Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
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30 • September 2016 www.concreteproducts.com ORGANIZATIONS Don Clem, P.E., has joined the National Ready Mixed Concrete Asso- ciation as vice president, Local Paving, responsible for implementing strategies that increase the use of ready mixed concrete in pavements for parking lots, streets and local roads, and other applications. He will cover the NRMCA Rocky Mountain Northwest Region from a Denver base, working with local, regional and state technical and promotion partners to support concrete pavements through promotion, design and construc- tion activities. Prior to joining NRMCA, Clem was executive director of the Portland Cement Association Rocky Mountain and Northwest Regions, charged with improving and extending the use of cement. Before joining PCA, he was vice president, Mar- keting and Governmental Affairs – Midwest Region for NRMCA producer member Cemex USA, and Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association marketing engineer. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver. "[His] deep experience in promoting concrete pavement, as well as strong ties to cement exec- utives and concrete industry association executives throughout the Rocky Mountain Northwest Region, will help to build momentum for NRMCA's pavement promotion program," says NRMCA President Robert Garbini. Separately, NRMCA has enlisted Kentucky Ready Mixed Concrete Association's Brett Ruffing as senior director, Communications & Public Affairs. He is tasked with communications efforts for NRMCA's multi-million dollar Build with Strength campaign advancing concrete in low- to mid-rise building markets. Reporting to NRMCA Senior Vice President of Membership & Commu- nications Kathleen Carr-Smith, he will likewise develop and implement strategies to broaden the impact of building promotion programs along with guiding organizational messaging and constituent services. As KRMCA director of Education & Technology, Ruffing developed extensive contacts and pro- motional experience with state, local and national officials, along with NRMCA staff. His duties spanned marketing, promoting and communicating various KRMCA initiatives throughout the ready mixed concrete, cement and construction industries, plus extolling the use of concrete with legislators and public at large. Ruffing is a University of Louisville graduate, certified pervious concrete technician and LEED Green Associate. "Brett has impressed many of us with his work in Kentucky and we know he will bring the same energy level and promotional talents to his new position," affirms Robert Garbini. Dennis Smith has joined Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute as director of Marketing & Membership. With experience in researching, planning, creating, implementing and measuring strategic, results-based marketing and communication programs for trade organizations, he pre- viously served as American Trucking Associations director of Marketing. Prior to ATA, Smith was a partner in a marketing communications agency serving corporate and association clients, and American Institute of Architects director of Public Relations and Communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications/journalism from James Madison University. The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Student Education Committee has named the 20 top performers in its 2016 Engineering Student Design Competition—better known as the Big Beam Contest—where teams fabricate and test precast/prestressed specimens with the help of local PCI producer members. Points are earned for efficient design, load capacity and other criteria. For a second year in a row, a team representing the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., took the Big Beam Contest, assisted by South Bend-based StresCore Inc., scoring 62.25 points and garnering a $2,000 prize. Rounding out the top five this year, with scores from 54.5 to 58.25 points and $1,000 to $1,750 prizes, are these teams and assisting PCI member producers: Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash. and Concrete Technology Corp., Tacoma; Oregon State University, Corvallis and Knife River – Prestress, Harrisburg, Ore.; University of South Florida [Team 2] and Standard Concrete Products, both Tampa; and, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla and Coreslab Structures, Inc. (Missouri), Marshall. ACI Foundation's Concrete Research Council is reviewing through December 1 grant propos- als for two 2017 candidate projects, with maximum funding of $50,000 each. Topics from all areas of concrete research are encouraged, although proposals must be accompanied by an ACI Technical Committee letter of support and an individual researcher can serve as the principal investigator on only one proposal submitted. Selection of awarded projects and notification to principal investigators will be made after The ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition – Spring 2017. Prepared as a single pdf, proposals should be submitted to ACI Foundation Director Ann Daugherty, ann.daugherty@acifoundation.org. More detailed proposal requirements are available at www.concreteresearchcouncil.org. BRIEFS ORGANIZATIONS Don Clem, P.E.