Source: Press Release
Publication date: 2007-11-26

By Concrete Industry Management Program

(Las Vegas, Nev.– Nov. 19, 2007)– The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program– a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management– will host its third annual auction, to be held at the World of Concrete on Thursday, Jan. 24 at noon in the North Hall Room N262 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Organizers hope the 2008 Auction is even bigger than the 2007 Auction, which raised approximately $500,000. In addition to the traditional auction items, a silent auction will occur in the North Hall this year. The money raised from the both the live and silent auctions will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the CIMPrograms at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology,California State University - Chico, as well as help fund future program expansion.

"The support from the concrete industry has been tremendous. Thanks to the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, Concrete Producer magazine, Concrete Construction magazine, McNeilus, International Truck, andRitchie Bros. Auctioneers, the 2007 auction helped raise valuable dollarsthat will benefit theCIM programs," said Brian Gallagher, Chairman of the CIM Marketing Committee. "We've added the silent auction component this year, which will allow us to offer even more items."

• McNeilus/International- Concrete Mixer Truck
• Cemex- 20 Truckloads of Cement
• Command Alkon-Batch Control Software
• Euclid Chemical Company- Training, admixture, and fibers
• Holcim- 10 Loads of Cement
• InfernoThem- Water Heater
• Somero- Laser Screed

Other items available through the silent or live auctions include concrete saws, drills, mixers, formwork, 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, NASCAR Tickets, Indy 500 Tickets, Dallas Cowboy Tickets, sports travel packages, golf school packages, and vacation travel packages.

Those interested in making a donation should contact Wally Johnson at 713.499.6229 or wjohnson@us-concrete.com; Janice Tucciarone at 216-839-7016 or janice.tucciarone@basf.com; or Brian Gallagher at 410-850-7000 or bgallagher@structural.net.

About CIM
Receiving tremendous support from the concrete industry, the CIM program was the first of its kind in United States– a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The need for such a program was recognized in 1994 and was put into action by the concrete industry. The end-result was a partnership between the concrete industry and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to develop the CIM program, implementing it with its first two students in 1996. Available at MTSU, Arizona State University, California State University, Chico and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the program has been successful for both the industry and the graduates.

The goal of the program is to produce broadly educated, articulate graduates grounded in basic construction management, who are knowledgeable of concrete technology and techniques and are able to manage people and systems as well as promote products or services related to the concrete industry. It entails a broad range of courses, from English and history to science and mathematics. A series of required business courses such as finance, marketing, management and business law are also taken throughout the length of the program.

The concrete-specific courses teach the fundamentals of concrete, properties and testing, concrete construction and more. All of these courses provide much more than what is simply in the text– they emphasize problem solving, quality assurance and customer satisfaction. They utilize practical case studies and an internship to make sure the student obtains real-world experience essential to starting a successful career. Additional opportunities for growth include on-campus socials and other organized events providing industry networking and professional development. To learn more about the program, visit www.concretedegree.com.