Cohrs Elected CTLGroup Board of Directors Chairman

The CTLGroup Board of Directors elected Cary O. Cohrs as chairman during the organization’s recent fall board meeting in Chicago, Illinois

“Cary Cohrs brings a wealth of construction-related leadership to the CTLGroup Board,” Brent Nixon, CTLGroup president/CEO said. “We are excited to work with him in his new role as chairman, developing building solutions and new technologies to grow our global markets.”

“CTLGroup has a worldwide reputation as a firm of experts who solve complex construction problems, and it is a great honor to serve as chairman of its board,” Cohrs said.

Cohrs is the current president of American Cement Company, LLC, a joint venture of CRH’s Oldcastle Materials Inc., and Trap Rock Industries Inc., based in Sumterville, Fla.

Cohrs is also the current chair of the Portland Cement Association Board of Directors and has been an active member of the Florida Concrete and Products Association, serving as a member of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Discounted Registration to World of Concrete

World of Concrete 2015 will be held in Las Vegas on February 2-6, 2015. The largest, most comprehensive commercial concrete and masonry event for the concrete industry features more than 1,500 exhibitors and more than 100 seminars and conference sessions.

As a cosponsor, PCA offers discount admission to exhibits. By registering through PCA and using promo code A32, exhibit admission is only $20, a $40 savings.

Additionally, PCA receives a rebate from Hanley-Wood based on the number of pre-registered attendees who come to the show.
For discounted registration, click here

The Atlantic, Chicago Sun Times Discuss Modern World Impact of Cement

Two mainstream publications recently highlighted the role of cement and concrete on our built environment.

The historical role of cement and its rediscovery in the modern world was discussed at length in a recent article in The Atlantic. Reporter Sarah Laskow discusses the early applications of cement in Roman times, and transitions to the building of the Eddystone lighthouse off the south coast of England.

Laskow notes that since those earl times, “Portland cement has made concrete one of the most popular construction materials in the world.” She also cites current research that is being conducted in order to combine recycled concrete and earth for eco-friendly blocks.

Several large infrastructure projects in Chicago are leading a successful year of concrete applications in Chicago. The reconstruction of the Ontario Street Bridge, the Navy Pair Flyover, and the expansion of the Chicago Riverwalk are just a few of the many projects involving concrete in the city.

In the recent Chicago Sun-Times article, Lawrence Novak, director of structural engineering at PCA, notes that advancements in concrete technology plays a vital role in its applications within the city and beyond. “Our ability to produce stronger and stronger concrete has really fueled the ability for us to go taller and taller with the high-rise buildings,” says Novak. “If your concrete strength is low, you need bigger and bigger columns for support, and you wind up with a building that’s all column on the first floor. We can make columns smaller and buildings taller and lighter.”

Competitive Materials Prices Increase for Third Month

August’s Producer Price Indices (PPI) for asphalt, lumber, concrete, and steel each increased from year ago levels for the third consecutive month. Lumber rose the most (11.6 percent) and is within one percent of its record high reached in August of 2004. Steel increased 4.3 percent, while concrete increased 4.2 percent. Asphalt increased the least on a percentage-point basis (1.9 percent), but reached a record high level in August.

On a month-to-month basis, there was again minimal movement among the four competing materials. Concrete rose a slight 0.5 percent for the second straight month, while asphalt and lumber were up 0.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. Steel increased by 0.3 percent from July. Lumber prices appear to have leveled off over recent months; however, further acceleration in housing starts, particularly annualized growth of 20 percent, would likely renew upward relative pressure on the lumber PPI. 
Contact Joe Chiappe

GCC Promotes Escalante

The Board of Directors of Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) announced recently that Enrique Escalante will become the chief executive officer effective January 1, 2015.  Current CEO, Manual Milan, announced he will retire at the end of this year.

Under Milan´s leadership GCC grew from six to 116 ready mix concrete plants and from two to six cement plants, achieved an important expansion into the U.S. market and developed a solid distribution network that transformed it into a supplier of choice in the cement and ready mix markets it serves.

Escalante served as president of GCC of America since 2000. He joined the company in 1999 as president of its Mexican division.  Prior to joining GCC, Escalante had more than 20 years experience in management and sales positions in heavy industry and construction materials. He was chairman of the PCA Board of Directors, 2008-2010.

