Construction Equipment Owner

The concrete industry is a fast-paced market. I see a lot of new products and technologies come across my desk and computer every day. With our many active industry associations, progressive-thinking contractors and manufacturers generating new ideas, it can be hard to keep up on everthing that’s new out there, let alone get that information beyond our industry to architects, designers and the public. That’s why I was excited to see an interivew with Hycrete President David Rosenberg on FoxBusiness.com. Rosenberg discussed his company’s waterproof concrete system and stimulus plan opportunities for the concrete industry.

An owner of a construction company needs to keep his or her eye on a lot of things concerning the industry — from local employment laws to national environmental rules to the latest trends and technology. But probably the most important element of a company a contractor needs to know about concerns tools on the jobsite — the latest in skid-steer loaders, lasers, walk-behind saws, concrete countertop molds and so much more. Whatever you might be looking for, Concrete Contractor’s online portal ForConstructionPros.com makes equipment searching easy with the launch of “Equipment Connection,” an online compendium of  construction equipment and materials.

Concrete contractors will find the most pertinent tools for their jobsites in the “Concrete Equipment” and “Decorative Concrete” categories, but don’t let that stop you from exploring other categories like “Blades & Abrasives,” “Earthmoving Equipment,” and “Hand-held Tools.” I think contractors will find “Equipment Connection” helpful in many ways. For example, visit the “Trowels” subcategory page to find trowels from dozens of manufacturers, or visit the Multiquip company page to find all the equipment this company offers over all categories and subcategories.

Take a look at this valuable online resource, bookmark it and visit it often. Let me know if you have any suggestions to make the site easier to navigate or more helpful to your business.

I recently read an article that reported on a speech by Doug Pruitt, president of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), at the group’s national convention this month. In it he made reference to a Bureau of Labor Statistics number I found staggering: that in the last 40 years, the construction industry has seen zero productivity growth.

With the rise of computers, advancements in laser and surveying equipment, GPS grading, job costing software, and countless other technological advancements for the construction industry you would think construction productivity numbers would have skyrocketed over the last 40 years. So what’s holding back the industry? Where do you think the responsibility for increasing construction productivity lies? With a project owner? A general contractor? Subcontractors working on a project? Let me know about technologies you’ve embraced on the construction site to help increase productivity with your office or field crews.

Concrete paving and whitetopping have been pretty hot topics over the last year. With the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) stepping up promotional efforts on parking lot paving and the American Concrete Paving Association (ACPA) encouraging people to “kick the asphalt habit” in general, contractors have been finding support in venturing into this service. My magazine, Concrete Contractor, published an article on concrete whitetopping in the January 2009 issue, detailing the specifics of a concrete whitetopping job at a strip mall parking lot. If you’re looking for further education on concrete overlays, the ACPA offers a free 75-page publication called “Guide to Concrete Overlays: Sustainable Solutions for Resurfacing and Rehabilitating Existing Pavements” downloadable in PDF format. At the same site you can access a PDF of a “Summary of Concrete Overlays” poster, which would be an educational addition to any concrete company’s office wall.

Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes my favorite sport. Baseball? NO. Concrete Canoeing!

The 2009 Concrete Canoe Competition will be held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, June 11-13. Engineering students from universities all over the country will compete in canoe design and speed. Before the national competition takes place, however, concrete canoeists will compete in conference competitions in late March and early April. Check the schedule for a concrete canoe competition near you, then go out and cheer for your favorite team. I’ll be rooting for my home team, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Go Badgers!

Yesterday, ForConstructionPros.com, an online sister publication to Concrete Contractor, attended President Barack Obama’s speech at the Caterpillar facility in East Peoria, Ill. President Obama addressed the employees at Cat about the construction economy and the importance of the economic stimulus bill. You can view the President’s comments at the ForConstructionPros.com Video Network and also Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Owens’ comments to the media.

The saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but my week at the World of Concrete isn’t something I want to forget or repress. Attendance at the show might have been down from previous years, but manufacturers introduced many new products and contractors who attended the show were eager to find ways to make their businesses more profitable.

A popular topic at the show was today’s challenged economy and the proposed economic stimulus package being debated in Congress. At a press conference during the World of Concrete, Portland Cement Association (PCA) Chief Economist Ed Sullivan discussed today’s current economy and scenarios that could arise with or without a stimulus package. You can read about Sullivan’s expectations for the economy or listen to a podcast at the PCA homepage that explains the importance of an infrastructure package.

Something new at the World of Concrete this year was a video newscast from ForConstructionPros.com, an online resource for contractors and an online relative to Concrete Contractor. If you missed the World of Concrete, or attended the show and want a quick recap of each day, you can view the video newscasts online (go to the Events/Shows area to find the three, thirty-minute daily newscasts).

The American Subcontractors Association is currently offering a free podcast entitled “10 Survival Tips for Contractors in Lean Times.” Hosted by Donald Gregory, Esq. of the Columbus, Ohio-based law firm of Kegler, Brown, Hill and Ritter, the 15-minute podcast addresses topics such as preserving lien rights and cost-cutting. You can listen to the podcast through your computer or download the program to your iPod or MP3 player. Access the podcast at the ASA’s website.

We’ve been stuck in a bit of a cold snap here in Wisconsin — a nice time to kick back on the couch under a blanket with a warm cup of tea for some easy reading. “Easy reading” for me no longer means a steady diet of knitting magazines and Tony Hillerman novels, but instead topics like pervious concrete and sustainable construction. A few great reads I’ve recently taken in include two white papers from L.M. Scofield — “How Concrete Contributes to Today’s Green Designs” and “Design and Construction of Pervious Concrete Pavements.” If you’ve got a little time and want to increase your knowledge base on either of these topics, I encourage you to take a look at these publications.

I recently received some pretty interesting underwater photography … of bending rebar! The photos were taken on a jobsite offshore in the Bahamas. The contractor was hired to refurbish a couple berths in the port. He wrote of the project, ” We have to custom build cages which requires drilling, doweling and epoxy to make the structures. We have to bend the rebar in place to customize each cage, then build a form around it and pump concrete in.”

Underwater bending was performed using EZE Bend equipment. Brad Rozema of EZE Bend explains, “Using radio communication to activate the hydraulics, the diver completes rebar bends underwater.”