It's Getting Easier to be Green!

ARM to Hire New Promotions Director

ARM Board of Directors Approve By-Laws Changes

ARM Participation in AIA Minnesota Convention

Concrete Industry Management Program Proposed

Study Reports Power Take-Off Fuel Use Rate for Concrete Mixers

Brrrr... It's Getting COLD Outside

ARM President & Executive Director to Visit SW Minnesota

Transportation Meeting Scheduled for November 29th in Chaska

Eleven Things to do When Your Customer Files Bankruptcy

Storm Resistant Homes & Buildings Seminar Planned

“It’s Getting Easier to be Green” is the theme of the ARM Convention that will be held December 12-13, 2007 at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis. Several great presentations are scheduled. You won’t want to miss this event!

For detailed convention information and registrations forms, CLICK HERE

The Building Excellence Awards Banquet is scheduled for the evening of December 12th.  It requires a separate registration from the convention.

To view the banquet invitation, CLICK HERE
To download the RSVP card, CLICK HERE

For a list of the 2007 Building Excellence Awards winners, CLICK HERE

For information on how you can sponsor either event, CLICK HERE

A block of rooms is being held at The Depot through November 22nd.
Call The Depot directly to make your hotel room reservation at 866.211.4611. Mention the ARM Convention to get the group discount rate of $149 + tax for a standard room or $169 + tax for a historic suite.

Please contact the ARM office with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in December!

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At its October 25, 2007 meeting, the ARM Board of Directors agreed to hire a new Promotions Director pending confirmation of the funding request made to the North Central Cement Council (NCCC). A letter was received from the NCCC on November 8, 2007 that confirmed funding levels for 2008.

The new Promotions Director will develop and maintain relationships with ready mix concrete producers in Minnesota, cement companies serving the state of Minnesota and associate members of ARM. They will assume a leadership role in promotion efforts for concrete parking lots and residential concrete target markets. The Promotions Director will insure a coordinated concrete product promotion effort on targeted markets by all ARM members throughout the state. He or she will work closely with specifiers to increase knowledge/awareness of concrete parking lot and residential applications of ready mix concrete. They will communicate with local associate members to ensure a coordinated grass-roots promotion effort. They will provide a professional, constructive and positive representation of ARM interests throughout the assigned regional area.

ARM’s Board of Directors looks forward to working with other ARM members and the NCCC to make this position a permanent and successful part of ARM activities.

For additional information, please contact Fred Corrigan at the ARM office at 952.707.1250.

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At its October 25, 2007 meeting, the ARM Board of Directors approved changes to the by-laws of the association. Further by-laws changes will be voted on by the entire membership at the Business Meeting held during the ARM Annual Convention on December 13 at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

New directors will be elected at that same Business Meeting on December 13th. Contact Fred Corrigan if you would like to be considered or if you know of someone who should be considered as a nominee.

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ARM Residential Committee Co-Chairs Jason Fritz (Cemstone) and Jeff Rutz (AJ Wismin Homes) spoke to a crowd of well over 200 at the recent AIA Minnesota Convention on the topic of commercial ICF construction. The two-hour seminar included the history of ICFs, code approval information, CSI specification information and the review of over 50 details from several local Minnesota commercial ICF projects. Those projects presented and explained included a hotel, theater, multi-use facility and a LEED Certified Gold residential complex.

Others participating in the presentation were Jon Hansen from NRMCA and John Lee from Cemstone.

ARM, as part of the Minnesota Fire Safe Construction Advisory Council, was involved with sponsoring a presentation by Dr. Walt Schneider, PE. Schneider, who also visited Minneapolis and St. Cloud last March, relayed information related to the Minneapolis Fire Safe Construction Cost Comparison Study that was done recently. Over 130 people attended this well-received session.

Dr. Schneider is the author of the “Fire Safe Construction Cost Comparison Study” and led the team who compiled the results. He is Principal at John C. Haas Associates, an architectural and engineering firm located in State College, PA, as well as a life long firefighter, FEMA trained rescue team member and Penn State University faculty member.

The Minnesota Fire Safe Construction Advisory Council consists of ARM; the Midwest Precast Association; the Minnesota Concrete Masonry Association; and the Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association. For a copy of the “Fire Safe Construction Cost Comparison Study,” visit www.mnfscac.com.

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ARM has approached the University of Minnesota to consider developing a four-year undergraduate degree in Concrete Industry Management (CIM). The goal of the CIM program is to produce broadly educated, articulate graduates grounded in basic construction management, who are knowledgeable about concrete technology and techniques, and who are able to manage people and systems and to promote products or services related to the concrete industry.

