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This Week in the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry for August 4, 2008

News Links

NRMCA President, Producer Members Discuss Industry Economic Climate

Indiana Community Chooses Pervious Concrete for Jail Parking Lot

Michigan Attorney Develops Green Building Guide

Concrete Credited With Minimizing California Earthquake Damage

Promotion

NRMCA Helps City Officials with Green Alley Project

Key Connecticut National Accounts Receive Word on Pervious

NRMCA, Virginia Promoter Deliver Word on Pervious to State Engineers

Engineering

NRMCA's Erin Ashley Earns LEED AP Designation

Operations, Environmental & Safety

Transit Mix Plant Earns First NRMCA Green-Star Designation

Government Affairs

Transportation Secretary Announces New Infrastructure Plan

Plans for Second Stimulus Package to Include Infrastructure Component

Report Outlines $140 Billion Price Tag to Fix America's Bridges

President Signs Housing Stimulus Package

Education & Training

On Line Delivery for September Sales Manager Workshop

Driver, Fleet and Operations Supervisor's Skill Impacts Producer's Performance

Products & Services

August Internet Spotlight is ASTM User's Guide

Calendar

A Look Ahead

News Links

Useful News from Around the Web and World of Business

The following are news links compiled over the past few weeks that may be of interest for those in the ready mixed concrete industry:

· NRMCA President, Producer Members Discuss Industry Economic Climate– Association President Robert Garbini and two ready mix producers recently discussed their insights into the industry's current economic outlook. The interviews were posted July 31 by Reed Construction Data's Associated Construction Publications: click here.

· Indiana Community Chooses Pervious Concrete for Jail Parking Lot– Bartholomew County officials have chosen pervious concrete for the parking lot of the local jail. The Web site of The Republic of Columbus, IN, contains the August 4 story: click here.

· Michigan Attorney Develops Green Building Guide – A July 24 posting on the Web site of the Oakland (MI) Business Review has an interview with a local attorney who developed a guide on environmental law and green building: click here.

· Concrete Credited With Minimizing California Earthquake Damage– A July 30 Associated Press article posted on the Web site of The Washington Post credits stronger building codes, which included the use of concrete, with helping to minimize damage from last month's earthquake that struck parts of Southern California: click here.

Promotion

NRMCA Helps City Officials with Green Alley Project

An NRMCA meeting with Missouri Sewer District (MSD) officials in St. Louis almost a year ago came full circle last week when further discussions took place, reports NRMCA Midwest National Resource Director Jon Hansen. The original September 2007 meeting was facilitated by Ken Liescheidt, PE, with the Missouri/Kansas American Concrete Paving Association and Matt Dulle of the Concrete Council of St. Louis, Hansen noted.

The follow-up meeting took place last month in Milwaukee (as reported in last week's E-NEWS), when Hansen said that the St. Louis officials of the engineering firm CH2M HILL participated via teleconference. The St. Louis design team is working on that city's "Green Alley" program, modeled after Chicago's effort which has lead to pervious concrete being placed in a number of that city's locations. The designer requested addition information following the meeting, and, as a result, she and Hansen met at her St. Louis office the following week. They reviewed the preliminary details and discussed local material choices. The final design was greatly influenced by Liescheidt. The following day, Hansen, Liescheidt and Patrick Juelich with the Concrete Council of St. Louis met with the St. Louis city engineers and visited the site of the first plain concrete/pervious concrete alley to be constructed this summer.

"Even though the city and CH2M HILL were not on the radar screen when the initial meeting was held with MSD in 2007, it was paramount to the success of any type of pervious paving acceptance to have MSD embrace the technology first, enabling the entire process to flow more smoothly," Hansen said. "Once again, the partnership of national, state, and local provided results for the concrete industry."

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

Key Connecticut National Accounts Receive Word on Pervious

NRMCA Northeast National Resource Director Doug O'Neill again teamed with Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council Executive Director Jim Langlois to bring the industry's message to several key accounts throughout the state. The team offered American Institute of Architects' (AIA) learning units via NRMCA's AIA-approved presentations to two different local/regional design firms, speaking in front of 35 architects and engineers.

