The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association’s Emerging Leaders Academy has assembled and delivered new bicycles for near 100 Fort Worth children. Launched in 2016, the Emerging Leaders Academy is a rigorous three-year program designed as a platform for personal and professional development for members of the aggregate, concrete and cement industries. It provides engaging coursework dedicated to developing leadership skills and offers accredited industry leader certification.
The community service initiative behind the bicycle drive is a key part of a program in which Academy participants identify, fundraise for and coordinate a donation to a charity they believe will have the biggest community impact. Third-year participants are tasked with choosing the charity. “The great thing about the Children’s Charities of Fort Worth is that it’s not just one charity; it’s an organization that helps 15 local charities,” says Capitol Aggregates Marketing Manager Kristel Perry, a third-year Emerging Leaders participant. “We are proud that we get to help children from all different backgrounds.”
Portland Cement Association and National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association have named Elizabeth Pritchard as director of Construction Materials Safety Policy. The groups’ first shared staffer, she will promote and defend members’ interests on all safety-related legislative and regulatory issues as well as provide technical assistance to producers seeking to understand Mine Safety & Health Administration regulations. Pritchard arrives with background in environmental health and safety from tenure at Oregon’s Wildish Sand & Gravel and policy analysis with the National Science Foundation. She was also active with the Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association and chaired its Environmental, Health & Safety Committee in 2017.
The American Concrete Institute will assemble more than 2,000 engineers, students, contractors, educators, manufacturers, and material representatives from around the world at the Duke Energy Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 20-24, 2019, to collaborate on concrete codes, specifications, and practices. Technical and educational sessions will provide attendees with the latest research, case studies, and best practices, and plus opportunities to earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Among convention highlights:
- Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards Gala
- International Lunch with special guest Maria José Garcia
- ACI FRP Composites Student Competition
- Student Lunch with speaker Kenneth Hover
- Contractors’ Day Lunch with speaker Brent Cooper
- Industry exhibition showcasing more than 50 exhibitors
Throughout the convention, ACI will hold over 300 committee meetings, 40-plus technical sessions, and networking events. Lead supporters of the gathering include Anderson Concrete, Baker Concrete Construction and LafargeHolcim.
The ACI Foundation’s Concrete Research Council, which funds projects that further concrete materials or construction knowledge and sustainability, is reviewing proposals for 2020 awards through December 2. Proposal and funding parameters include:
- Topics from all areas of concrete research;
- Up to $50,000 may be approved per project for direct costs;
- Due to a 15 percent research organization overhead cost limit, the ACI Foundation may award up to a maximum of $7,500 additional funds for indirect costs;
- An ACI Technical Committee must support the research concept and participate in an advisory role to the principal investigator;
- An individual researcher can serve as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on only one submitted proposal;
- Industry partnering and project cost sharing are strongly encouraged; and,
- Principal investigators shall follow the requirements in the Council’s RFP Application Guide.
Selection of awarded projects and notifications to principal investigators occurs after the ACI Spring Concrete Convention and Exposition. Additional program information can be obtained from ACI Foundation Assistant Director Tricia Ladely, [email protected]. Information on last year’s projects is posted at www.acifoundation.org/research.
The American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis, and Tilt-Up Concrete Association, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, have scheduled the inaugural ASCC/TCA Safety Summit, March 20, 2020 in Houston. “Our hope is that safety professionals from ASCC and TCA members across the country will come together to share best practices and their most daunting challenges,” says ASCC Executive Director Bev Garnant.
The summit will open with keynote speaker, Tim Manherz, senior vice president, TAS Commercial Concrete Construction, Houston, recipient of last year’s ASCC Owner/Executive Safety Award and immediate past president of TCA. The remainder of the day will be devoted to breakout sessions, the heart of the program. Attendees will move from table to table to delve into a wide range of hard-hitting topics selected to foster spirited discussion. “The goal is for every attendee to leave armed with new ideas and contact information from fellow members, eager to continue the conversations, and with renewed energy for keeping their companies safe,” notes TCA Executive Director Mitch Bloomquist.
The U.S. Green Building Council has named four new directors and elected as board chairman Dr. Aaron Bernstein, associate director at Harvard University’s Center for Health and the Global Environment. Joining the board are Dan McQuade, managing director at Global Infrastructure Solutions; Karen Weigert, vice president of Business Strategy and regional operations at Slipstream, a nonprofit specializing in next-generation energy; Doug Woods, co-founder of DPR Construction; and Lakisha Ann Woods, National Institute of Building Sciences president.
The Center for Construction Research and Training—the construction safety and health research arm for the National Institute for Occupational Safety—recently renewed an alliance agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to provide training resources to protect workers from construction hazards. During the five-year agreement, the partners will address falls, silica exposure, trenching, cold weather, elevator construction safety, emergency response and recovery operations, and safe practice. They will also promote resources to improve safety culture; encourage employers to implement safety and health information on OSHA campaigns and initiatives; and, protection for workers facing retaliation for voicing safety matters.