The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Portland Cement Association have named Joe Roche as chief financial officer, reporting to NRMCA President Mike Philipps and PCA CEO Mike Ireland. Roche arrives with 30-plus years’ management experience supporting non-profit and trade organizations, and immediately transitions from the National 4-H Council in Chevy Chase, Md. He will lead ongoing evaluation, development and implementation of NRMCA and PCA financial processes and systems, and oversee the groups’ Finance Shared Services agreement. Based primarily at the Alexandria, Va., association offices, Roche will work with external finance partners to implement process improvements, maximize system capabilities, and focus on staff development.
Read MoreMonth: June 2020
PRODUCERS – JUNE 2020
Wisconsin-based precast/prestressed concrete building solutions specialist Spancrete has promoted Scott Bertschinger to executive vice president, Kimberly Wacker to senior vice president, and Todd Backus to senior vice president and chief financial officer. All will be based at Waukesha headquarters, near Milwaukee; report to principal and CEO John Nagy; and, have responsibilities encompassing Valders, Wis., Crystal Lake, Ill., and Sebring, Fla. concrete operations, plus Waukesha hollow core machinery production.
Read MoreO&G Industries ups solar power sourcing in tandem with Energy Star pilot
Connecticut’s largest privately held construction and heavy building materials producer recently turned the switch on a 1.3-megawatt solar array at its Southbury quarry, ready mixed concrete and asphalt operation. O&G Industries couples the 3,762-panel installation with a 280-kilowatt energy storage system that will augment power supply during peak demand cycles—especially early morning hours when the sun isn’t strong enough to keep the array at full output while concrete, aggregate and asphalt production startup spikes electricity use.
Read MoreFizzano Bros. diverts plastics from landfill to commercial aggregate
Fizzano Bros. Concrete Products is proving the engineering properties and commercial potential of Resin8, a fine aggregate derived from post-consumer plastic waste, pozzolans and calcium hydroxide. The Philadelphia producer has teamed with developer, Center for Regenerative Design & Collaboration (CRDC), on testing the material’s viability as a small volume (≤ 10 percent) ASTM C33 aggregate substitute in concrete masonry units. Their inaugural commercial installation in the U.S. is a 15-ft. wall finished earlier this year at the Braskem America Innovation and Technology Center, a Pittsburgh facility dedicated to post-consumer plastics re-use and chemical recycling research.
Read MoreDrone Zone, UTV track on deck for Hardscape North America
A Drone Zone and Utility Vehicle Test Track headline new offerings for this year’s Hardscape North America, October 21-23 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville. Hardscape NA is produced by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, with lead sponsors Belgard and Keystone Hardscapes, plus National Concrete Masonry Association and Brick Industry Association endorsements.
Read MoreSika answers permeability with hydrophobic hydrophilic admixtures
The introduction of a powdered, concrete plant-dispensed agent positions Sika Corp. as reportedly the only admixture producer to offer the two core permeability reducing technologies: hydrophilic crystalline and hydrophobic pore blocking. The hydrostatic application-geared WT-240 P is in the former category and meets ASTM C-494 Type S requirements. Its moisture activated compounds produce insoluble crystalline deposits that form within the capillary system. The crystalline formulations have the ability to reduce capillary pore size and prevent water penetration in concrete slabs or structures.
Read MorePatio Drummond anchors CarbiCrete test demonstration
Montreal-based CarbiCrete continues to ramp up commercialization efforts of its carbon-negative process for manufactured concrete production through an industrial-scale pilot project in partnership with Quebec hardscape manufacturer Patio Drummond. The cleantech company plans to produce up to 25,000 concrete masonry units (CMUs) daily at the Drummondville, Quebec plant when production begins in August 2020.
Read MoreAgency launches program portal for Industry-Recognized Apprenticeships
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP) Standards Recognition Entities (SRE) online application is live. Excepting those in construction trades, the program enables organizations to pursue SRE certification, then develop and administer training for paid apprenticeships in manufacturing and other sectors.
Read MoreCrumbling foundations spawn agency’s pyrrhotite-prone aggregate tracing
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the first map of rock deposits exhibiting the potential to contain or form pyrrhotite, whose presence in otherwise ASTM C33 aggregate can prove extraordinarily deleterious in concrete. The map is part of a new fact sheet, “Pyrrhotite Distribution in the Conterminous United States,” publication of which abides a Congressional directive addressing widespread residential foundation failure cases in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Read MorePervious, permeable pavement materials prevail in EPA RainWorks Challenge
Winning projects from an annual Environmental Protection Agency competition that engages college students in on-campus green infrastructure design demonstrate the health and environmental benefits of good stormwater management.
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