The next day the team provided both the University of Connecticut's facilities personnel and state environmental protection officials with a detailed look at pervious concrete. Langlois reports that UConn most likely will be installing a pavement similar to the UNH parking lot which is being studied for stormwater quality.

For more information, contact Doug O'Neill at 1-585-436-8310 or by e-mail, doneill@nrmca.org.

NRMCA, Virginia Promoter Deliver Word on Pervious to State Engineers

NRMCA Senior Director of National Resources Phil Kresge recently joined Bob Nablo, industry services director for the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, to give a lunch-and-learn seminar to the design and engineering group at Hayes, Seay, Mattern and Mattern (HSNN/AECOM) in Roanoke, VA. The 25 attendees learned about the properties of pervious concrete as well as its benefits in stormwater management. There is considerable interest within the HSMM organization to utilize pervious concrete on future projects, particularly in light of the recent price increases and product shortages in asphalt pavement. Kresge and Nablo offered to help prepare pervious concrete specifications for the firm. He said the office also inquired about scheduling a future lunch and learn focusing on Prescriptive to Performance (P2P) specifications.

HSMM/AECOM is a multi-disciplinary design firm with 23 offices in 10 states and the District of Columbia. As a member of the AECOM family, HSMM is part of one of the largest engineering and design organizations in the country. HSMM's sister companies include Boyle Engineering, DMJM – Harris, ENSR International and Metcalf & Eddy. AECOM is ranked #1 in pure design, transportation, and general building and third overall on Engineering News-Record's Top 500 Design Firms.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.

Engineering

NRMCA's Erin Ashley Earns LEED AP Designation

NRMCA Director of Codes and Sustainability Erin Ashley is the latest of NRMCA staff to receive her LEED AP (accredited professional) designation. The LEED AP program is administered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and represents an individual's knowledge of the LEED Green Building Rating System and its application in practice. Candidates must pass an accreditation exam with a score of 85% or higher to achieve the LEED AP designation. Erin joins Doug O'Neill and Lionel Lemay as NRMCA's LEED APs.

For more information about LEED and USGBC, contact Erin Ashley at 410-796-7975 or by e-mail, eashley@nrmca.org.

Operations, Environmental & Safety

Transit Mix Plant Earns First NRMCA Green-Star Designation

A ceremony took place late last month to mark the first U.S. ready mixed concrete plant to earn NRMCA's Green-Star designation. The July 29 event was held in held in Seven Points, TX, the location of NRMCA producer member Transit Mix Concrete & Materials Company Plant # 2068.

The Green-Star flag raising ceremony included guest speakers Mark Potts, associate director of compliance assurance and enforcement from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region VI; Frank Craddock, NRMCA chairman of the Board of Directors; Denise Corrales, NRMCA Environmental Task Group chairman; Mike Stewart, president of the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association and Robert Garbini, president of NRMCA. Carl Campbell, president of Transit Mix, accepted the NRMCA Green-Star certificate on behalf of the company. Gary Mullings, NRMCA senior vice president of operations and compliance, served as master of ceremonies. Also attending the event were Texas Senator Robert Nichols and Gail Green, representing U.S. Senator John Cornyn.

The NRMCA's Green-Star program is a plant-specific certification that utilizes an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on a model of continual improvement. Click here for more information about the Transit Mix event.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Gary Mullings or David Ayers at gmullings@nrmca.org or dayers@nrmca.org.

Government Affairs

Transportation Secretary Announces New Infrastructure Plan

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters last week unveiled a new plan to fund and manage projects on the nation's aging transportation infrastructure system. During a speech to the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Secretary Peters said that, ''Without a doubt, our federal approach to transportation is broken. And no amount of tweaking, adjusting or adding new layers on top will make things better. It is time for a new, a different and a better approach.''

The new scheme aims to consolidate 102 federal agencies that currently oversee transportation projects into just eight agencies. The consolidation would streamline the federal review process for transportation infrastructure projects, effectively reducing the current 13-year average it takes to complete such projects.