Course topics will include: Introduction to Concrete Industry; Blueprint Reading; Concrete Properties and Testing; Concrete Construction Methods, Systems, and Applications; Issues in Concrete and Construction Industry; Concrete Problems: Diagnosis, Prevention, and Dispute Resolution; Internship; Concrete Lab; Production, Sales, and Service.

Cost/credits: To obtain this degree, a student would be required to earn 120 college-level credits. The upper division consists of approximately 50 credits. A typical course is three credits, offered one evening per week or online for 14 weeks. Courses are offered on a 14-week semester basis for academic credit. Full-time tuition at the University of Minnesota for the 2007-08 school year is approximately $7,950 per year (13+ credits each fall and spring term). Each undergraduate credit costs $305.52 if courses are taken on a part-time basis. Students may be able to transfer approved credits from another institution, with a minimum of 30 upper-division credits earned from the U of M.

Your input into the decision of whether to offer this degree program is very important. All responses will be kept strictly confidential. If you have any questions, please contact the study coordinator, Sheryl Weber-Paxton, at weber004@umn.edu.

To participate, please click on the following link:
https://oms.umn.edu/link/concreteindustrysurvey.cfm

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) report on Power Take-Off (PTO) fuel use, as required by Section 11144 of the current federal-aid highway program, has been completed and delivered to Congress.

Section 11144 directs the IRS to estimate the amount of tax-paid fuel consumed due to the PTO operations of various truck types (including ready mixed concrete trucks).  It also calls for determining whether it is technically and administratively feasible to exempt PTO related fuel use from the federal excise tax.

Using a weighted average of state allowances for ready mixed concrete trucks, the IRS determined that 30.2% of a ready mixed concrete truck's fuel use is due to PTO off-highway business use.

Applying this percentage to data derived from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2002 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS), the IRS determined the ready mixed concrete industry consumes 87,951,308 gallons annually for its PTO operations. This translates to about 1,142 gallons per truck per year. Multiplying the 1,142 gallons by the current tax rate of $0.244 would create the basis for an annual tax credit of $278 per truck.

Although the report indicates that allowance of a credit for PTO fuel use would present the IRS with challenges relating to the potential for fraud and would require additional agency resources, it did not conclude that a PTO credit would be either technically or administratively unfeasible.

Contact Robert Sullivan.

Source: NACA’s Washington Briefing

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Cold weather is defined as a time period when the average daily temperature falls below 40°F (4°C) for more than three successive days. These weather conditions warrant special precautions when placing, finishing, curing and protecting concrete against the affects of cold weather. Since weather conditions can change rapidly in the winter months, good concrete practices and proper planning are crucial.

Click Here for NRMCA’s CIP 27 – Cold Weather Concreting

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ARM President Thor Becken and Fred Corrigan, ARM’s Executive Director, will be visiting with ARM members from the southwest section of the state on Wednesday, December 5th in Marshall. The topics covered during the meeting will be the expanded relationship with the North Central Cement Council and the new Promotions Director position that is being added to the ARM staff. For additional information about this meeting, please contact Fred Corrigan

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The Southwest Corridor Transportation Coalition is hosting a local transportation town hall meeting on Thursday, November 29th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaska Community Center in Chaska.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to raise awareness regarding transportation needs locally and statewide. Please join us in advocating for a stronger investment in transportation by attending this meeting on November 29th. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Contact Margaret Donahoe at the Transportation Alliance with any questions.

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ARM is starting a series of Business Development Seminars. The first seminar is titled “Eleven Things to do When Your Customer Files Bankruptcy.” The seminar will be hosted by Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, an Associate Member of ARM. Greg Korstad, a Partner at Larkin Hoffman, and a member of the Aggregate Committee, will host the presentation. Ken Corey-Edstrom, Greg’s partner at Larkin Hoffman, and a Board Certified Business Bankruptcy Attorney, will present the seminar which is scheduled for Thursday, November 29, 2007 from 8:00 – 10:00 am. Reservations are required. Please call Becky Klindt at 952 896-3322 to reserve your spot at this free Seminar.

Location of Seminar:
Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren
14th Floor, Wells Fargo tower
7900 Xerxes Ave S Suite 1500
Bloomington MN 55431

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ARM will be working with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association to bring a seminar titled “Storm Resistant Homes & Buildings” to Minnesota April 9, 2008. Concrete has long been recognized as the material of choice for resisting high winds, flying debris, and storm surge associated with hurricanes and tornadoes. Now attendees of this seminar can learn how concrete building systems can be used to build storm resistant homes and buildings right here in Minnesota.
Contact Margaret Mills with questions.

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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