For the second time in three months, officials from Portland, OR and its surrounding municipalities co-sponsored a seminar for developers called "Green from the Ground Up - A Seminar on Stormwater Management with Pervious Surfaces," reports NRMCA Managing Director, National Resources, Dan Huffman, who's based in that West Coast city known for its active environmental civic officials. Huffman presented pervious concrete in a forum that also included competing technologies such as porous asphalt.

Though the program was primarily an initiative of the local development agencies, the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland was also a co-sponsor. With a lot at stake due to the competitive constructive environment, Huffman crafted his presentation to also include commercial interests; he reports a "lively" question and answer session followed. Also supporting our industry as exhibitors of pervious concrete and related green concrete technologies were NRMCA member companies: Glacier Northwest, CEMEX, Quality Concrete, Evolution Paving and the Northwest Cement Producers Group.

The program was so well received that the organizing entities are considering offering it as an annual event because pervious concrete and some of the other technologies are evolving so rapidly and the interest is growing perhaps exponentially, Huffman said. Also, as an additional support to the concrete industry and the public's best interest, the primary agency leading in all this very recently sent the "Model Stormwater Ordinance Including Pervious Pavement Systems" for agency utilization of pervious concrete (developed by NRMCA) to all agency and consultant participants in the program. In the same communication they also placed the Web link http://wbztv.com/local/newhampshire/porous.pavement.unh.2.711630.html of a recent television broadcast of the highly successful pervious concrete parking lot application at the University of New Hampshire which has been otherwise widely circulated in recent weeks.

For more information, contact Dan Huffman at dhuffman@nrmca.org.

The Cement Council of Texas (CCT) recently exhibited at the Land Development Breakthroughs Conference in Austin, TX, reports NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Vance Pool. Co-sponsored by Land Development Breakthroughs magazine, the University of Texas Center for Sustainable Development and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, this conference had many developers, contractors, government officials and specifiers in attendance.

Sean Van Delist of CCT ably spread the gospel of concrete and cement while Pool presented pervious concrete to an attentive audience. Despite being scheduled from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on an 87 degree sunny Friday afternoon, Pool noted that many attendees asked numerous questions, demonstrating that they were there to learn and likely try pervious concrete for the first time.

For more information, contact Vance Pool at vpool@nrmca.org.

NRMCA Senior Director of National Resources Phil Kresge recently gave a presentation to the Piedmont Triad North Carolina Chapter of the US Green Building Council. The presentation, "Concrete and the LEED^® Green Building Rating System," described the environmental benefits of concrete and its importance to the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) program. He reports that it was well received by the 35 attendees.

In particular, they were pleased with the presentation's focus on how various concrete applications can contribute to obtaining LEED^® certification credits, Kresge said. Each of the attendees received a copy of the RMC Research & Education Foundation's publication Ready Mixed Concrete Industry LEED^® Reference Guide, as well as NRMCA's latest brochure, Concrete Solutions for Sustainable Development. There was also a high degree of interest in pervious concrete; the majority of the question/answer portion of the program was focused on that technology.

Kresge's participation with the Piedmont Triad Chapter was facilitated by Jason Wimberly of the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association.

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

NRMCA's last opportunity in 2008 to earn the 10 Hour OSHA Certification Card for General Industry will be during the Ready Mixed Concrete Safety Course and Certification, June 17-19 in Silver Spring, MD. This class delivers the material in a hands-on manner, with all examples concrete-specific. The goal is for attendees to receive immediately applicable tools to improve safety culture as well as mitigate liability. Audience: Front-line, supervisory and area operations, safety and transportation staff, human resources professionals and company principals.

More information or contact NRMCA's David Ayers at dayers@nrmca.org.

NRMCA has added a new title to its list of popular Webinars. On Tuesday, July 15, NRMCA Managing Director of Compliance David Ayers will present Accident Cost Accounting, which examines methods used to accurately track accident cost data for total accident cost. It is estimated that for every dollar spent on an accident up to $5 dollars are lost indirectly because of the accident.

