MC Magazine

2005 MCPX and 40th Annual NPCA Convention Wrap-Up

BACK TO THE FUTURE
When the tradeshow doors burst open Feb. 19 initiating the 2005 MCPX in Indianapolis, records were broken and new heights were achieved.

As more than 6,000 MCPX attendees "oohed" and "aahed" at the industry's best and brightest manufactured concrete products, NPCA celebrated its 40th anniversary. In conjunction with the 2005 convention, NPCA also hosted awards ceremonies and banquets, recognizing the association's rising stars and veteran members. Both the third annual MCPX and 40th annual NPCA Convention were tremendous successes.

MCPX, which is a merging of the MCX and the Masonry EXPO, is a partnership with NPCA, the National Concrete Masonry Association, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute and the American Concrete Pipe Association.

The combined 2005 MCPX grew to 103,000 net square feet of exhibits and included 84 first-time exhibitors and approximately 6,090 attendees - a record-breaking achievement. Educational attendance totalled 1,322 units of NPCA-sponsored precast-specific education.

A total of 30 foreign countries were represented, plus 11 Canadian provinces, 47 states and the District of Columbia.

For 2006, the fourth annual MCPX moves to Anaheim, Calif., which will feature even more net square feet. Trade show dates are slated for Feb. 23-25.

NPCA LEADERSHIP
During the Annual Business Meeting at the NPCA Convention in Indianapolis, the board of directors elected its new members. A complete list of the 2004-2005 NPCA leadership follows.

* Names preceded by an asterisk denote new members.

Officers
Chairman: Joan Blecha, Hanson Pipe and Products
Chairman-Elect: Dan Barbour, Barbour Concrete Co.
Secretary/Treasurer: Philip Burkhart, Utility Concrete Products Co.
Immediate Past Chairman: Vernon Wehrung, Modern Precast Concrete

Directors
Darryl Cloud, Concrete Sealants Inc.
*Tom Engelman, Bethlehem Precast
Stephen Fossler, Aurora Concrete Products
Joe Glowaski, Atlantic Precast Concrete Inc.
*Don Humphrey, Central Precast Concrete
*Richard Isaacson, iwi group LLC
Randy Lindsay-Brisbin, Firebaugh Precast Inc.
*Kirby O'Malley, Garden State Precast
Steve Smart, Independent Concrete Pipe
Mark Thompson, Jefferson Concrete Corp.
Robert Waterloo, Hill & Griffith Co.
Andy Wieser, Wieser Concrete Products Inc.

YOAKUM AWARD
Since 1966, the Robert E. Yoakum Award of Merit has been presented to NPCA members who have exhibited outstanding service and leadership to the industry and the association. It was the vision of Robert Yoakum to unite all types of precast concrete producers and suppliers into one group. This award is the highest honor the National Precast Concrete Association can bestow upon a member.

Robert Yoakum was one of the original founders of NPCA and one of the people who worked to organize the first convention. Tragically, before the convention was scheduled to open in March 1966, he unexpectedly died - so he never lived to see his dream of an association come to pass. The small group of convention attendees decided to carry on with that first convention as an honor and a tribute to Yoakum. The tradition has continued to this day as NPCA's highest honor.

John Lendrum, president of Norwalk Concrete Products, Norwalk, Ohio, was named this year's winner. Please see below for his personal profile.

John Lendrum - family man, businessman, soldier, leader - was selected by his peers to receive the 2005 Yoakum Award. The award, named after Robert E. Yoakum, an NPCA founding father, is presented to NPCA members who exhibit outstanding service and leadership in the industry and to the association. It is the highest honor NPCA can bestow upon a member.

Lendrum readily admits that he didn't embrace the precast concrete business while he was growing up. As a teenager, his biggest goal was to get out of Norwalk, Ohio, go to college and find a job. But eventually, he returned to the family business and returned to NPCA, rising through the ranks to become chairman of the board at the 37th annual NPCA Convention in Indianapolis. And it was in Indianapolis, at the 40th annual convention, where he won the Yoakum Award.

"It was a great honor to be recognized by NPCA," Lendrum said. "I've gained much from the time I have spent over the years - I've learned a lot about myself personally and professionally." The ability to network with other precasters through the association has been key to developing the business over the years. "There are just so many great mentors in NPCA, people who have been willing to network and provide help when you need it or advice to fix a problem."

Born in Kent, Ohio, in 1957, Lendrum's family moved to Norwalk in 1960 when his father, J.T. "Tom" Lendrum, took over Norwalk Concrete Industries, a company that had been in the family since 1932. In 1993, Lendrum and his brother Jeff Malcolm purchased Norwalk Concrete from Tom Lendrum.

