MC Magazine

Modern Attains Certification Distinction
Modern Precast Concrete of Ottsville, Pa., has announced that its new Easton, Pa., facility attained the NPCA Certified Plant award in January. The company says this award means that 100 percent of Modern’s facilities – Ottsville, Bethlehem and the new Easton plant – are NPCA certified and recognizes that Modern operates its precast manufacturing plants at the highest standards of production and quality control.

Modern manufactures precast concrete products and sells a broad range of construction supplies. Visit www.modcon.com or call (484) 548-6200 for more information.

Grace introduces new products
Grace Construction Products of Cambridge, Mass., provider of concrete admixtures, fibers, pigments and surface treatments, has introduced two new product lines.

ADVA Cast 575 is a high-efficiency, low-addition rate polycarboxylate-based high-range water-reducing admixture for precast and prestressed concrete. Formulated to impart extreme workability without segregation of the concrete, ADVA Cast 575 is designed for the production of a wide range of concrete mixes in precast/prestressed from conventional concrete to self-consolidating concrete, says the company. It may be used in low water/cementitious ratio applications requiring concrete stability and improved tolerance to concrete material variability. The product provides standard water reduction at normal addition rates and significant water reduction at higher addition rates.

OPTEC EC-875 is a color enhancing and efflorescence controlling admixture formulated to enhance the appearance and color vibrancy of segmental retaining walls (SRWs) and pavers, architectural units, roof tiles and other low-slump concrete products. OPTEC Paver Enhancer is specifically formulated to reduce the cost of pavers and SRWs by achieving comparable strength properties with less cement. Both admixtures provide excellent plasticity for greater machine throughput, says the company.

For more information about Grace products, visit www.graceconstruction.com.

Mixer Systems announces appointments
Mixer Systems Inc. of Pewaukee, Wis., has announced several personnel appointments and advances.

William O. Boles has been reappointed chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Boles, the founder of the company in 1979, had also been serving as president.

Roger Gladen was promoted to president. Gladen will also continue as director of the Engineering department.

Doug Duley was appointed vice president. He will also direct the Parts and Purchasing departments.

Terry Fellabaum was named director of Sales & Marketing of concrete equipment.

Visit www.mixersystems.com for more information about the company.

Oldcastle acquires BES Concrete Products
Oldcastle Precast Inc., based in Auburn, Wash., has announced the acquisition of BESCAL Concrete Products Inc. of Tracy, Calif. BES Concrete was established in 1991 by the Swartz family as a manufacturer of underground precast concrete enclosures.

Former owners Mark Jurich and Rick Swartz will continue with BES Concrete Products. Jurich will serve as consultant and Swartz as sales manager of the company’s Roseville facility. Chris Corona, who was controller for BES, will assume the role of general manager.

For more information about Oldcastle Precast, visit www.oldcastleprecast.com.

FBE receives patent for advanced software algorithm
FBE Associates, a software development company located in Bay City, Mich., was awarded a patent through the U.S. Patent Office for a knowledge-based software program to automate the creation of optimal stacking solutions for precast drainage structures.

The patent application made 27 claims and had six pages of description and 15 drawing sheets. These were needed to convey the interplay between the mathematical concepts, geometric modeling, and computer storage and presentation techniques that make up the invention that the patent secures.

The new concepts that the patent protects are the core of FBE’s product, MH Pro! EZ, which FBE leases to the precast concrete industry. MH Pro! EZ is a program that assists the producers of precast structures by automatically creating drawings and reports about drainage structures that are usually used in storm and sewer drainage systems.

For more information, call (989) 894-2785 or visit www.fbe-inc.com.

Spancrete adds staff
Spancrete Group Inc. of Waukesha, Wis., recently promoted a long-term employee and hired two new staff members in response to strong business growth.

Dean Donaghy was promoted to assistant general manager for Spancrete’s production facility in Crystal Lake, Ill. Donaghy is a graduate of ITT Technical Institute and has 15 years of related experience. In his new role, he is responsible for directing and coordinating all phases of production at the facility.

Harold Pry was hired as field superintendent for the Illinois precast market. Pry is a graduate of Texas Tech and has 12 years of related precast experience. In his new role, he provides on-site direction and coordination of the erection department and ensures the timely and safe completion of all projects.

Ron Klafka was hired as a field superintendent for the Illinois precast market. In his new role, Klafka is responsible for directing and coordinating all daily erection and project operations. With more than 35 years of construction and project management experience and a degree in engineering from Columbia University, he is currently working on a master’s degree in construction.

