The www.armofmn.com and www.chooseconcrete.com websites have been integrated to create one new and improved website.  Users will be able to use either address to get to the new site.  The new integrated site contains “consumer-related” information on ready mix concrete and aggregate.  The site also provides pertinent information to the ARM membership on news and events, association calendar, technical resources and of course registration information for the ACI/MnDOT Certification Courses.

Click Here to View the New Website

The Aggregate and Ready Mix Association of Minnesota’s Board of Directors is pleased to invite owners and senior management of ARM member companies to join them at the 2006 Leadership Conference August 17, 2006 at the Eagan Community Center. The 2006 conference will focus on two issues that ARM membership has deemed critical to the ready mix and aggregate industries in Minnesota - Workforce and Advocacy Issues.

Workforce Issues: Changes in the Minnesota workforce were the number one concern raised at the 2004 ARM Leadership Conference and attention to workforce issues was identified as critical and vital to the success of the aggregate and ready mix concrete industries. As a result, training and certification programs have and will continue to be a core program of ARM.

Advocacy: Advocacy continues to be another critical ARM program and the 2006 Leadership Conference will help to define how ARM lobbying and political efforts can be improved and made more effective at the legislature and within the administration of state and local government in Minnesota. Because ARM advocacy efforts and activities have increased in recent years, the conference will provide ARM members with the opportunity to provide direction for future advocacy endeavors.

Involvement Needed: The ARM Board of Directors will soon be considering the direction the association will take in the coming years including the level of commitment to current core programs. The input of leaders in the industry in Minnesota will determine the success of these efforts. Register today for the 2006 Leadership Conference!  For additional information, e-mail Margaret Mills at mmills@armofmn.com or Fred Corrigan at fcorrigan@armofmn.com

Click Here to Download Registration Brochure

The next meeting of the ARM Board of Directors will be Thursday, July 20^th at 1:30 pm.  The meeting will be held at Degussa Admixtures located at 2955 Eagandale Blvd in Eagan.  Preliminary 2007 budget discussions will be held at this meeting.  To RSVP for the meeting, either call the ARM office at 952-707-1250 or e-mail Jill Cohen at jcohen@armofmn.com

Watch the mail and your e-mail in the next several weeks for the 2007 Building Excellence Awards submission forms.  The deadline for entry will be October 15, 2006.  Award winners will be notified at the beginning of November.  The Building Excellence Awards Banquet will be held December 13, 2006 at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

The office staff spends considerable time scanning print photos that are submitted with each entry for the judging process.  Submissions of digital pictures either e-mailed to the office or submitted on a disc would greatly speed up that process.

The 2^nd Annual Minnesota Statewide Concrete Homes Open House will be held in conjunction with the 2007 Severe Weather Awareness Week.  The Open House will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, 2007.

The www.ChooseConcreteHomes.com website remains live where visitors can view homes that were open during the 2006 event.  The photo gallery was also updated to include many more homes around Minnesota.  If you have a picture of a concrete home (footings to rafters) that you would like to have posted in the photo gallery, e-mail it to Margaret Mills at mmills@armofmn.com– Be sure to include the name of the city in which the home is located.

Sponsorship levels have been set for the 2007 Minnesota Statewide Concrete Homes Open House Event.  The categories include:

$1500 - Gold Level Sponsorship -  Must be an ARM member or a Concrete Home Specialist^® The sponsor’s logo and a link to their website will appear on the event website until October, 2007. Sponsor’s logo to appear in any statewide print ads that promote the 2007 event. Sponsor and/or their designees to receive unlimited home entries free of charge. Commitment must be made by October 15, 2006 and payment received by January 31, 2007.

$1000 - Silver Level Sponsorship -  Must be an ARM member or a Concrete Home Specialist^® The sponsor’s logo and a link to their website will appear on the event website until October, 2007. Sponsor’s logo to appear in any statewide print ads that promote the 2007 event.  Sponsor and/or their designees to receive up to five home entries free of  charge. Commitment must be made by October 15, 2006 and payment received by January 31, 2007.

$500 - Bronze Level Sponsorship -  Must be an ARM member, Concrete Home Specialist^® or a builder/installer.  The sponsor’s logo and a link to their website will appear on the event website until October, 2007.  Sponsor and/or their designees to receive one home entry free of charge.

