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AGG1 2016: Around Nashville: NHL Hockey
The Nashville Predators, a National Hockey League (NHL) team, play two games the week of AGG1 Academy & Expo at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. The Predators host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. The Predators play again on Thursday, March 24 in an 8 p.m. game versus the Vancouver Canucks. Visit www.nashvillepredators.com for ticketing information. As of March 8, the Predators held a 33-21-12 record in the NHL's Central Division. They trailed the first-place Chicago Blackhawks by nine points in the standings. Keep Reading
IRock names regional sales manager
IRock Crushers hired John Patton as its southeast regional sales manager. According to IRock, Patton manages sales with a focus on setting up a dealer network and identifying rental and sale opportunities for dealers. His territory includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. “Patton shares our values of fully supporting dealers by not only providing quality crushing and screening solutions, but also helping bring new customers through the doors,” says Sean Donaghy, IRock's national sales manager. “His customer service skills are a great asset to the IRock team.” Patton has more than 15 years of experience in the equipment industry, according to IRock. Previously, he was a regional sales manager for Yanmar America's equipment division. He spent two years managing and building a dealer network in the Northeast and Midwest. He also served as Wacker Neuson's district manager and metro jobsite specialist for more than eight years. “I look forward to helping our dealer network grow by providing productivity-enhancing crushing and screening solutions for their customers,” Patton says.… Keep Reading
Dodge Momentum Index experiences February uptick
The Dodge Momentum Index climbed 0.5 percent in February to 126.1 from its revised January reading of 125.5, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. February’s increase was the third consecutive month-to-month gain for the index, as a 1 percent pickup in commercial planning reports overcame a slight 0.1 percent decline of institutional planning. While commercial planning activity is still below the levels present throughout much of 2015, it has made a moderate recovery following the decline witnessed in late 2015, Dodge Data reports. Institutional planning, despite easing back in February, is still above last year’s levels due to the generally upward trend registered over the course of 2015. In February, seven projects entered planning with a value that exceeded $100 million. For the commercial building sector, the leading projects were a $190 million office renovation in New York; a $140 million hotel and casino in Gulfport, Miss.; and a $129 million mixed-use project in Long Island City, N.Y. For the institutional building sector, the leading projects were a $500 million… Keep Reading
Contentious legislation offers opportunities in mining
The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon drew national attention, putting a spotlight on the use of federal lands. Now, amid new legislation that would give states the power to turn over federal lands for mining, logging and other activities, a spotlight is again being directed to the subject. Congress is expected to consider two bills about the use of federal lands. The House Committee on Natural Resources will consider the bills – Rep. Don Young's (R-Ala.) State National Forest Management Act of 2015 and Rep. Raúl Labrador's (R-Idaho) Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act – at a Feb. 25 hearing. According to The Guardian, Young's bill would allow states to assume control of up to 2 million acres of the national forest system. Lands would be “managed primarily for timber production,” addressing a decline Young cites in national logging rates. Labrador's bill would allow state governors to assign up to 4 million acres of land as “forest demonstration areas," allowing logging free from any federal water, air or endangered species… Keep Reading
Contract crushing leads operation into 10th year
Phil Eisel has always had a soft spot for portable plants. Portable crushing operations management was central to his role at a previous employer for 15 years, but the company exited the portable crushing business following a 2003 acquisition. An opportunity to re-enter portable crushing presented itself to Eisel after 2005, when Cardinal Aggregate Inc., a subsidiary of MBC Holdings, was established in Perrysburg, Ohio. Cardinal Aggregate was primarily established to provide aggregate supply security to its construction affiliates. But Eisel also saw an opportunity to fill a portable plant operations hole in northwest Ohio and the surrounding area with Cardinal Aggregate’s resources. “I recognized there was a hole for a portable plant operation to be running the way I thought one should be,” Eisel says. “We talked our owner into getting into some recycling. We did and were successful on a couple of jobs.” Cardinal Aggregate’s portable plant operations launched in 2009. The timing of the launch wasn’t ideal with the Great Recession underway, but the company secured a… Keep Reading
Polydeck names regional manager
Polydeck Screen Corp. hired Bob Kurz as regional manager for the Upper Midwest. According to Polydeck, Kurz's territory includes Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and northern Illinois. Kurz has eight years of industry experience, and he spent the last four years as an aggregate plant manager. He replaces Dick Stiles, who retired in December 2015. Polydeck is a provider of modular polyurethane, rubber and specialty screening solutions for the aggregate, coal and mining industries. Keep Reading
Vulcan makes changes in executive ranks
Vulcan Materials Co. recently made a number of changes in its executive ranks. The company named Stu Bass, a former senior vice president of the West, its new chief growth officer. In his new role, Bass is responsible for leading the company’s business development, commercial excellence and strategic growth initiatives. The company also named Michael Mills, a former senior vice president and general counsel, its chief administrative officer. Mills is now responsible for the executive oversight of the non-financial, administrative functions of the company. Vulcan named Jerry Perkins, a former assistant general counsel and corporate secretary, its general counsel and corporate secretary, succeeding Mills. Finally, the company named Brock Lodge, a former vice president and general manager of Vulcan’s Western Division, its president of that division. “As the nation’s leading construction materials producer, our company is poised for a new era of strategic growth, building on our unparalleled positions in recovering and growing markets across the United States,” says Tom Hill, Vulcan chairman and CEO. “We are fortunate to have… Keep Reading
MSHA, OSHA chiefs offer further 2017 budget proposal details
Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) provides additional details on the agency's 2017 budget request in a blog post on the Department of Labor's website. According to Main, the 2017 budget request includes more than $397 million in funding and nearly 2,300 full-time workers for MSHA. Some of MSHA’s budget highlights are $8.4 million to improve training for MSHA staff and those in the mining industry; $2 million for the replacement of inspectors’ portable application laptop system, which is used by enforcement personnel to log violations and notes following a mine inspection; and $1 million and six full-time employees to continue to improve the timeliness of special assessments, as well as improve special investigations of claims for discrimination and other criminal and civil investigations and accountability reviews. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) also provides details of OSHA's budget proposal, which requests an increase of more than $42 million in funding and 100 new… Keep Reading
2016 aggregates forecast
Download the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association's "U.S. National & State Aggregates Forecast: 2015-2020. Keep Reading
