Pci Honors Safe Operators, Industry Contributors

Six precast, prestressed concrete producers recognized by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute for their safety performance in 2006 were presented

Six precast, prestressed concrete producers recognized by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute for their safety performance in 2006 were presented awards during the annual PCI Convention and Exposition in Phoenix. Each of the winners was cited for a 0 rating for total case incidence, dart incidence, and severity rates. Within categories differentiated by number of employees, award winners were named on the basis of data collected and analyzed by the PCI Plant Safety and Environment Committee.

This year’s Plant Safety Awards for producers employing 1 to 49 persons went to Architectural Cladding Systems, Hollis, N.H.; KSA, Sciotoville, Ohio; Missoula Concrete Construction, Missoula, Mont.; and, Prestress of the Carolinas LLC, and Utility Precast Inc., both Charlotte. Clark Pacific of West Sacramento, Calif., received the Plant Safety Award in the 50-99 employee category.

BIG BEAM CONTEST CALL FOR ENTRIES

The deadline for the 2008 Engineering Student Design Award (Big Beam) Contest is March 15, and test reports will be due on June 15. Conducted under the the PCI Student Education Committee, the competition calls for student teams to fabricate and test a precast, prestressed concrete beam with assistance from local producers. Cash prizes will be awarded for the most efficient design, highest load capacity, best report, and other categories such as mix design and innovative design.

An overall champion is chosen from among first-place winners in each of the six PCI zones, plus the international winners, who are considered as a seventh zone. Additional information can be obtained by contacting PCI Research and Development Director Paul Johal, 312/360-3213 or [email protected].

FIVE WIN ROBERT H. LYMAN AWARD

Five co-authors are recipients of PCI’s 2007 Robert J. Lyman Award, named in honor of the institute’s third president. It recognizes a paper published in the PCI Journal between the September-October 2006 and July-August 2007 issues that contributed most significantly in the area of plant production, site erection, or general construction using precast/prestressed concrete.

This year’s award was presented during the PCI Convention and Exposition in Phoenix to Pete Hamill, project executive and operations, Turner Construction, Boston; Camille H. Bechara, P.E., Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Boston; Mario Bertolini, president and CEO, Blakeslee Prestress Inc., Branford, Conn.; Helmuth Wilden, vice president, Wilden Enterprises, Emmaus, Pa.; and, Mark Biebighauser, president, Precast Erectors Inc., Hurst, Texas. The award-winning paper, titled Precast Concrete Value Engineering Accommodates Difficult Site, appeared in the July-August 2006 issue.

PCI ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Cited for commitment to the institute and service to the precast/prestressed concrete industry, Ft. Worth, Texas-based Hamilton Form Co., Ltd. was honored as the Associate Member of the Year by PCI at the convention. Recently celebrating its 40th anniversary, the manufacturer was founded in 1966 as Hamilton Steel Co. in Hamilton, Texas, specializing in the fabrication of steel forms for precast/prestressed concrete. The company since has added concrete curing blankets and stressing jacks to its product line. Additionally, Hamilton President Bill Daily was named a PCI Fellow in 1996 and has served on various technical committees as well as the PCI board of directors.

PCI FELLOWS

Seven industry leaders have been named PCI Fellow:

  • Gerald Goettsche is a consulting engineer and former president of Consulting Engineers Group, Mt. Prospect, Ill. He was on the PCI board of directors in 1999 and 2000; chaired the Technical Activities, Precast Sandwich Wall Panel, and Justice Facilities committees; and, has served on the Professional Member committee.
  • R.L. Isenhour is vice president/operations manager at Gate Precast Co.’s Winchester, Ky., plant. During 33 years with Bluegrass Art Cast and Gate, he managed six PCI Design Award projects, as well as a project in Stevenage, England, that received the British Royal Society of Architects award. He has served on PCI’s GFRC, Metric, and Architectural Precast committees, chairing the latter, and as a board member of the PCI Central Region group.
  • Doug Lorah is vice president of technology and business development for Denver, Pa.-based High Concrete Group, where he has worked for 40-plus years. Currently a member of the PCI Student Education, Productivity, and Research & Development committees, he served as the first chair of the Productivity committee and also as chair of the Architectural Precast Concrete and Standard Connections for Architectural Precast Concrete committees. Lorah was a member of the board of directors from 1991 to 1992 and served as well on the Architectural Precast Association board of directors.
  • Don Meinheit is a consultant with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates of Chicago. He is currently a member of PCI’s Research and Development and Sandwich Wall committees and previously served on the Technical Activities committee and as chair of the Prestressed Concrete Column committee. He also serves as chairman of the American Concrete Institute’s Anchorage to Concrete committee and the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute’s Design Aids committee.
  • Clyde Poovey is president of Atlanta Structural Concrete in Buchanan, Ga. A member of the PCI board of directors from 1989 to 1996, he served as secretary of the board in 1993, vice chairman in 1994, chairman in 1995. He has also served as a member of the PCI Structural committee.
  • Henry Russell is an engineering consultant with Henry G. Russell Inc. in Glenview, Ill. Currently chair of the PCI Concrete Materials Technology Committee, he is also a member of the American Concrete Institute, the American Segmental Bridge Institute, ASTM, and the Transportation Research Board.
  • Ron Schlerf is retired president of Spokane, Wash.-based Central Pre-Mix Prestress Co. A director on the PCI board in 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003, he was secretary in 2000, vice chairman in 2001, and chairman in 2002, as well as a member of the Sandwich Wall Panel committee. He is currently a member of the PCI Publications Policy Fast Team and the Canadian Relations Fast Team.