John Lendrum soon followed his father's path to leadership in NPCA. Tom Lendrum, one of the founding members of NPCA, served as chairman in 1975 and won the Yoakum Award in 1976.

A lot of things have changed since those days, however. "It's much harder to be in any business today, especially precast, than it was 15 or 20 years ago," Lendrum said. "The technology challenges, the fast-paced environment we operate in, tight operating margins, the regulatory and legal concerns, environmental concerns - you just can't fly by the seat of your pants anymore."

As an active member of NPCA, Lendrum chaired a variety of committees and served as president of the NPCA Educational Foundation. As chairman of the board in 2002, he pushed the quality concept to the front of the agenda and helped set the stage for many of the recent innovations that make NPCA one of the most dynamic forward-thinking trade associations around. He led the charge to modernize the structure of NPCA to make it a nimble, fast-moving organization that could change with the changing needs of its members.

A member of the U.S. Army Reserves, Colonel Lendrum was assigned to Kuwait during the buildup for the war in Iraq. He spent the first seven months of 2003 in Kuwait and Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In addition to his military service and his dedication to NPCA, John has spent the last 10 years on the Norwalk City School Board, where he has served three terms as president. He was instrumental in the building of a new high school in 2001.

As a family man, soldier, businessman, school board president and association leader, Lendrum has always been dedicated to doing his best. "It's important to have the ability to sort information quickly and make decisions on big tasks," he said. "And I think you have to try and focus on the people within your organization, certainly quality is a top priority."

It is for his dedication and longtime service to NPCA and the precast industry that John Lendrum is the recipient of the 2005 Robert E. Yoakum Award.

MEMBERSHIP AWARDS
The Top Gun Club honors all NPCA members who have recruited five or more new members into the association. Awards are presented annually to members who advance to a higher level within the Top Gun Club. The following members advanced into a new category of the Top Gun Club for their member recruitment efforts during 2004.

Top Gun Level (five or more new members)
John F. Higgins II, Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries
Robert James, McArthur Concrete Products Inc.
Gregory Ouimette, Frederick Precast Concrete Inc.
James Westhoff, A-Lok Products

First Merit Level (10 or more new members)
Mel C. Marshall, Mel C. Marshall Industrial Consultants Inc.
Bill Shank, Spoerr Precast Concrete Inc.
Billy Shaw, Hughes Concrete Products

Third Merit Level (20 or more new members)
Richard Isaacson, iwi group LLC
Jim Skinner, Press Seal Gasket
Steve Smart, Independent Concrete Pipe Corp.

Presidential Level (25 or more new members)
Joan Blecha, Hanson Pipe & Products
Cindy Buckardt, Colorado Precast Concrete Inc.

Douglas G. Hoskin Award
Next to the Robert E. Yoakum Award of Merit, the Douglas G. Hoskin Membership Award is NPCA's second-highest award.

The Hoskin Award is named in honor of one of the founders of NPCA and is given to the NPCA member who has sponsored the most new members during the past year.

This year's winner is longtime NPCA member Cindy Buckardt, who managed to recruit 19 new members.

PLANT CERTIFICATION AWARDS
NPCA has emphasized quality in production practices since its beginnings. In 1988, that objective took the form of the Quality Control Manual and the Plant Certification Program. The number of certified plants continued to grow during the last year.

NPCA has recognized companies that have maintained that standard of excellence continuously for the last five years, the last 10 years and the last 15 years. The Quality Award of Excellence is awarded to the three plants that received the top three scores in last year's NPCA Plant Certification inspections.

Companies certified for five consecutive years
Modern Precast Concrete, Bethlehem, Pa.

Companies certified for 15 consecutive years
Carolina Precast Concrete Inc., Dunn, N.C.
The Fort Miller Co. Inc., Schuylerville, N.Y.
Modern Precast Concrete, Ottsville, Pa.
Wieser Concrete Products Inc., Maiden Rock, Wis.

Plant Certification Quality Award of Excellence
Dutchland Inc., Gap, Pa.
The Fort Miller Co. Inc., Schuylerville, N.Y.
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries Inc.,Hermitage, Tenn.

GIMMICKS, GADGETS & INNOVATIONS AWARDS
Precasters are an industrious group, and they are always scouting for ways to make their jobs easier. Often these ideas are so good that they can't - and shouldn't - be contained to just one plant in the entire industry. The Gimmicks, Gadgets & Innovations Awards serve as an outlet for these great ideas, and they bring a competitive edge to the annual convention as well.

