A memorandum of understanding will enable National Precast Concrete Association and Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute to broaden their information sharing and collaborate across a number of important areas of common interests, including education, sustainability and marketing to the specifying community.
Under the memorandum agreement, both organizations are affiliate members of the other and members of each will benefit from the combined efforts and have access to courses and events at member pricing. CPCI will be recognized as an endorsing partner of The Precast Show, starting with the event’s 2017 staging in Cleveland, while NPCA will be a sponsor of the Institute’s annual general meeting. In addition, CPCI intends to launch the NPCA Master Precaster program in Canada.
“The networking opportunities this creates for U.S. and Canadian precasters are invaluable,” says NPCA President Ty Gable. “The North American precast industry as a whole will be better off thanks to the collaboration of all the organizations involved in the show in 2017 and beyond.”
NPCA and CPCI’s partnership, along with the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, has already advanced the industry’s sustainability efforts with the development of product category rules and environmental product declarations. “Our members have enjoyed and appreciated the various marketing and sustainability partnerships with NPCA over the last few years,” affirms CPCI President Robert Burak. “We are excited about formalizing this relationship and the possibilities to expand our collaborative efforts.”
The CPCI agreement dovetails NPCA’s development of new branding for The Precast Show, North America’s largest precast-specific trade event and a permanent fixture in the industry. Manufacturers and suppliers rely on the show to spotlight equipment and innovations that exemplify the industry’s commitment to advancement. As precast production and market development grow and evolve, association officials note, so too does The Precast Show. New branding for the show positions precast concrete as a foundational component of successful construction projects. It also represents the show floor, where the interactions and networking that help define the event’s success occur each year. The new branding will appear on all materials before and during The Precast Show 2017, March 2-4, in Cleveland.
BESSER MARKS PIPE WEEK WITH SCHOLARSHIP
In recognition of the American Concrete Pipe Association’s annual National Concrete Pipe week, Besser Co. has established a $2,500 ACPA Foundation scholarship for a student whose course of study is related to concrete pipe production, application, installation or research.
Besser staff train and educate hundreds of industry members annually about the production of concrete pipe, including mix design, machine operation, and maintenance and curing. “The newly created scholarship is another demonstration of our long-term commitment to the concrete pipe industry,” says Besser Director of Sales – Pipe Gary Ericson, an ACPA Board member.
“The Besser Scholarship also serves as a tribute to our predecessors, Jesse Besser, Jon Dannenberg, Joe Pelchat and countless others who embraced training and education as pillars of our business,” adds Director of Pipe and Precast Ryan Suszek. “Through their foresight, ingenuity, dedication and leadership we’ve earned an industry-wide reputation for providing impactful training during Pipe Schools held in Sioux City, Iowa, onsite courses in producers’ facilities and as part of ACPA’s annual short course.”
Scholarship applications will be available on both the ACPA and Besser websites, www.concretepipe.org and www.besser.com, in October and can be submitted through February 1, 2017. A committee will review applications in March and award the scholarship in April.