CERTIFIED PLANTS RECOGNIZED

Fifty nine producer-member plants were recognized during the convention for having reached milestone anniversaries as PCI-certified facilities. The longest-tenured plants, recognized for 40 years of certification, included: Blakeslee Prestress Inc., Branford, Conn.; IPC Inc., Iowa Falls, Iowa; Knife River Corp., Harrisburg, Pa.; Metromont Corp., Charlotte, N.C.; Shockey Precast Group, Winchester, Va.; Tindall Corp. (Corrections and Prestress Divisions), Conley, Ga.; and, Wells Concrete Products, Wells, Minn.

Cited for 35 years as certified plants were Coreslab Structures (Indianapolis) and Coreslab Structures (Oklahoma). Among facilities recognized for 30 years of certification were Metromont Corp., Greenville, S.C., and Unistress Corp., Pittsfield, Mass.; and, 25-year awards went to Florence Concrete Products, Sumter, N.C., and Sidley Precast, Thompson, Ga.

The 20-year award recipients included CXT Inc. (Rail Division), Spokane, Wash.; Eastern Vault Co., Princeton, W.V.; Finfrock Industries, Orlando, Fla.; Hanson Pipe and Precast Southeast, Birmingham, Ala.; J.P. Carrara & Sons Inc., Middlebury, Vt.; Metromont Corp., Hiram, Ga.; Oldcastle Precast Building Systems, South Bethlehem, N.Y.; Rocla Concrete Tie, Denver; Ross Prestressed Concrete, Bristol, Tenn.; Spancrete Inc., Green Bay, Wis.; and, Standard Concrete Products, Savannah, Ga.

Honorees for 15 years of plant certification were Architectural Cladding Systems, Hollis, N.H.; Clark Pacific, Fontana and Sacramento, Calif.; Dukane Precast Inc., Aurora, Ill.; EnCon Washington, Puyallup, Wash.; Enterprise Precast Concrete, Omaha, Neb.; Gate Concrete Products, Pearland, Texas; Gate Precast Co., Ashland City, Tenn., and Winchester, Ky.; GFRC Inc., Lincoln, Neb.; Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Pottstown, Pa.; Hanson Structural Precast, Irwindale and San Diego, Calif.; Mid-States Concrete Industries, South Beloit, Ill.; Precast Concrete Specialties, Omro, Wis.; Southeast Precast Corp., Knoxville, Tenn.; StresCore Inc., Assaria, Kan.; Stresscon Corp., Dacono, Colo.; Shockey Precast Group, Fredericksburg, Va.; and, Universal Concrete Products, Douglasville, Pa.

Plants recognized in the 10-year certification category Coastal Precast Systems LLC, Chesapeake, Va.; Con-Force Structures Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, and Richmond, B.C.; Coreslab Structures, Marshall, Mo.; Shokbeton Qu»bec Inc., St. Eustache; Standard Concrete Products, Tampa, Fla.; and, William E. Dailey Precast LLC, Shaftsbury, Va.

Rounding out the 2007 honorees were plants attaining five years of PCI certification: Central Pre-Mix Prestress, Spokane, Wash.; Con-Force Structures Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba; Coreslab Structures, Oklahoma City; David Kucera Inc., Gardiner, N.Y.; Jersey Precast Corp., Hamilton, N.J.; Mid-America Precast, Fulton, Mo.; and, South Eastern Prestressed Concrete, West Palm Beach, Fla.