The awards recognize innovative or cost-saving ideas and inventions in the precast concrete industry in three distinct categories: Production, Management/Marketing and Safety. Once again, as in years past, the event brought a number of outstanding new ideas to the forefront. This year's Gimmicks, Gadgets and Innovations awards follow. Other entries meriting Honorable Mention are also included here.

Production, 1st Place
Super Setter 6000
Wieser Concrete Products Inc., Maiden Rock, Wis.
Looking for a way to handle concrete risers more efficiently, Wieser Concrete hit upon a winning solution. Besides seeking a better way of setting the risers, the solution had to preserve the quality of the product while maintaining safety standards. The answer was the Super Setter 6000, a septic tank riser lifter.

This innovative tool can handle up to 6 feet of risers at one time. At a cost of only $175 each, it offers a long list of benefits, not the least of which are zero damage to the risers and increased safety. It also allows the rings to be presealed at the plant, which in itself results in cost savings due to decreased time on the job and increased customer satisfaction.

Production, Runner Up
"Cupcretes"
Hy Grade Precast Concrete, St. Catharines, Ontario
Hy Grade Precast has a unique and simple way of getting around some issues regarding chairs and spacers: They make their own using cupcake pans. The company was nettled with different requirements for spacing and support of rebar cages, and to make matters worse some of the plastic chairs would show up on the product's surface.

Hy Grade utilizes the cupcake pans as concrete molds to make their spacers, affectionately called "cupcretes." Once the spacers cure, they are placed in the form and the rebar cage rests atop them. This technique offers not only a method of making custom chairs and spacers, but it saves on cost and improves the product's appearance as well.

Management, 1st Place
"Live" Price List Superior Concrete Co. (division of Oldcastle), Auburn, Maine
With prices for cement, steel and other products spiraling out of control, product pricing becomes a risky business. But Superior Concrete has found a way to link its pricing structure directly to its accounting software, creating a "live" price list.

The company's accounting software includes a complete bill of materials for all products, so as component prices increase, the costs are entered into the system, which adjusts the bill of material for all products. The price sheets tap into the system and pull the updated prices from the accounting system. The products are marked up accordingly for the sell price list.

The "live" price list has helped the company stay up to date on current costs, and all estimators utilize the same document. That means prices are consistent and accurate.

Management, Runner Up
Company Procedure Manual Gainey's Concrete Products Inc., Holden, La.
Problem solving occurs at every level at a company, but if the same problems pop up later, there's really no need to reinvent the solution every time. That's why Gainey's created the Company Procedure Manual - to document and track problems and their resolutions.

As an example, if employee A feels that another department has failed in a task, the manager discusses the situation with employee A, who is then charged with writing up a solution or new procedure to the problem. This problem/solution idea is forwarded to the other department. If a similar problem arises, the solution has already been documented in the manual, which offers a means of discussing any updates to make the solution more effective. This method involves employees in the solution and creates an ever-evolving operations manual for the entire organization.

Safety, 1st Place
Forklift Lifting Beam
Smith Pre-Cast, Phoenix
Sooner or later, a precast production facility is probably going to need to lift a load suspended under the forks of a forklift. One way to do that is to drill holes in the forks to hold a lifting bar in place, but OSHA frowns on that procedure. Smith Pre-Cast has a better way with its Forklift Lifting Beam.

Smith Pre-Cast fabricated a lifting beam with a 15-ton swivel hook and clevis setup to fit forklifts. With the lifting beam, production personnel can attach various lifting devices, including bars, bridles and slings in a safe, OSHA-compliant manner with no holes in the forks required. As a bonus, the lifting beam offers better weight distribution on the forks.

Safety, Runner Up
Form Panel Kickstands
Flemington Precast & Supply LLC, Flemington, N.J.
Latching onto a practically unnoticeable feature of bicycles and motorcycles, Flemington Precast has created kickstands for their sectional form panels.

The kickstands are swing-back props for the outside jackets of the company's seepage tank forms, which are separated in sections to allow for stripping the form panels with the leaching plugs attached. When detached from each other, the individual sections tend to tip over and fall.

With the kickstands, the form panels can be propped up using a small amount of space. They keep the freestanding form panels from falling, which not only could injure an employee but could damage the form itself. And they were inexpensive to make!

SAFETY AWARDS
The Safety Awards go to companies with incident-free safety records during the preceding year.

The NPCA Outstanding Safety Performance Award - a five-star award - is the highest level of safety achievement and is given to any NPCA member company with zero OSHA reportable/recordable injuries for the reporting period.

The NPCA Distinguished Safety Award recognizes other safety awards entries with a zero loss-time rate as defined by OSHA.

