Analyzing construction spending levels from the first half of 2017, Associated General Contractors of America officials find significant declines in public-sector investment at a time when much of the nation’s infrastructure is deteriorating due to age or overuse.
Read MoreMonth: September 2017
Teamsters leverage Seattle market strength in contract settling CalPortland strike
Members of Teamsters Local 174 in Tukwila, Wash., approved a four-year contract last month with the Seattle market’s principal ready mixed operators: CalPortland, Cadman and Lehigh Cement, Stoneway Concrete, and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel. Ratification of a deal covering nearly 300 drivers had major implications for concrete deliveries in downtown Seattle and areas immediately north, where technology companies and their employees are fueling a wave of mid- and high-rise building projects.
Read MoreAsh Grove names COO Vance to succeed CEO Sunderland
Ash Grove Cement Co. President and Chief Operating Officer J. Randall Vance has been promoted to chief executive officer. He succeeds Charles Sunderland, who is part of the part of the fourth generation of Sunderland family members to lead the majority family-owned business and will remain chairman of the board.
Read MoreLabor, Transportation Departments sustain regulation roll back
Associated Builders & Contractors Government Affairs staff has assessed the Trump Administration’s recently released 2017 regulatory agenda, noting the prospect for significant relief from rules or measures the Department of Labor and Environmental Protection Agency adopted under President Barack Obama.
Read MoreSilica dust and new OSHA Construction, General Industry standards
A key supplier to trades frequently exposed to concrete and cement dust, Bosch Power Tools engaged former Concrete Construction editor and Bomanite pattern stamped flatwork contractor Joe Nasvik in a discussion on the federal government’s revised threshold for crystalline silica levels in Construction and General Industry workplaces. The agency has set a compliance target this month for contractors bound by the Construction workplace rule, with General Industry employers to follow in June 2018.
Read MoreOldcastle-style capital reallocation
Dublin-based CRH Plc entered the U.S. nearly 40 years ago, a deal for Idaho’s Amcor Precast seeding a broad, deep portfolio under the Oldcastle Inc. banner. Now designated Americas Products and Americas Materials in the CRH group, the Oldcastle Architectural, Materials and Precast businesses have long since grown to command top or top five U.S. market positions in block & paver, packaged dry mix and raw materials, ready mixed concrete, aggregates, and drainage- or utility-centered precast products and structures.
Read MoreApplications open for 2018-19 CIM Executive MBA Program
Sources: CIM National Steering Committee, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; CP staff
The Concrete Industry Management program is accepting applications for the next cohort of CIM Master of Business Administration degree candidates until November 1. Offered through the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University, the program will run in seven-week blocks and combine distance learning, webinars, plus two on-campus visits.
Read MoreStudy contrasts Indiana Limestone vs. cast stone performance, life cycle costs
Sources: Indiana Limestone Co., Bloomington; CP
A new study from a quarry operator whose signature product clads The Pentagon and Empire State Building examines distinctions between dimensioned limestone and cast stone fabricated from vibratory dry tamped or wet-cast methods.
Read MoreReport reveals precast/prestressed plant carbon, energy and water metrics
Sources: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago; CP staff
Through eight quarters of North American Precast Concrete Sustainable Plant Program (NAPCSPP) data reporting, PCI producers are establishing representative baselines in carbon dioxide emissions and resource consumption. “Members in the NAPCSPP have reduced waste and energy and water use,” says PCI Sustainability and Publications Director Emily Lorenz. “That’s good for the environment and good for their bottom line.”
Read MoreCIM patrons call for donations to 2018 auction at World of Concrete
Source: Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Concrete Industry Management program supporters have begun pooling equipment, tool, travel package and other donated items for the 2018 CIM Auction, January 24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Customarily scheduled on World of Concrete day two, the event will see silent bidding from 11 a.m. through the 1 p.m. live auction start.
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