workshop Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 February 6-9, Online Course Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 February 14, Free Webinar Effectively Communicating Sustainability Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 February 14, Webinar Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete (*Part 2 is February 21) Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 February 20-24, Dallas Technical Short Course Email: kbean@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1168 February 21, Webinar Introduction To Concrete Pavement Analyst Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 February 23, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 February 27-March 1, Online Course Building Green with Concrete Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 March 2, Webinar National Account Parking Lots 101 Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 March 4-6, Savannah, GA NRMCA Annual Convention Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 March 19, Webinar Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete (*Part 2 is March 26) Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 March 19, Webinar Introduction To Concrete Pavement Analyst Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 March 20-22, Silver Spring, MD CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 March 26-29, Online Course Pervious Concrete—A Stormwater Solution Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 April 12, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 April 16-19, Online Course Design of Concrete Pavements Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 May 7-10, Seattle, WA International Concrete Sustainability Conference Email: Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org May 17, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 May 21-24, Online Course Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 June 25-28, Online Course Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 June 28, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 July 16-19, Online Course Building Green with Concrete Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 August 6-9, Online Course Pervious Concrete - A Stormwater Solution Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 August 9, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 August 27-30, Online Course Design of Concrete Pavements Email: sdickens@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1154 September 20, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 November 1, Webinar Streets and Local Roads Email: jwalgenbach@nrmca.org or 888-84-NRMCA, x1152 |
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