acipgh.com 2014 annual awards banquet recap congratulations!€¦ · april snyder, rj lee group,...
TRANSCRIPT
Congratulations!
Thank You!Thank you to the 2013-2014 Board
for all of their efforts.
PITTSBURGH AREA
CHAPTERJune 2014
acipgh.com
2014-2015 Election Ballot Results
Nominating CommitteeJim Adams, Fibercon International
Bruce Cody, PACAJim Rader, J.J. Kennedy, Inc.
Dan Smith, Kieffer Coal & Supply Co.Tony Szwedko, Solar Testing
Congratulations to the new board members & nominating committee members.
Vice PresidentAndy Lawrence,
JC Lee Construction & Supply
Newly Elected Board of DirectorsApril Snyder, RJ Lee Group, Inc.
Nick Wytiaz, A&A Consultants, Inc.
The Annual Awards Banquet was held at the River's Casino on April 11, 2014.
Congratulations to our Art Livingood Scholarship winners!Each recipient accepted their award from our President Russ Smith Jr.
Anthony Szwedko ($2,500)CCAC
Derek Dibert ($1,500)University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Alexander Vuotto ($1,500)University of Pittsburgh
...Continued on page 3 ►
2014 Annual Awards Banquet Recap
The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Andrew Lawrence
by President Russ Smith Jr.
PITTSBURGH AREA
CHAPTER
acipgh.com
Respecting the Dispatcher By Craig Cottongim
Editor's Note: This article was recently published in The Concrete Producer, March/April 2014 and prior to that ran in their sister publication, CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. Concrete producers may want to distribute this to their customers to encourage them to work more closely with their dispatchers.
When I was a laborer in Illinois, we were pumping a few hundred yards for state Route 59. The foundation, including the parking garage underneath, was stacked over 20 feet high. After about the first 60 yards, for some unknown reason, our service went downhill. It was an afternoon pour, the sun was getting low, and so was our morale.
Phil, our foreman, called the ready-mix plant several times to complain. The dispatcher came back with the most hated phrase in our industry: It's on the road. From our perch up on the scaffolding, we could actually see the plant off in the distance. No trucks were heading our way. Phil, dropping a few F-bombs, told the dispatcher he knew the trucks were on the road because they weren't flying through the air! Hanging up, Phil let the dispatcher know what an idiot he thought he was. Did our service improve? Hardly.
Dispatchers can either help your day go well or they can be your biggest source of frustration. I asked some for advice; think about passing on these ideas to your crews.
Give Directions, not landmarksThe number one response from dispatchers across the nation was, "Give us the clearest address and best directions possible." Don't give them landmarks; they want street names, lot numbers, and 911 addresses. GPS doesn't work off of, "I'm not sure, but I think the name of the subdivision is..." And these directions won't help much either: "Over the second hill, turn left past the rusty old silo or maybe turn right." One dispatcher in Tennessee, on the state line, told me a contractor once said, "Just ship eight yards to the Baptist church in Virginia" That was all for directions. Dispatchers also said, "Make sure you place your order at least two days in advance." If you wait until the morning of your pour to call in your order, you are asking for trouble. And don't wait until late in the day for the weather to clear to call in an order and expect a miracle either.
Dispatchers don't mind calculating your yardage, but if you ask a dispatcher to figure the yardage, you can't complain when your order is off. It's never a good idea anyway to phone in your measurements and ask the dispatcher to figure your yardage. Have your yardage estimated in plenty of time before you call in. Dispatchers also told me they like to give their drivers a heads-up too; drivers like to know if you're pouring a foundation or flatwork. It helps them identify the site and make any necessary preparations. You don't benefit from keeping this information to yourself, so overload them with any information that will help everything flow smoothly.
No matter how well prepared your crew is, without excellent service for the ready-mix plant, you aren't going to be productive. You want an edge over the competition? Get in sync with your dispatcher.
Dispatcher Neil Armstrong loads a truck at Shelby Materials, Shelbyville, Ind.
Photo: Harold Lee Miller
2014 ~ 2015
Russ Smith, Jr. Kiefer Coal & Supply Co.
Past President
Mark Snyder ACPA Pennsylvania Chapter
President
Andy Lawrence JC Lee Construction Company
Vice President
Beth RaderSecretary / Treasurer
~ DIRECTORS ~Michael Dale SAI EngineersDavid Farone EssrocPat Hofmann Ligonier Stone & Lime ConcreteMatt Manning J.J. Kennedy, Inc.Justin Rader J.J. Kennedy, Inc. April Snyder RJ Lee Group, Inc.Bill Tate Silhol Builders Supply CompanyDavid Thomas Golden Triangle ConstructionNick Wytiaz A&A Consultants, Inc.David Yeske 43rd Street Concrete
Chapter News is published by the American Concrete Institute, Pittsburgh Area Chapter for the purpose of informing members and others about issues of concern to the concrete industry. If you have information to include in this publication or any comments, contact ACI Pittsburgh Chapter at 724-452-1468
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2
Craig Cottongim is a long-time concrete finisher who's also a writer and communicator.E-mail: [email protected]
3PITTSBURGH AREA
CHAPTER
acipgh.com
QC MANAGER• ACI-certified technician• Experience in precast plant operations• Familiar with PennDOT / NPCA specifications
and QC documentation• Competitive salary• H & W benefits• Pension / 401(k)• Send resume to: [email protected]
Job Openings
Fiber Reinforced Concrete ~ Winning Project ~
Congratulations!Congratulations to Joshua Smith, for his Fiber
Reinforced Concrete winning project at the Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair, March 28, 2014 at Heinz Field. Joshua is a 9th grade student at Northern Garrett High School.
This student award was sponsored by the ACI Pittsburgh Area Chapter. The Science Fair's
mission is to connect our young scientists and engineers with professionals in the fields. Nearly 1,100 students in grades 6-12 participated this
year making the event a great success!
Joshua Smith with his Fiber Reinforced Concrete project.
Awards Banquet Recap► Continued from page 1 ..........................................
The President's Award was presented to Russ Smith Jr.
by Vice President Mark Snyder
The Tink Bryan Award was presented to Mark Patton
by Russ Smith Jr.
TINK BRYAN AWARD ~ TRIBUTE TO: THOMAS “TINK” BRYAN
The Tink Bryan Award was created in honor of an outstanding individual
who dedicated himself to his family, business and the concrete industry.
PITTSBURGH AREA
CHAPTER
American Concrete InstitutePittsburgh Area Chapter
P.O. Box 86Zelienople, PA 16063
acipgh.com
Pittsburgh Area Chapter ~ 2014 Upcoming Events
Saturday - July 19th
Social NightPNC Park
Visit our website for a list of upcoming events at www.acipgh.com/calendar.shtml.
Monday - July 28th
Golf OutingQuicksilver Golf Club
Midway, PA
For registration/sponsor forms, email ACI at