ORGANIZATIONS – NOVEMBER 2019

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has named 2019 Excellence in Quality Awards recipients. The program recognizes producers that follow and exceed quality management principles guiding materials, production processes and delivered loads. Honored during the group’s ConcreteWorks conference last month in Florida were:

Category A (annual production > 1 million yd.): Argos USA LLC – Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Florida; CalPortland – Arizona Division; Cemex USA – Florida, Northern California Regions; Cemstone Products Co.; Concrete Supply Co.; Irving Materials, Inc. – Indiana, Tennessee Regions; Martin Marietta – Southwest Division; Maschmeyer Concrete Company of Florida, Inc.; Preferred Materials, Inc.; Thomas Concrete – Georgia Division; and, Titan America LLC – Florida Business Unit, Titan Virginia Ready Mix.

Category B (250,000 to 1 million yd.): Anderson Concrete Corp.; Bayou Concrete LLC; Buckeye Ready-Mix, LLC; CalPortland – Nevada, Oregon-SW Washington, Washington Divisions; Chandler Concrete Company, Inc.; Dolese Bros. Co. – Oklahoma City Division; Irving Materials, Inc. – Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky & Southwestern Indiana Regions; MMC Materials, Inc. – Memphis & Desoto Area; Quality Concrete; S&W Ready Mix Concrete Co.; Thomas Concrete – Charlotte, Coastal, Upstate South Carolina Divisions; Superior Concrete Materials.

Category C (< 250,000 yd.): CalPortland – Central Coast Division; Dolese Bros. Co. – Tulsa Division; Duke City Ready Mix; MMC Materials, Inc.– Central MS, Golden Triangle, Hattiesburg Areas; and, United Companies/CRH West Division.

The NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards Committee opens the program to members applying either as a single entity or division within a larger company. Candidates complete a multiple-choice type form with supporting validation, a minimum score of 75 percent qualifying for an award.

Separately, Shamim Rashid-Sumar, who joined NRMCA in August as vice president, Fire Codes and Standards, has been named a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Fellows represent a distinguished group of SFPE members who have attained significant stature and accomplishment in engineering; been active with the Society for 10 or more years; and, been nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to the advancement of fire protection engineering.

Based in New York, Rashid-Sumar works with building code and standards organizations to advocate for non-combustible construction and provides technical support regarding codes, standards, regulations and legislation at the national, state and local levels. Over the course of her building and code consulting tenure, she has performed fire protection evaluations; prepared fire and life safety strategies or design specifications; and, conducted fire alarm witness testing or commissioning plus related engineering studies. She has worked on a multitude of projects, including government facilities, hospitals and medical centers, airport terminals, museums, high-rise buildings, hotels, malls and special use facilities. In addition, Rashid-Sumar has utilized computer fire modeling to analyze fire protection and life safety related building code issues, performance-based design, and computer simulations for people movement.



Chairmen’s relay: Mike Hoffman (left) and Jonathan Ohmes. PHOTOS: NPCA
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Concrete Sealants’ Darryl Cloud (left) presents Don Jensen the Yoakum Award.

Jonathan Ohmes, chief executive officer of Troy, Mo.-based Champion Precast, was elected chairman during the 54th annual National Precast Concrete Association convention, held earlier this fall in Seattle. Reflecting on his family’s background in the industry and own time with NPCA, starting at the 1985 annual meeting, Ohmes told members, “The best part about NPCA is while no two histories are alike, we are all now a part of the future of NPCA and the precast industry together.”

He succeeds 2018-2019 Chairman Mike Hoffman, chief executive officer of Lindsay Precast in Canal Fulton, Ohio. Completing the 2019-2020 officer slate named at the Seattle gathering are Chairman-elect Ron Sparks of Columbia Precast Products in Woodland, Wash., and Secretary/Treasurer Mark Wieser of Wieser Concrete Products in Portage, Wis. NPCA also elected one associate and three producer members as directors for three-year terms: Greg Barrett of SI Precast Concrete, Grandview, Mo.; Kevin Camp of Camp Precast Concrete Products, Milton, Vt.; James Pryor of Atlas Concrete Products, New Britain, Conn.; and, James Wright of CAM Products, Ludington, Mich.

