Congress, last night, approved a $789 billion economic stimulus package to help provide a jolt to the United States economy. The compromise bill has approximately $150 billion for infrastructure projects, including money for a "Smart grid," sewer, rail and transportation projects.
Critics believe the stimulus package will take too long to get money in the pipeline. Many believe the stimulus is good for the long term, but will not have any significant short term impact. In addition, funding for school projects fell short of expectations.
Final Bill
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Precast and Pipe Show to be Held in Houston
The American Concrete Pipe Association and the National Precast Concrete Association have come together this year to sponsor The Precast Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Feb. 20-22, 2009. Thousands of attendees representing the precast and concrete pipe industries nationwide including manufacturers/producers, suppliers, engineers, contractors, technicians and consultants will be on-hand to see the latest in equipment, products and services to better position themselves in a challenging concrete market.
"The Precast Show is an equipment and services trade show designed by precasters and suppliers, and it puts the focus squarely on manufacturing, safety, technical training and the producers who are doing award-winning work in this industry," said Ty E. Gable, president of the National Precast Concrete Association, which is producing the event. "We're launching a new trade show in the midst of a recession, but we've had very good response so far and we expect a successful show."
The show will appeal to a large segment of U.S. construction. Concrete pipe and precast concrete products are a $5 billion industry. "The partnership is a natural fit for both trade associations," said 2008 ACPA Chairman Bill Washabaugh. "We share many of the same suppliers, much of the same production equipment needs and run our plants in similar ways. The opportunities for technical training and networking will benefit both groups greatly."
The ACPA will hold its Annual Production Short Course before the trade show at the Hyatt Regency Houston from Feb. 17-20, a three-day concrete pipe educational conference featuring tours to Houston-area plants including Hanson Pipe and Precast, Rinker Materials' Concrete Pipe Division (CEMEX) and Ivy Steel & Wire.
Technical training provides a major focus of The Precast Show, with three days of courses in eight educational tracks. The Precast Show also includes the industry's biggest awards event, The Salute to Excellence. Both NPCA and ACPA will be presenting awards at the event, which includes an exclusive performance by country music star LeAnn Rimes.
More information on the ACPA Annual Production Short Course can be obtained by contacting the ACPA at (972) 506-7216 or by visiting the website at www.concrete-pipe.org. Information about The Precast Show is available at www.theprecastshow.org or by contacting NPCA's Brenda Ibitz at (317) 582-5109 or bibitz@precast.org.
"The Precast Show is an equipment and services trade show designed by precasters and suppliers, and it puts the focus squarely on manufacturing, safety, technical training and the producers who are doing award-winning work in this industry," said Ty E. Gable, president of the National Precast Concrete Association, which is producing the event. "We're launching a new trade show in the midst of a recession, but we've had very good response so far and we expect a successful show."
The show will appeal to a large segment of U.S. construction. Concrete pipe and precast concrete products are a $5 billion industry. "The partnership is a natural fit for both trade associations," said 2008 ACPA Chairman Bill Washabaugh. "We share many of the same suppliers, much of the same production equipment needs and run our plants in similar ways. The opportunities for technical training and networking will benefit both groups greatly."
The ACPA will hold its Annual Production Short Course before the trade show at the Hyatt Regency Houston from Feb. 17-20, a three-day concrete pipe educational conference featuring tours to Houston-area plants including Hanson Pipe and Precast, Rinker Materials' Concrete Pipe Division (CEMEX) and Ivy Steel & Wire.
Technical training provides a major focus of The Precast Show, with three days of courses in eight educational tracks. The Precast Show also includes the industry's biggest awards event, The Salute to Excellence. Both NPCA and ACPA will be presenting awards at the event, which includes an exclusive performance by country music star LeAnn Rimes.
More information on the ACPA Annual Production Short Course can be obtained by contacting the ACPA at (972) 506-7216 or by visiting the website at www.concrete-pipe.org. Information about The Precast Show is available at www.theprecastshow.org or by contacting NPCA's Brenda Ibitz at (317) 582-5109 or bibitz@precast.org.