$750 - Friend of the Industry -  Need not be an ARM member, although ARM membership is encouraged.  Sponsor’s logo and a link to their website will appear on the event website until October, 2007.

All sponsorships must be approved by ARM’s ICF Committee.  Cooperative advertising program only available to event sponsors or  Concrete Home Specialists^®.  Entry fees for homes not covered by sponsorships are $100 for each home built with an ARM member ICF and $200 for each home built with a non-ARM member ICF. Entry fees may be waived if home is identified by a sponsor as described above.

Click Here to Download Sponsorship Brochure

Click Here to View the Event Website

OSHA recently unveiled its safety and health topics page for the concrete and concrete products manufacturing industries, and in doing so recognized NRMCA as its partner in safety and health education.   The resource advances safety and health education among ready mixed concrete manufacturing workers, as well as employees in concrete pipe, concrete block, pre-cast concrete, and others. NRMCA sits on the editorial board that develops content for the page.  The new topics page is a product of OSHA's Alliance program and the SAFE Strategic Partnership Agreement with NRMCA.  The web site provides information about comprehensive safety and health management programs, standards interpretations, compliance directives, and electronic assistance tools from experts.

OSHA Administrator Edwin Foulke stated, "The development of this page demonstrates how we leverage our resources and work in cooperation with organizations to improve workplace safety and health. This new resource provides useful information and guidance that will help foster a safer work environment for employees involved in cement production and manufacturing, and cement-related construction." The information is a great resource for all workers in the concrete industry.

Click here to read news release and go to topics page.

Contact: Tom Harman

Source: Washington Briefing, North American Concrete Alliance

A provision levying a half-cent-per-pound tax on explosives was struck from the FY 2007 Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations measure during House Floor debate this week.

U.S. Representative Alan Mollohan (D-W.V.) raised a point of order against the provision stating that it constituted "legislation in an appropriations bill," a violation of House rules.

The point of order was sustained and the provision was struck from the bill. The FY 2007 Science-State-Justice-Commerce spending measure approved by the House Appropriations Committee last week included a scaled-back $0.005 cent-per-pound tax on explosives purchases from the Administration's original tax request of a $0.02 cent-per-pound.

The Administration supported the tax in order to finance a proposed funding increase for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

PCA opposed the tax and worked with other associations to have the tax provision removed from the appropriations bill.

Source: Washington Briefing, North American Concrete Alliance

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete shipped in April 2006 is at 37.7 million cubic yards, 3.9% lower than in April 2005. The year-to-date ready mixed concrete production through April is estimated at 136.4 million cubic yards, 8.8% higher than for the same period in 2005.

Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments published by the US Geological Survey. More details are posted on NRMCA's website

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta submitted a letter of resignation to President Bush. The letter (obtained by Transportation Weekly, © 2006 Legislative Services Group) was sent by Mineta to President Bush on June 20. The Secretary, who began his service on January 25, 2001, will retire effective July 7.  A long-time friend of the transportation construction industry, Secretary Mineta served for many years as a member of the U.S. House of Representative’s Public Works and Transportation Committee, including two years as Chairman.

Click here to view a copy of the letter

Washington Briefing – North America Concrete Alliance 6/23/06

• A "streamlined" air permitting process, especially for 'greenfields' development;
  
• Reduced fees in the permitting process due to a de minimis (of insufficient significance to warrant judicial attention) threshold exclusion in a state's permit requirement; and
  
• A significantly better understanding of the precise amount of air emissions since the data quality from the Foundation survey is far superior to any previously-documented factors.
  

NSSGA is seeking nominations for the 2006 Barry K. Wendt Commitment Award for an individual who personifies commitment to family, career and the aggregates industry. Barry was a longtime active associate member who devoted much of his work to advancing industry causes, and who did so with hard work and integrity. This award named in his memory is the highest honor an individual NSSGA member can receive. Read Full Article...

“Construction spending dropped in May for the second straight month but there are plenty of bright spots amidst the gloom,” Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said today. Simonson was commenting on a July 3 report from the Census Bureau that showed the value of construction put in place fell at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.4 percent in May, following a dip of 0.2 percent in April.

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