Manasquan Premium Fasteners Names Unick as Market Development Manager

Manasquan Premium Fasteners, a provider of stainless steel fasteners to the residential, commercial and marine construction industries, has named Ryan Unick as the company’s new market development manager. Unick’s primary responsibilities include local and national market development, managing the company’s marketing and social media campaigns and supervising product line expansions such as the pneumatic driven ballistic pin system for steel studs and concrete fastening.

Prior to joining Manasquan, Unick served as the deck products specialist at Starborn Industries Inc., a manufacturer of fasteners and related products for the building industry. During this time, he helped develop and implement the company’s global branding campaign, advertising program and packaging redesign. Unick also served as the product manager for the Pro Plug System, a hardwood deck plugging system, which is distributed by Manasquan Premium Fasteners.

Kelly Joins Norse Building Products

Allenton, Wis.-based Norse Building Products, manufacturer of the Rockstep and Pro Line Stone Veneer announce that Richard Kelly has joined the company as national sales and marketing manager. Norse says Kelly has a strong background in the building material industry, with his most recent position as national sales manager for Bodyguard Wood Product and Spiderlath Inc.

Turner Construction Awarded Ft. Irwin Replacement Hospital

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District selected Turner Construction Co. to build the Fort Irwin Replacement Hospital in San Bernardino, Calif. The $160 million hospital replaces the Weed Army Community Hospital, and marks a significant milestone in the United States Department of Defense commitment to delivering world-class healthcare to all service members and their families.  

The project consists of a 216,000-square-foot hospital, which provides tertiary care, emergency medicine, and clinical support. Additionally, the project includes a 9,000-square-foot renovation of the Mary Walker clinic and construction of a helipad, ambulance shelter, central utilities plant, and photovoltaic farm, which will provide sustainable energy to the hospital and ancillary buildings.

The hospital's design will utilize evidence-based and world-class design principles, and will be designed and constructed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Ellerbe Becket/RLF Joint Venture will provide full design services for the project.

"The Fort Irwin Replacement Hospital is a significant win for our company because it builds upon Turner's outstanding reputation as the leading builder of premiere healthcare facilities for the government," says Chris Jahrling, VP and general manager of Turner's Federal Services group in Washington, D.C. "We are excited and honored to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and contribute to their mission to provide world class care to service members and their families." 

Turner recently completed the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia in a joint venture with Gilbane Building Co. and is constructing the Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Ga., and the Department of Veterans Affairs Denver Replacement Hospital in Aurora, Colo., in joint venture with the Kiewit Building Group.  

OSHA Fines Four Contractors for Exposing Workers to Falls, Other Hazards

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited four New Jersey contractors working on a 20-story building in Jersey City for exposing workers to fall hazards, following a December 2011 inspection during which inspectors observed employees working on the fourth floor without personal fall protection or fall protection systems. Altura Concrete Inc. and Nathil Corp., both of Hasbrouck Heights, and White Diamonds Properties LLC and Blade Contracting Inc., both of Jersey City, face total proposed fines of $463,350.

Altura Concrete Inc. and Nathil Corp., the concrete contractors for the foundation and superstructure of the building, directed 75 employees on site. The two companies have been cited for five willful violations ‒ including four instance-by-instance (that is, egregious) violations ‒ for failing to protect workers from fall hazards created by open sides and edges on the fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th and 13th floors, as well as protect workers from fall hazards created by the misuse of self-supporting stepladders. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health. The citations carry $315,000 in penalties.

The companies also have received citations for nine serious violations, including failing to provide personal protective equipment, provide a cap for an acetylene tank in storage, store cylinders in an upright position, separate oxygen and acetylene tanks, provide fall protection for workers installing ribs, provide protection from protruding rebar, maintain shoring/reshoring plans on-site, provide railings on stairs, protect workers from fall hazards created by open holes, secure the cover over a floor hole and mark the floor hole cover. The citations carry $40,500 in penalties. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

One other-than-serious violation has been cited for failing to record an injury on the OSHA 300 log. The citation carries a $900 penalty. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

General contractor White Diamonds Properties, with seven employees on-site, has been issued citations for two willful violations involving failing to protect workers from fall hazards, as well as citations for five serious violations related to improper storage of compressed gas cylinders, unprotected rebar and failing to have drawings for shoring/reshoring on site. The citations carry $95,400 in penalties.