Don Jensen, CEO of Jensen Precast, Sparks, Nev., received the prestigious Robert E. Yoakum Award for his long-time service to the industry and association. Kevin Camp of Camp Precast Products was presented the Douglas G. Hoskin Award for membership recruitment. Other convention highlights included a tour of two precast plants and the Boeing Future of Flight and Aviation Center, as well as the roll out of a new committee structure. The NPCA 55th Annual Convention will be October 15-17 at Amelia Island, Fla.

ACI Committee 319, Precast Structural Concrete Code held its inaugural meeting during last month’s American Concrete Institute Fall Convention in Cincinnati. As committee chair, University of Minnesota, Duluth Professor of Civil Engineering Andrea Schokker will steer development of building code requirements that address the unique aspects of precast and prestressed concrete.

Although guidance documents for the design of connections and structural precast members are available, ACI notes, building code officials often require documents that delineate minimum requirements in mandatory language that have been developed using an open consensus process. Institute officials expect that the new precast structural concrete code requirements will complement ACI 318: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. Committee 319 and its future code document set a precedent for additional content geared to specific industry segments or construction types. Perhaps first in that cue will be documents from another committee in the works, ACI 320, Post-Tensioned Structural Concrete Code.

Separately, ACI has launched a program providing up to $250 to U.S. military veterans seeking Institute certification in concrete field testing, construction inspection, flatwork finishing, or one of more than 20 other offerings. The program is funded by a $50,000 contribution from CMEC Holdings to the ACI Foundation. Veterans who obtain ACI certifications in multiple programs may apply for the rebate separately for each completion. Rebates may be claimed only once for each first-time certification and are available to candidates earning their certification on or after June 1, 2018. Full eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at ACICertification.org/veteranrebate.

“Earning an ACI certification provides an opportunity for growth and demonstration of knowledge—positioning individuals to be at the forefront of the concrete construction job market,” says Managing Director, Certification John Nehasil. “ACI welcomes the opportunity to work with the ACI Foundation and CMEC to ease the financial burden of earning one of our industry-leading certifications.”

Portland Cement Association has named 2019 John P. Gleason, Jr. Leadership Awards, honoring member company individuals who have advanced industry programs and initiatives. Awards in three categories were presented last month at the PCA Fall Board and Committee Meetings in Kissimmee, Fla.:

  • Business Continuity, recognizing positive contributions to support operations, such as advocacy, research and standard setting, plus safety and health. Winner, Curtis Lesslie, vice president of Environmental Affairs, Ash Grove Cement Co.; Finalists, Tim Matz, senior director of Environmental Affairs, Lehigh Hanson Inc., and Robert Sullivan, vice president of Government Affairs, Cemex USA.
  • Market Development, honoring leadership in shaping a favorable competitive marketplace through activities such as national or regional marketing and promotion, imaging and branding, federal or local advocacy, codes and standards, plus work with academia. Winner, David Gray, market manager, GCC of America; Finalists, Kirk McDonald, vice president, Cement Technical Services, CalPortland Co., and Larry Rowland, senior manager, Marketing and Technical Services, Lehigh White Cement Co.
  • Young Leaders, recognizing member company employees who demonstrate a high potential for success in leadership roles and a strong commitment to PCA and the cement industry. Winner, Nathan Kimball, vice president, Safety & Health, Lehigh Hanson Inc.; Finalists, Ed Griffith, vice president Sales & Marketing, U.S., St. Marys Cement/VCNA, and Desirea Haggard, senior environmental manager, CalPortland Co.

The Charles Pankow Foundation has appointed Glenn Bell and Greg Gidez to its board of directors. Bell is senior principal at SGH, a major consulting firm focused on the design, evaluation, rehabilitation and research in the built environment, and strong advocate of innovation; integration of practice, education, and research; preparing the next generation of structural engineers; and, global interoperability. Gidez is corporate director of design services for Hensel Phelps, one of the largest general contractors and construction managers in the U.S., where he oversees preconstruction services, including marketing, procurement, design-build, design assist and design management. He also supervises the Building Information Technologies department, advancing the use of Virtual Design and Construction technology in the design and construction processes.