The plan focuses on moving away from transportation funding through a fuels tax by implementing more user fees, tolls and privatization.

The initial response from Congress was not overly favorable. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) said "Mostly, it is a collection of the same uninspired and uninspiring policies that this administration has offered over the past five years; toll it, privatize it, lease it, sell it or congestion-price it." The proposal was also panned by the environmental community because it would also eliminate the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, which is an air pollution reduction initiative.

Click here to view the plan. For more information, contact NRMCA's Kevin Walgenbach.

Plans for Second Stimulus Package to Include Infrastructure Component

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced details last week of a second economic stimulus package he plans to move in September. Under the $25 billion plan, transportation programs would receive an extra $4.76 billion; $3.57 billion for highway and bridge investment, $892 million for transit, $200 million for airport improvements and $100 million for Amtrak. The plan also includes $400 million for clean water infrastructure programs and $10 billion for disaster relief.

In addition to increased infrastructure funding, Byrd's measure might also be used as another legislative vehicle to fix the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund.

A week before Byrd's announcement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced her plans to move a $50 billion economic stimulus plan that includes extra funding for infrastructure programs.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Kevin Walgenbach.

Report Outlines $140 Billion Price Tag to Fix America's Bridges

On July 28, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released a report titled Bridging the Gap: Restoring and Rebuilding the Nation's Bridges. The report found that the average age of bridges in this country is 43, most were built to last 50 years and nearly 20% are older than that. To repair or modernize the country's bridges would cost $140 billion, according to new data from the Federal Highway Administration. The report also discusses soaring construction costs and what impact that has had on the rate of bridge improvement and replacement.

AASHTO's report points to several solutions, including increased investment in transportation at all levels of government. It also cites the need for a wide range of revenue options such as tolls, tax increases, annual road user fees, bonds and/or private investment.

For a full copy of the report, view www.transportation.org. To see an AASHTO video about the report view www.youtube.com/aashtovideo. For more information, contact NRMCA's Kevin Walgenbach.

President Signs Housing Stimulus Package

On July 30, President Bush signed into law the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, a measure designed to stimulate the weakened housing market. The bill directs the Federal Housing Administration to insure up to $300 billion worth of distressed mortgages and set up a housing trust fund financed by Fannie May and Freddie Mac. It permits property owners who do not itemize on their tax returns to claim a $500-$1,000 deduction for their property taxes and some first time home buyers would be eligible to receive a $7,500 tax credit.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Kevin Walgenbach.

Education & Training

On Line Delivery for September Sales Manager Workshop

Focusing on the fact that sales managers' time commitments and travel costs are critical in today's current environment, the once-a-year NRMCA Sales Manager Certification Workshop's structure now includes five in-depth, interactive, monthly online webinars and just one physical meeting, September 9-10, in Silver Spring, MD. Over the winter months, sales managers will use a proven framework to develop their own customized tactical plans for territory leadership and staff management that will maximize their sales reps' contribution to a producer's bottom line. The class just meets once a year and the initial cut-off date is August 11.

For more information, including registration options and staff contact, click here.

Driver, Fleet and Operations Supervisor's Skill Impacts Producer's Performance

With driver layoffs and producers tightening belts, driver, dispatch, fleet and operations supervisors play a more critical role to keep entry level employees satisfied and focused on delivering concrete with utmost customer satisfaction. To help supervisor's meet the challenge, NRMCA will hold its Effective RMC Supervisor's Workshop, September 16-18, in Charlotte, NC.

Communicating and motivating direct reports, with tools specifically designed for a ready mixed environment have never been more vital.

For more course content information, registration options and staff contact, click here.

Products & Services

August Internet Spotlight is ASTM User's Guide

NRMCA's August Internet Spotlight, good through Friday, August 29, is the User's Guide to ASTM Specification C 94. Twenty comprehensive chapters explain every section of ASTM C 94 and 94M, including background, scope, referenced documents, ordering information, materials and much more. Regular price $55 Internet Special $40.00, plus shipping.