The NPCA Excellence in Safety Award is open to all remaining safety awards entries. All tied applicants will receive an award.

• The Gold Award goes to the member company posting the best reportable-injury incidence rate in each category.
• The Silver Award goes to the second-best reportable-injury incidence rate in each category.

Outstanding Safety Performance
Category I: 0-40,000 hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., West Memphis, Ark.
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Mobile, Ala.
Goldens Bridge Unit Step Co Inc., Carmel, N.Y.
Five Diamond Precast, Draper, Utah
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries Inc., Dayton, Ohio
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Columbus, Miss.
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Grand Prairie, Texas

Category II: 40,001-80,000 hours
Firebaugh Precast Inc., Dacono Colo.
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Pottstown, Pa.
Utility Precast Inc., Charlotte, N.C.
Atlantic Precast Concrete, Douglasville, Ga.

Category III: 80,001-140,000 hours
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries Inc., Knoxville Tenn.
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Salem, Va.

Category V: 200,001+ hours
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries Inc., Hermitage, Tenn.

Distinguished Safety Award
Category I: 0-40,000 hours
Rose Concrete Products Inc., Scott City, Mo.

Category II: 40,001-80,000 hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Como, Miss.
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Hattiesburg, Miss.
Sherman Concrete Pipe, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Category III: 80,001-140,000 hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Summerville, S.C.
Amcor Precast, Nampa, Idaho

Category IV: 140,001-200,000 hours
Amcor Precast, Ogden, Utah (12th Street)
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Gibsonton, Fla.

Excellence in Safety Award - Gold Level
Category I: 0-40,000 hours
Hancock Concrete Products Co. Inc., Cannon Falls, Minn.

Category II: 40,001-80,000 hours
Amcor Precast, Wall Avenue, Ogden, Utah

Category III: 80,001-140,000 hours
Wilbert Precast, Spokane, Wash.

Category IV: 140,001-200,000 hours
Chase Precast, Brookfield, Mass.

Category V: 200,001+ hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Southeast Inc., Green Cove Springs, Fla.

Excellence in Safety Award - Silver Level
Category I: 0-40,000 hours
Husted Concrete Products Inc., NY Mills, N.Y.

Category II: 40,001-80,000 hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., San Antonio, Texas

Category III: 80,001-140,000 hours
Hanson Pipe & Products Inc., Richmond, Va.

Category IV: 140,001-200,000 hours
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries Inc., Elizabethtown, Ky.

Category V: 200,001+ hours
Foley Products Company, Newnan, Ga.

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Since 1989, the NPCA Educational Foundation has provided educational scholarships to undergraduate students enrolled in a civil engineering and construction-related curriculum. The foundation's philosophy is to introduce the features and benefits of precast concrete products and create a more educated specifying community.

Theodore W. Coons of Spillman Co., who was re-elected as chairman of the NPCA Educational Foundation for 2005, announced the Foundation's scholarship winners at the NPCA Convention. They are:

Tyler Grote
Dayton, Texas
Sponsored by Coy Killion, Rinker Materials - SETCO Plant
Tyler is currently a senior at Dayton High School and ranked 10th in his class. He plans to pursue a civil engineering degree when he begins college this fall. Tyler has been active with the marching band, the baseball team and other extracurricular activities while earning the Presidential Excellence Award each year that he has been in high school.

Austin Hess
Morgantown, Pa.
Sponsored by J. Robert Hess Jr., Faddis Concrete Products
Austin is a freshman at the University of Delaware in Newark, enrolled in the civil engineering program. He has worked for Faddis Concrete Products since 2001, where he gained valuable experience in the industry. While in high school, Austin played soccer and tennis and served as captain of the tennis team during his junior and senior years. He also volunteered in his community by teaching grade school students how to play tennis.

Mitchell Mosher
Loranger, La.
Sponsored by Lisa Gainey-Roache, Gainey's Concrete Products Inc.
Mitchell is a senior at Loranger High School and plans to attend Louisiana Tech University this fall, where he will major in civil engineering. Mitchell is in the top 10 of his graduating class, having won a variety of awards in several different academic areas during his high school career. He participated in the marching band, serving as captain the past two years.

Garrett Wong
Kahului, Hawaii
Sponsored by Theodore Coons, Spillman Co.
Garrett will graduate from Seabury Hall, a college preparatory school, this spring. He plans to attend Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and pursue an architecture degree. Garrett has been active in sports, drama and music throughout high school while earning high honors for academic excellence. He is active in his community and has participated in a variety of programs to broaden his experience.

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