Masonry contractor Blade Contracting, with 21 employees on site, has been cited with three serious violations for failing to protect workers from fall hazards, properly use a scaffold and inspect scaffold components for defects. The citations carry $11,550 in penalties.

Citations for Altura Concrete Inc. and Nathil Corp. can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AlturaConcreteIncNathilCorporation_316089861_0601_12.pdf;

White Diamonds Properties LLC at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/WhiteDiamondsPropertiesLLC_316089853_0601_12.pdf; and Blade Contracting Inc. at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/BladeContractingInc316229608_0601_12.pdf.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Brick Comparisons Burst Common Myths

Video and fact sheets comparing brick with other home exteriors debunks the common myths about genuine clay brick versus its competitors. With frank pros and cons on the latest in sustainability features, maintenance needs, costs, fire safety and more, the package stacks brick against the top alternatives - vinyl siding, concrete masonry, manufactured stone, fiber cement siding and Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), otherwise known as synthetic stucco.

“Especially in this economy and housing market, it’s necessary to offer a competitive picture of how clay brick stacks up to other exteriors in terms of its growing role in green building design, cost, durability, longevity, maintenance, lasting colors, enduring beauty and curb appeal,” says Gregg Borchelt, P.E., FASTM, FCSI, and BIA president and CEO. “Glossy brochures with gorgeous photography and few facts aren’t enough to offer a real narrative on brick."

Eliminating technical jargon, content areas for each product include major myths, strengths and weaknesses in all areas (aesthetics, initial cost, design flexibility, installation, maintenance and repairs, water management, color fading, fire resistance, wind damage, moisture resistance, insect infestation, damage resistance, environmental concerns, insurance issues); physical properties and construction basics; cross-section diagrams; the differences between brick and each product; sustainability comparisons and product performance.

BIA's new booklets include:

• The Facts: Brick v. Vinyl Siding 
• The Facts: Brick vs. Fiber Cement Siding
• The Facts: Brick vs. Manufactured Stone
• The Facts: Brick vs. EIFS 
• The Facts: Brick vs. Concrete Masonry Veneer

New Book for Contractors

Sometimes, contractors are good at their trade, but may not know how to run a successful business. For a construction business to beat the odds and survive, the owner needs to know how to price jobs, write contracts, manage crews, work with subcontractors and collect on their work.

"Markup& Profit Revisited" helps construction business owners do just that. Michael Stone, a contractor, lecturer and construction consultant, covers the business basics of running a construction company, whether a general or specialty contractor, working in remodeling, new construction or commercial work.

This book provides the keys to a profitable business, which is even more challenging in today's market. In this updated and expanded edition of the top-selling original, Michael discusses how to maintain a stable cash flow, compute a fair owner's salary and recognize warning signs. When things go bad, it outlines how to deal with unhappy clients and make it through tough times.

Stone discusses the differences between markup and margin, and how to use both to calculate the correct sales price. He explains, in simple layman's language, why the price of construction projects must be based on the cost of the project, when almost every other business can set their prices based on the market. A business needs to be profitable, not competitive.

Since 1999 Michael Stone has used his experience to help thousands of general contractors, new homebuilders, remodelers, and specialty contractors of all types build stronger, more profitable businesses. "Markup & Profit Revisited" is published by Craftsman Book Co. andConstruction Programs & Results Inc.

FlyAshDirect and BASF Develop Chemical Solution for Fly Ash Used in Concrete

FlyAshDirect has partnered with BASF to develop a chemical solution to beneficiate fly ashes used in concrete that have been exposed to Powder Activated Carbon (PAC), a material widely accepted as a method to control mercury emissions at coal burning power plants. 

PAC injection systems, when installed prior to the power plants' particulate control device, will deposit activated carbon onto the fly ash as it travels through the flue gas, subsequently elevating the level of carbon or Loss on Ignition (LOI) in the fly ash byproduct. Powder Activated Carbons, which can be up to a thousand times more absorptive than Natural Carbon, will absorb air entraining admixtures when used in concrete to provide freeze thaw durability, rendering the fly ash unusable. Due to ongoing air pollution legislation, environmental agencies are mandating mercury controls at hundreds of coal burning power generating stations across the United States and Canada, which have already negatively impacted the quality of millions of tons of fly ash. More than 10 million tons of fly ash is beneficially used in concrete as a partial replacement for cement every year in the United States. 

