NCMA e-News Brief
Sept. 22, 2011

NCMA offers free webinars to discuss ASTM C90 web thickness changes
NCMA
In September, a series of proposed changes to revise the minimum web requirements in ASTM C90 will be released for review on an ASTM main committee ballot; the last step an ASTM committee takes in proposing changes to a standard. To encourage feedback from all segments of the production, construction and design communities regarding these proposed changes, NCMA will be hosting free and open webinars to answer questions and solicit input on the following dates:

Information on both of these upcoming events is available here. Each session is expected to last approximately one hour, depending upon the scope and number of questions raised. Preregistration is not required; however, each session will be limited to the first 100 participants. Can't make either one of these sessions? No worries as each will be recorded to allow viewing when your schedule permits. For more information on these proposed changes to ASTM, or either of these upcoming webinars, please contact Jason Thompson or Nick Lang. More

NCMA Foundation awards 3 new Student Design Competitions
NCMA

  • Pennsylvania State University – This competition is scheduled for the spring semester 2012 under the direction of professor James Cooper. Included will be a trip to Penn Tech College for a one-day workshop to study different masonry unit construction techniques and acquire hands-on experience in laying block. The class will then travel to New York City to view firsthand some of the architecture and urbanism of Manhattan in general. The competition will include the design of a hypothetical building in New York City. Local sponsor: Beavertown Block
  • University of Southern California — This program will be integrated into USC's second-year graduate studio course focused on materiality for the spring semester 2012. As an integrated project, approximately 40 graduate students will participate under the direct supervision of three studio faculty members coordinated by professor Gail Peter Borden. Local sponsor – ORCO Block
  • Bowling Green State University – This will be the fourth competition conducted at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. It will be held during the 2011 fall semester. Associate professor Andreas Luescher, who is a Swiss-trained architect, artist and writer will be teaching the class and the competition. Local sponsor: Ohio Masonry Association

    For more information on the NCMA Foundation-Sponsored Student Design Competition go to the NCMA Foundation website. Guidelines for the competition as well as the final reports of previous competitions are also available at this site.More

    Midyear Meeting minutes available
    NCMA
    The NCMA Midyear committee meetings in Vancouver, Canada, were a huge success. Thank you for your commitment to the industry, the association, and pledge of time and expertise in advancing concrete masonry. The minutes of Midyear committee meetings have been posted on the NCMA website in the Members Only section. (Click on the Members Area link located in the upper right-hand corner of the home page, under the search box to log in.) A note describing board actions on committee recommended action and advisory items has been included within each set of minutes. For further information on issues addressed during committee meetings, please contact the respective committee chairman or staff liaison. More

    Testing Procedures Course and CCMTT Exam
    NCMA
    There is still room to attend the Concrete Masonry Testing Procedures Course and Certified Concrete Masonry Testing Technician certification exam Oct. 6-8 at NCMA headquarters in Herndon, Va. This course and exam cover the testing of concrete masonry units, concrete pavers, segmental retaining wall units, masonry mortar, grout and masonry prisms, according to ASTM standards. All participants who pass the exam become Certified Concrete Masonry Testing Technicians. The course is ideal for testing laboratory personnel and plant quality control personnel. To sign up for this course, contact Brittaney Thompson. For more information on the course and examination, contact Nick Lang.More

    ACBs — Do you produce, design or supply them? If you do, please let us know
    NCMA
    NCMA is updating the online membership directory and adding information on producers, associates and CM affiliate members that supply products and services to the Articulating Concrete Block industry. To update your information and add ACB to your products, please let us know by sending an email before Sept. 30.More

    Block and Hardscape Products Sales and Customer Service Representative Course
    NCMA
    We have combined two of our popular classes' information into one jammed-packed session. It's like getting two classes for the price of one. This course provides entry-level sales professionals and customer service representatives with an overview of concrete masonry and hardscape products systems. In addition to product training, participants learn from industry experts about market trends and how to best help designers, contractors and landscape architects. The course agenda is balanced between concrete masonry product knowledge and hardscape product knowledge. Participants gain a solid foundation for selling products with confidence and dealing effectively with customers. (Note: The NCMA/CSI Technical Sales Course focuses on the advanced technical aspects of concrete masonry products, while the Block and Hardscape Products Sales /Customer Service Representative Course focuses on product fundamentals.) The Block and Hardscape Products Sales Course/Customer Service Representative Course is open to new personnel responsible for selling concrete masonry and hardscape systems and to seasoned sales personnel in need of additional training or refresher tips. The courses will be held Nov. 16-17 at NCMA headquarters.More