Ayers will discuss direct and indirect costs along with the "Accident Iceberg" theory. Participants will be given copies of an accident cost spreadsheet to help get them started. The spreadsheet will help them track the accident cost and use the company's profit margin as a model for how much money the accident really cost the company.

There is a $25 fee for this Webinar. For registration options, click here or contact David Ayers at dayers@nrmca.org.

The Senate last week debated the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 (S. 2284) introduced by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The bill, S. 2284, would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) until 2013; forgive the program's nearly $20 billion debt incurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and phase out subsidized rates for vacation and second homes, severe repetitive loss properties and businesses built prior to the current Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The measure would also require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a reserve fund to better cover future losses, increase insurance premiums by 15% each year and require structures near dams and levees (residual risk areas) to purchase flood insurance.

S. 2284 also calls for creating a national commission to study the catastrophe insurance marketplace. Included within the purview of the new commission will be an examination of the need for strengthened land use regulations and building codes in states at high risk for natural catastrophes.

The Senate rejected an amendment offered by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) that would have added wind damage to be covered under the NFIP. Opponents of the amendment, as well as the Government Accountability Office, said that such a provision would be very complex and costly to implement.

The Senate is poised to vote favorably on S. 2284 early this week after all amendments have been offered.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Robert Sullivan at rsullivan@nrmca.org.

The House of Representatives has passed a housing stimulus package in an effort to stem the growing number of property foreclosures. The centerpiece of the legislation is a provision introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) that would direct the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure at-risk mortgages up to $300 billion after lenders or holders of troubled mortgages agree to write down those mortgages to as little as 85% of the home's appraised value.

The measure would also extend a $7,500 tax credit to first-time home buyers and provide a 2008 deduction on state and local property taxes of up to $350 for individuals and $700 for couples. The bill approves an extra $10 billion in tax-exempt bonds to fund construction of low-income rental housing, refinance subprime loans and support first-time homebuyer loans. Lastly, the legislation would provide $15 billion to states to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed properties.

The Senate passed a more limited version of its housing stimulus package last month.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Robert Sullivan at rsullivan@nrmca.org.

Patricia Dalton, managing director of physical infrastructure issues for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), told members of the House of Representatives Committees on the Budget, and Transportation and Infrastructure that growing demand had outpaced the capacity of the nation's roadways and aviation system.

"Given these types of challenges and the federal government's fiscal outlook, it is clear that the federal government cannot continue with business as usual," she said. "The options that are available to Congress - including altering existing taxes, introducing new tolls and adding an infrastructure component to a future economic stimulus bill -  will likely involve trade-offs."

Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag joined Dalton in urging lawmakers to ensure that any infrastructure investment they decide on fits into a national network.

"Throwing money at infrastructure projects doesn't get you what you want," he said. Dalton and Orszag told lawmakers that congestion-based tolls - on roads as well as airport runways - were an attractive option to help pay for the nation's transportation needs. They said that the benefits of congestion pricing were two-fold because tolls raised money for infrastructure improvements and, by reducing the number of cars on the road, lessened the amount of infrastructure improvements needed.

The current source of federal funding of highway projects comes from the Highway Trust Fund, which operates predominantly from revenues raised by federal fuel taxes. However, increased fuel efficiency and an unadjusted rate - 18.4 cents on a gallon of gasoline - have caused a projected shortfall in the highway account by the end of fiscal 2009.

For more information, contact NRMCA 's Robert Sullivan at rsullivan@nrmca.org.

Financial Management Workshop, May 19-20 – RMC Research & Education Foundation Center, Silver Spring, MD. Introduction to vital financial and accounting reports and tools needed for business analysis. All RMC-specific, applied examples. Audience: Operations, sales and quality control managers and executives without financial training, anyone on a promotion track. More information

Leadership: A Manager's Game Plan, June 3-4 – RMC Research & Education Foundation Center, Silver Spring, MD. Delivery of skill-based tools, including gaining insight into individual management styles and how tap into them to work effectively with staff, peers and superiors. Audience: mid-level operations, administrators, quality control, sales managers and senior level sales reps, anyone on a promotional track. More information

NRMCA's 2008-09 Developing Industry Leaders (DIL) Program is now accepting nominations for a limited number of middle managers from various companies to come together and challenge themselves to strategically address issues facing our industry.

