Parking Lot Promotion Plan Aims For Two-Thirds Market-Share Jump By 2010

Regional, state and local promotion groups, ready mixed producers and suppliers across North America have lent strong support to the Concrete Industry

Regional, state and local promotion groups, ready mixed producers and suppliers across North America have lent strong support to the Concrete Industry Parking Lot Promotion Plan launched in May by a consortium identifying parking lots as the industry’s largest promotional opportunity. The group consisted of National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Portland Cement Association, regional promotion groups, state and area associations, and concrete and cement companies.

As of August, 13 state associations had developed or earmarked strategic plans by the end of 2007, and dozens of additional state and local promotion groups have adopted new parking lot promotion tools and approaches. The national goal calls for the market share of cast-in-place concrete parking lots to increase from the 9.1 percent in 2005 to 15.1 percent in 2010. Monitoring the plan’s progress will be a national steering committee with representation from all stakeholder groups.

NRMCA has introduced new services and support tools to assist local promotion groups, including a lead-referral program for local construction projects called Buildings Under Design (BUD); a parking lot design assistance program for specifiers; and, a presentational flip-chart booklet describing concrete parking lots’ benefits. NRMCA has also published a list of available resources in support of local planning and promotion at www.nrmca.org/parking.

The BUD program is a Web-based service that enables promoters to obtain information on local projects. With NRMCA’s support, 50 promotion groups have gained access to this service. Association officials note that the ability to identify project decision makers early enables local promoters to be more effective in encouraging pro-concrete choices. In addition to parking lot projects, BUD identifies other opportunities, including site-cast, both ICF and conventional, pervious concrete, and flowable fill.

NRMCA’s Parking Lot Design Assistance Program intends to help specifiers overcome the inertia of familiarity with asphalt parking lot design. The program is in a pilot phase that invites state associations to submit projects in support of specifiers for detailed design recommendations. All costs during the pilot, including the creation of CAD drawings provided to specifiers, are covered by NRMCA. The program, conducted in collaboration with the Ohio Ready Mixed Concrete Association, has completed five projects with more underway. Both completed projects awarded so far have selected concrete.

Most recently, NRMCA completed a parking lot flip-chart tool that enables promoters to view information and notes in addition to the content visible to specifiers. More than 400 flip-charts were ordered by state and local promoters the first week it was offered.