    NCMA education
    NCMA

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    It's not too early to think about the 2012 NCMA Annual Convention
    NCMA
    Join us in 2012 for Precast Show featuring ICON EXPO and the NCMA Annual Convention, to be held Feb. 29 – March 3 in Orlando, Fla. ICON EXPO, the tradeshow for producers and suppliers of concrete masonry and hardscape products and services, is pleased to join the Precast Show, the largest event specifically for the manufactured concrete products industry.More

    Obama touts jobs bill benefits for small business
    The Associated Press via CBS News
    President Barack Obama urged enthusiastic college students Sept. 21 to join him in his fight to get Congress to act on his new jobs bill. "Every single one of you can help make this bill a reality," the president called out at a hot and noisy rally at North Carolina State University. Obama's focus was small businesses, which would be helped by Social Security payroll tax cuts.More

    Double jeopardy: Building codes may underestimate risks due to multiple hazards
    PhysOrg.com
    As large parts of the nation recover from nature's one-two punch — an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene — building researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. This is because current codes consider natural hazards individually, explains NIST's Dat Duthinh, a research structural engineer.More

    NAM weekly economic report
    NAM
    The current economic environment appears to be stuck in neutral. A number of economic indicators released varied little from August, including data for retail sales and producer prices. At the same time, measures for manufacturing production were mixed. The Federal Reserve Board found that industrial production rose 0.2 percent in August, led by strong increases in durable goods sectors including motor vehicles and aerospace. Meanwhile, the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Banks' monthly surveys observed contracting new orders and production in their regions. More

    ABI turns positive after 4 straight monthly declines
    American Institute of Architects
    On the heels of a period of weakness in design activity, the Architecture Billings Index took a sudden upturn in August. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the August ABI score was 51.4, following a very weak score of 45.1 in July. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 56.9, up sharply from a reading of 53.7 in July. More

    NCMA urges Congress to pass TRAIN Act
    NCMA
    NCMA has joined with the National Association of Manufacturers and other manufacturing associations in an advertisement that will run in Capitol Hill print media the week of Sept. 19 urging Congress to pass H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011. The action is in opposition to the EPA's recently adopted and proposed rules that would foist unrealistic and costly requirements on public utilities and cement plants, threatening jobs there. EPA's aggressive standards on greenhouse gas emissions and declaring coal ash a hazardous waste are costly examples of EPA overreach. The act will help Congress and the nation understand the cumulative economic cost of unrealistic EPA regulations on manufacturers and strangle economic growth.More

    NCMA joins coalition to challenge NYC cement content limits
    NCMA
    The National Concrete Masonry Association joined with other cement and concrete industry organizations to express its objections to a proposed city regulation that would limit the amount of cement that could be used in preparing concrete for use in construction applications within the city of New York. NCMA supports the position of the coalition that mandated prescriptive approaches such as that proposed are contrary to a preferred approach of establishing performance-based objectives that have the ability to balance multiple design needs to achieve sustainable construction outcomes. The industry response is being coordinated by the Pat Rearden of the Northeast Cement Shipper's Association. For more information about New York City Council International 0577-211, click here.More

    Obama's deficit-reduction proposals and how they would affect small business
    NCMA
    President Barack Obama has just put forth a plan entitled, "Living Within Our Means and Investing in the Future." It assumes that the Committee of 12 — the "SuperCommittee" — will come up with the requisite $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. In addition, the president's proposal includes nearly $580 billion in cuts and reforms to mandatory programs, of which $320 billion is savings from federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The plan also realizes more than $1 trillion in savings over the next 10 years from the drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are $430 billion in interest savings. It also calls for Congress to undertake comprehensive tax "reform" that increases revenues by $1.5 trillion.More