This program differs from other association programs: participants will form teams, with each choosing a separate industry issue, to work over several months and culminating with a presentation at NRMCA's 2009 Annual Convention. This experience will broaden participants' understanding of their industry while giving them the opportunity to work on a team with other developing leaders across the country.

Click here to download the information letter and application/nomination form. For more information about this program, contact NRMCA's Nicole Maher at nmaher@nrmca.org.

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

· A May 7 article from London posted on aggregatesresearch.com is titled Green Cement Sucks Up CO2: click here.

· A May 6 article by the Baltimore Business Journal states home builders are slow to embrace green development: click here.

· An April 24 story in the Clarion (MS) Ledger detailed the effect of rising asphalt prices on the state's road construction projects: click here.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced the availability of the spring series of reports on the apparent use of portland cement and ready mixed concrete. The reports track cement and ready mixed concrete use from 2003 to 2007 at the state, county and metro area. State and county forecasts from 2008 to 2012 are also now included in the trend report.

The 2007 Trend and Forecast Analysis on Apparent Use of Ready-Mixed Concrete by County report presents a five-year (2003-2007) historical perspective of estimated ready mixed concrete consumption by county and metropolitan area, as well as the PCA market research forecast of ready mixed concrete by state and county (2008-2012).

The new reports also include maps of 2007 portland cement or ready mixed concrete use at no extra cost. These color/data driven maps depict geographical intensity of consumption. Based on time-series analysis of each county's estimated consumption as a percent of its state's total shipments, county projections are derived.

Source: PCA Executive Report electronic newsletter for May 12. For more information, including how to order, view www.cement.org.

As several areas of the country recover this week from the devastating impact of tornadoes, the RMC Research & Education Foundation offers a resource that details how various building systems perform under extreme wind conditions. The resource, a study titled "Coast in the Eye of the Storm – Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005," was performed immediately after Hurricane Katrina and focuses mainly on the coastline of Mississippi, but the information is applicable to any area susceptible to high wind damage.

The forensic analysis, performed by Mississippi State University, evaluated major storm characteristics such as storm extent, wind speeds and storm surge height. Associated tornadoes and other wind events were also addressed. The study includes a review of existing and proposed building codes and design guides for both wind and flooding to help mitigate the impact of future storms and protect life safety and prevent property damage.

The study was co-funded by the Foundation and the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association. An executive summary of the study is available on the Foundation's Web site at www.rmc-foundation.org. The full study is available free on CD or in hard copy format: contact Julie Garbini for a copy at jgarbini@rmc-foundation.org.

NRMCA's May Internet Spotlight, good through Friday, May 30, is Cast-in-Place Concrete Structures. This publication discusses the advantages of cast-in-place concrete parking structures. Regular price $15, Internet Special $10, plus shipping. 

Note: Please use Discount Code ISMAY08 to receive the online discount

May 14, Little Rock, AR

Pervious Concrete - A Stormwater Solution

Course description and registration information

E-mail: Lionel Lemay 847-918-7218

May 14-15, Tempe, AZ

Concrete Construction Liability

Course description and registration information

E-mail: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

May 19-20, Silver Spring, MD

Financial Management for Non-financial Managers

Course description and registration information

E-mail: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

May 20-22, Denver

3rd Annual Concrete Technology Forum: Focus on Sustainable Development

Registration information

E-mail: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

August 12-15, Nashville, TN

Plant Manager Certification

Course description and registration information

E-mail: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

September 9-11, Pasadena, CA

CALCIMA CCSP Module I - "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge

E-mail: Larry Maes, lmaes@calcima.org or 626-441-3107

September 9-10, Silver Spring, MD

Sales Manager Workshop Certification

Course description and registration information

E-mail: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

September 15-18, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I - "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge