Author
Masaba adds regional sales manager
Masaba hired Bob Brewer as its western region sales manager. According to Masaba, Brewer has more than 35 years of experience in the construction and aggregate industries. Keep Reading
Nonresidential building takes a step back in July
The Dodge Momentum Index fell 4.4 percent in July following two months of gains. According to McGraw Hill Construction, which produces the index as a monthly measure of the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning, the index is still 16.5 percent higher today than it was at the same time one year ago. McGraw Hill Construction says July’s decline was the result of a 6.8 percent drop in commercial building plans. The institutional sector fell a milder 0.6 percent. Despite the drop, six sizeable commercial projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning in July, the firm reports. These include the $400 million 50 Hudson Yards Office Tower in New York City; the $350 million University Town Center in Sarasota, Fla.; the $319 million Consolidated Rental Car Facility at Tampa, Fla.'s international airport; the $130 million Irvine Center Office Tower in Irvine, Calif.; a $100 million hotel in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and the $100 million Akard Place Office Tower in Dallas. Keep Reading
Case expands construction equipment manufacturing in Iowa
Case Construction Equipment (CE) is investing $24 million to expand production in Burlington, Iowa, with the addition of its M Series crawler dozer production line.Preparations will begin later this year, and production on the new line is expected to begin in the second half of 2015. “Burlington is very familiar territory for Case dozers,” says Jim Hasler, vice president of Case CE, North America. “Earlier models were produced in Burlington prior to the acquisition of the Calhoun, Ga., plant. Our new M Series dozers are experiencing high demand and we have plans in place to ensure availability as we transition production.” Case says the M Series machines are currently produced at the Calhoun, Ga., plant, which will close in the third quarter of 2015 as the company streamlines its construction operations. The new production facilities will include a paint line, welding and computer numerical control machining equipment, and an assembly line. Photo: Case Construction Equipment Keep Reading
Ontario association names CEO
The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (OSSGA) appointed Ted Wigdor as CEO. Wigdor starts with the association Aug. 11. He most recently served the Certified General Accountants of Ontario as vice president of government and corporate affairs. According to OSSGA, former CEO Moreen Miller left the association in May to become president of Fowler Construction. Keep Reading
Producer expresses concerns over proposed EPA water rule
Alan Parks, vice president of Memphis Stone & Gravel Co. in Memphis, Tenn., testified at a congressional hearing earlier this year on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed rule that would broaden the scope of waters that are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Pit & Quarry caught up with Parks for more detail on the impact this rule would have on producers like Memphis Stone & Gravel should it be enforced. P&Q: What concerns you most about the proposed EPA rule? AP: The timeframe on a jurisdictional determination is five years. We have projects leased for 20 or 30 years. We have made business decisions on the existing interpretations. The proposed changes would very likely subject many of these sites to additional permit requirements or force us to lose reserves. Both our company and the private landowner lose in this scenario. P&Q: What is the specific issue you and the rest of the aggregates industry have with this rule? AP: The problem lies within the definition itself. One only… Keep Reading
Gas tax reduction now being explored in Congress
The federal gas tax could be on its last legs. According to The Hill, the Senate planned to hold a vote this week on a conservative proposal that would reduce the majority of the gas taxes U.S. drivers pay over a five-year period. Proponents of the measure propose giving the states the authority over federal highways and transit programs and ultimately lowering the tax from the current 18.4 cents per gallon to 3.7 cents per gallon. “Under this new system, Americans would no longer have to send significant gas tax revenue to Washington, where politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists take their cut before sending it back with strings attached,” says Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who proposed the idea. “Instead, states and cities could plan, finance and build smarter and more affordable projects.” An elimination of the gas tax would be a shock to a number of transportation advocates, as the tax has been the primary source of funding highway projects for more than a half-century. In fact, lawmakers explored raising the… Keep Reading
Perfect Pricing: An app helps maximize freight rate
An industry-customized app is helping Bluegrass Materials win more jobs and maximize its freight rate. Pen and paper. That’s how Pat Malaney did business with customers for the overwhelming majority of his 28 years selling aggregates. “I’m old school,” says Malaney, a sales manager at Bluegrass Materials in Atlanta. “I would always carry around my notebook and write things down. If I had a phone call from a customer looking for a sales quote, I’d have to write everything down and call him back.” Within a day or two of a conversation with a customer, Malaney would have to make a trip into the office, read through his notes and spend a few minutes analyzing the route from the customer’s site to the quarry so he could issue a competitive quote. The time Malaney spent calculating sales quotes in the office was time he preferred to spend in the field selling aggregates. Fortunately for Malaney, as well as every other salesperson at Bluegrass, the company adopted a newer, more advanced… Keep Reading
Construction gets a boost in June
New construction starts in June advanced 6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $549.7 billion. That's the highest level so far in 2014, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Nonresidential building strengthened after pulling back in May, with a lift coming from the start of several large manufacturing plant projects. Modest gains in June were also reported for housing and nonbuilding construction. Total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were $254.1 billion for the first six months of the year – up 1 percent from the same period a year ago. June’s data raised the Dodge Index to 116, up from 109 in May. According to McGraw Hill Construction, the index averaged a sluggish 104 during the first two months of 2014. The pace of construction starts picked up, though, as the index averaged 112 over the next four months. “The first half of 2014 revealed a mixed performance by project type,” says Robert Murray, chief economist for McGraw Hill Construction. “Single-family housing stands… Keep Reading
Kemper Equipment now carrying Terex Cedarapids, Canica lines
Kemper Equipment Inc. was named a dealer in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the Terex Cedarapids and Terex Canica crushing and screening equipment lines of Terex Minerals Processing Systems (MPS). Kemper was already a dealer for Terex Simplicity inclined screens and feeders. Kemper will now also offer stationary, wheeled and modular jaw crushers, cone crushers, horizontal shaft impactors, vertical shaft impactors, horizontal screens, washing screens, apron feeders and MACS mobile aggregate crushing systems. Keep Reading
