Following the June article on pervious concrete and the ACI logo slab at the World of Concrete, a reader brought to our attention another upcoming pervious concrete event. Pervious in Paradise, sponsored by the National Pervious Concrete Pavement Association with support from Lehigh Hanson Cement, Argos, and Lura Enterprises, will be held in San Diego, Aug. 5-8. Presentations include John Kevern and Dan Biddle reporting on the use of macrofibers in pervious; Scott Erickson discussing site design, and Kevern describing research results on internal curing with lightweight aggregate and the effect of silica fume. For more information on Pervious in Paradise, visit here.
America’s Concrete Contractors
In this issue, we visit 20 contractors spread across North America. This is our replacement for the CC100 list of contractors based on revenue. We felt that although revenue is certainly a good thing, there are plenty of smaller contractors that wouldn’t make the top 100 but that are still very well run and justifiably proud of their company, their work, and their employees. As you will see, we were certainly right about that. You can also check out an interactive version of the map on the cover showing the location and details for each of this year’s America’s Concrete Contractors. I hope you enjoy learning about these contractors.
Tiltwallism
The Tilt-Up Concrete Association hosted a book signing at the AIA Convention in Chicago last month. Tiltwallism: A Treatise on the Architectural Potential of Tilt Wall Construction, written by architect Jeffrey Brown, principal-in-charge for Powers Brown Architecture, looks at the design opportunities of tilt-up. The book is extensively illustrated in an effort to be useful to contractors, developers, and real estate brokers, who are driving what Brown calls an “increasingly prevalent approach to ‘investment’ architecture.” You can see a short, entertaining video about the book by going here.
Growing Your Company
In an effort to differentiate themselves from the competition, Rey Rivera’s team at CSI 3000 (one of this year’s ACC contractors) is now training to become a Ductilcrete contractor and will use Foundation Software to manage the business. “To understand CSI 3000’s growth and pricing strategy,” Rivera says, “it was important that we implement cost systems that focus on profit initiatives. This unique value proposition or competitive advantage has positioned CSI 3000 for the future.”