CIM Raises $300,000 at Fourth Annual Auction
The National Steering Committee for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program raised $300,000 at its fourth annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Thursday, Feb. 5. According to Wally Johnson of US Concrete Products, the 2009 CIM Auction Chairman, “The money raised will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the current CIM as well as help fund future program expansion.”Support for the event was provided by the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, McNeilus Companies, Inc. and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.In addition to the live auction, a silent auction was held this year. Auction items included cement, a skid steer, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.
To learn more about the CIM Program, visit http://www.concretedegree.com/
Show Attendance Down
I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas where three construction related shows were being held: the World of Concrete, the Roofing Expo and Surfaces. According to show management, attendance at each show was down significantly. Walking the aisles and talking to exhibitors at the WOC and the Roofing Expo was disheatening. Traffic was minimal and buyers were not buying. Many of the equipment manufacturers and material suppliers I talked have already cut staff, some by as much as 30%. The general sense was that 2009 is going to be a lost year for the construction industry, and there is some hope for 2010.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Kitchen Sink Strategy
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, state and city officials are seeking to add a variety of projects which includes everything, including the "kitchen sink." The article cites the U. S. Council of Mayors "Wish List" includes 18,750 projects."Our approach has been to list everything, because we don't know what the final guidelines will be or what the final dollar amount will be," says Greg MacLean, public-works director in Lincoln, Neb. Among the projects are:
-Neon signs in Las Vegas
-A $4.5 Million Eco Park and Butterfly Garden in Boyton Beach, FL
-A frisbee disc park in Austin, TX
-A $3 million eco-friendly club house at a municiple golf course in Lincoln, NE
-A dog park in Chula Vista, CA
-A "Splash Park" in San Bernadino, CA
ACEC-NY Launches Campaign to Promote Engineering as a Career
Launching its first statewide image advertising campaign this month to coincide with the celebration of National Engineers Week, Feb. 15-21, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) is sponsoring a message to promote the engineering profession to government agencies, policy makers, students, parents, academics and the general public. Half-page ads will run in regional and trade publications throughout New York State, with posters and billboards layered on in select markets. Responding to a 2008 report from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering, ACEC New York’s new “Vision” campaign communicates positive aspects of the engineering profession—creativity, innovation and forward thinking—that have long been ignored or misunderstood by the public.Developed by Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based marketing and public relations firm Reichman Frankle Inc., the ad focuses on the inspirational nature of engineering by combining an oversized photo of a young person in a hard hat gazing through binoculars that reflect back images of an idealized built environment and a satellite view of the earth with the headline, “Your Vision Can Change the World.” The copy reinforces the message that engineering requires creativity, imagination, and vision, and provides examples of the kinds of cutting edge projects engineers are involved in, such as green buildings and state-of-the-art bridge design. “The goal of our new ad campaign is to get the general public excited about engineering, to interest young people in the profession and to communicate to policy makers and the public the intrinsic value of the profession to society’s well being,” said Hannah O’Grady, deputy executive director of ACEC New York. “Engineers’ work is essential to meeting the great challenges of our times—global competition, technological literacy and a sustainable planet. Greater understanding of the inventive role of the engineer should rightly enhance the perception of the profession and its essential, and often overlooked, contribution to our quality of life.”
“Consulting Engineering—A Career that Matters” is a new flash movie presentation to raise awareness of the profession among students at the college level. Produced as a CD-ROM, this 8-minute movie features video clips of young engineers describing their work across the various engineering disciplines and incorporates real project photos. The video is available at the ACEC NY website.
Source: ACEC New York -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 2/4/2009
Concrete Industry Management to Hold Auction
The 2009 Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Fundraising Auction is scheduled for Thursday, February 5 at World of Concrete® at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event will feature a silent auction from 11 am – 1 pm, with the live auction following promptly at 1 pm.The 2009 CIM Auction will benefit the efforts of the CIM National Steering Committee (NSC) in support of the CIM Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University – Chico and Texas State University – San Marcos.
BID ONLINE!Can’t make it to the auction? Real-time bidding is available over the internet using the Ritchie Bros. online bidding service, “rbauctionBid-Live.” Visit rbauction.com to register.
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