With this change, Ron Henley, vice president of ready mix and aggregates for GCC of America will succeed Escalante as president of the company’s U.S. division.

Henley started with GCC of America in 2012 as vice president of its logistics/supply chain department. In 2013, he assumed his current role.  Prior to coming to GCC, Henley was president of Boral Construction Materials.

Cement Industry Discusses WOTUS Rulemaking with Elected Officials – On September 18, PCA coordinated more than a dozen meetings with Congressional offices to discuss the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed ‘waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) rule. Representatives from Buzzi Unicem, CalPortland, Continental, Lafarge, and Lehigh Hanson participated in the event. The day began with a presentation by PCA Chief Economist and Group Vice President Ed Sullivan, who shared the preliminary results of PCA’s forthcoming economic analysis showing the impact to the cement industry of the proposed rule. Meetings were primarily held on the Senate side and discussions centered on industry concerns with the WOTUS rule; support for House-passed legislation, H.R. 5078, which would vacate the proposed rule; and interest in Senate action that would halt the rule and/or underscore industry concerns.
Contact  Justin Louchheim

PCA Members Continue to Pitch “Resilient” Building Codes – On September 18, advocates from Titan America met with Kristin Jacobs, commissioner for Broward County, Florida, who sits on the President’s Climate Task Force. Jacobs is the latest task force member to be educated by the cement industry about the importance of model, resilient building codes within the context of a climate resilience policy report being developed by the group. On September 9, representatives from PCA and CEMEX met with staff from the office of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who also sits on the task force, to discuss the benefits of resilient construction. According to federal, state, and local officials familiar with the draft report, members of the task force are expected to issue final recommendations to the current draft in October, with the Administration issuing a final report in November.
Contact  Bryan Brendle

CEMEX Hosts Plant Tour for Defazio – On September 15, PCA participated in a plant tour for Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), who serves as the Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Committee and is also a vocal leader on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Congressman DeFazio toured CEMEX’s Miami cement facility, while visiting several infrastructure projects in the region.
Contact Lauren Schapker

EPA Issues 45-Day Comment Extension for GHG Power Plant Proposal – On September 16, EPA extended the comment period for proposed regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants until December 1. EPA Air Chief Janet McCabe stated, however, that the 45-day extension would not push back the agency’s deadline of June 30, 2015, to finalize the power plant standards. PCA is coordinating comments through an industry coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers, highlighting potential electricity price increases resulting from stringent standards, among other issues. PCA’s Environment & Energy Committee is reviewing draft comments for input into the final document, which focuses on legal vulnerabilities to the EPA proposal.
Contact Bryan Brendle

CTLGroup Assists with New Bridge

The Spanish Creek Bridge is a distinctive open spandrel arch bridge near Quincy, California. This project posed unique and challenging engineering and construction requirements for the contractor, C.C. Myers. The thrust block foundations and arch segments were massive concrete placements, and the contractor was required to take extra precautions by treating them as “mass concrete” to minimize the potential of thermal stress cracking and temperature-related future durability issues. The thrust block foundations had plan dimensions of approximately 24-by-33-feet with a thickness of approximately 10 feet. The arch segments had plan dimensions of approximately 9-by-13-feet to 60 feet with thicknesses of approximately 6 to 8 feet.

Due to the large nature of these concrete placements and the necessary mass concrete considerations, C.C. Myers contacted CTLGroup for assistance. The mass concrete elements were required to have a maximum temperature after placement that did not exceed 158 degrees Fahrenheit, and the difference in temperature between the center and surface of the elements was required to be no greater than 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

To help achieve these requirements, minimize the time of construction, and make the placement of these elements more efficient, CTLGroup designed a cooling pipe system to aid in the reduction of maximum temperatures and temperature differentials, and to reduce the time of thermal control (i.e. the time that temperature monitoring, insulation of the placements, and cooling pipe operation were required). The cooling pipes consisted of plastic piping embedded in the concrete prior to placement, and the cooling pipes were designed to have a square grid pattern with pipe-to-pipe spacing of approximately 1-by-1.25-feet in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. CTLGroup’s industry leading mass concrete consulting services helped to produce a state-of-the-art concrete bridge which was constructed with high efficiency and great results.
Read more about the project
Contact Nate Welsh