For more information about Spancrete, call (414) 290-9114.

Sicoma rolls into North American marketplace
Sicoma has taken several years to study the needs of the concrete producers in North America before deciding how to handle this large and complex market. The company forged ahead by forming a sales team led by Della McDonald, director of sales and marketing. McDonald was instrumental in researching the market and developing Sicoma’s marketing plan, says the company.

McDonald assembled a team of seasoned professionals to canvass North America with Robert (Bob) Thomas heading up the eastern U.S. region and Randy Johnson driving the western U.S. team. The team’s feedback was that delivery times are critical in the buying decisions of the North American concrete producers, and it resulted in 10-week delivery schedules for both planetary and twin shaft mixers.

The company says it can offer the complete package to the concrete industry with Sicoma’s sister company, Scale-Tron, which provides batching controls, microwave moisture sensors and silo weighing equipment.

Sicoma chose “Sicoma Strength” as its slogan to represent its position in the concrete mixing business, according to McDonald, as strength is the component in concrete that everyone must achieve to survive.

Find out more about Sicoma and Scale-Tron at www.sicoma.biz and www.scaletron.com.

Delta announces new appointments and services
Delta Engineers of Binghamton, N.Y., a provider of engineering and architectural services to public and private clients throughout the United States, has made recent organizational changes and is also offering new services.

Delta has made the following new appointments: Anthony R. Paniccia, P.E., president and chief executive officer; Richard R. Sanguinito, P.E., vice president of Building and Facilities Services; James R. McDuffee, P.E., vice president of Transportation and Precast Services; and David J. Chambers, chief financial officer. In addition, Ralph Verrastro transitioned to Florida, where he will serve as Tampa Regional Office manager to focus on the Land Development Bridge market.

Delta Engineers now offers environmental services throughout New York for asbestos project design, project monitoring, air monitoring and survey inspection services, lead-based paint inspections, risk assessments, industrial hygiene investigations and indoor quality evaluations. Also, Delta has expanded its capabilities to include landscape design services.

For more information, call (607) 231-6600 or visit www.deltaengineers.com.

Sika announces promotions
Sika Corp. of Lyndhurst, N.J., has announced two promotions. Aamer Syed was promoted to product marketing manager for Repair Systems, a role he successfully assumed in June 2006. Syed has been with Sika for eight years and has vast experience in Sika’s repair and protection business. In his new role, he will focus on the Repair Mortar and Reactive Resin product lines.

Timothy Gillespie was promoted to director of marketing for the Repair and Protection business unit. He has been with Sika for 10 years and has held various positions within product management. Most recently, Gillespie held the position of senior marketing manager for Repair and Protection, where he was responsible for repair mortars and total corrosion management activities.

Sika introduces new multipurpose admixture
Sika Corp. has introduced a new multipurpose admixture called Sikament 686. Sikament 686 can be used in precast as well as cast-in-place concrete applications. This admixture establishes the category of multidosage water reducers by providing increased dispersion of water reduction through the entire dosage range.

Sikament 686 can be used as a normal water reducer at its lowest recommended dosage, a midrange water reducer or as a high-range water reducer at its highest recommended dosage. This increased workability is provided with no delay in normal set time, says the company.

To find out more about Sika and its products, visit www.sikacorp.com.

Easi-Set adds product line specialist, new Web site
Easi-Set Industries of Midland, Va., has announced the addition of a new senior staff member. Peter Mokhiber comes to Easi-Set from Composite Materials Technology, a utility and lighting pole company he co-founded. He has more than 25 years of sales, sales management, product marketing and business development experience. Mokhiber’s role will focus on developing and expanding the company’s building market with a special emphasis on restrooms.

According to Moffette Tharpe, managing director, this is the first time Easi-Set has hired a staff member to assist licensees with direct sales.

Easi-Set also launched an expanded Web site featuring its precast concrete buildings. The new Web site, at www.precastbuildings.com, offers the customer comprehensive product information, including a broad range of building applications, finishes, brochures and producer lists.

For more information about Easi-Set Industries, call (866) 252-8210.

Caliper transitioning relationship management
Caliper, a team-building company based in Princeton, N.J., is transitioning relationship management from its Sales department to its Marketing department in order to better service the company’s association partners.

The Marketing department is headed by Patrick Sweeney. Tara Putnam will handle all questions and requests during the transition. Putnam, the channel markets coordinator, has been working with associations over the past year and will continue this role under Sweeney.

Contact Tara Putnam at (609) 524-1450 or tputnam@calipercorp.com.

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