FlyAshDirect currently owns and operates CarbonBlocker at five power generating plants throughout the Ohio Valley region and has successfully treated more than 2 million tons of fly ash for use in ready mix concrete. FlyAshDirect, who holds separate patents on the injection system and chemistry, originally developed the technology to address the affects of "Natural or Unburned" carbon, which is caused by low NOx burners or other inefficient burning conditions in the boiler. 

Realizing the benefits of the technology, BASF Construction Chemicals Division saw an opportunity to assist FlyAshDirect in further developing the chemistry to address the more aggressive challenge posed by PAC tainted fly ashes and are now prepared to commercialize the new technology. CarbonBlocker is specifically designed to provide an efficient method to apply minute quantities of liquid chemistry to alter the properties of fine powders in a bulk flow environment. This is a key benefit that FlyAshDirect and BASF believe can be expanded to other new and unique chemistries for the purpose of treating a wide array of construction materials such as fly ash, cement and slag, providing unlimited opportunities.

Blastrac NA Helps Wounded Warrior

Blastrac NA has been asked by the team at Scott’s Concrete and Bryan Broderick to help install a custom garage floor in Cpl. Todd and Chrystal Nicely’s new smart home. Tunnel to Towers and The Gary Sinise Foundation are building smart homes for multiple amputee wounded warriors. 

“These are two great organizations we look forward to working with.” says Jonn Rippman, national sales manager and training director. “This is a great cause to embrace and those of us at Blastrac and our friends will continue to support their efforts whenever and wherever we can.”

The Gary Sinise Foundation was officially formed in 2010, and is dedicated to serving the Nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. Serving Honor and Need is the cornerstone of the foundation, which is built upon its founder’s life-long principals and long standing commitment to be a citizen of action, and to help in any way that one can, the people who serve our country.

The sole purpose of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is to honor the legacy of love given to us by Stephen Siller, FDNY, who laid down his life on 9/11, by “doing good” in his name. The mission is to follow Siller’s footsteps through support of children who have lost a parent, firefighters, and military who have been seriously injured and sacrifice their quality of life in the line of duty.

Non-profit Agency Takes 'Brick' Road to Affordability, Market Appeal

The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas is a housing paradox. On the one hand, the region ─ anchored by the cities of Brownsville and McAllen ─ is relatively poor. The per capita annual income is only slightly more than half that of the state average and the poverty rate is almost double the state average. Yet, at the same time, homeownership is slightly higher than the state average, or about 70 percent, versus 65 percent, according to the 2010 US Census.

Perhaps part of the explanation is Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. (AHSTI), the largest builder of affordable homes in the four-county region. Founded in 1976 as McAllen Housing Services Inc., the non-profit federally supported agency has helped about 3,400 low- and moderate-income working families buy homes.

The agency builds 110 to 120 new, single-family homes each year, according to long-time Construction Director Alfredo Munguia. The houses are in the price range of $52,000 to $58,000, not including land costs, and vary in size and floor plan.

Photo courtesy of AHSTI

The selection includes two-, three- and four-bedroom units, ranging in size of actual living area from 950 to 1,358 square feet. About 80 percent of the units are three-bedroom/two-bath houses with garage, utility room and front porch – a total footprint of about 1,600 square feet, Munguia says. And, since 1990, AHSTI has used bricks as the primary material for the exteriors of 95 percent of the homes it builds. Bricks cover all sides of the structure.

“That’s what our client prefers,” Munguia says. “They prefer bricks for safety, better insurance rates, overall looks, and variety of styles and colors. There’s something for everyone. It also holds up well in this hot, humid climate – no mold or mildew problems. And it requires very little maintenance.”

Munguia says bricks also are preferred, because they are a “green” material and provide superior protection from windstorms, such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Vendors of other (non-masonry) siding materials have approached the agency in the past about using such materials, but the agency could see no

reason to depart from the brick path.

“It never occurred to me that bricks and affordable housing didn’t go hand-in-hand,” says Munguia. “Because of the lower maintenance costs and lower insurance rates, bricks are the most economical choice.”