Female Construction Execs Form WiOPS

Sarah Creighton and Holly Cindell of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., are among a group of pioneering women from Southern California construction, architecture and engineering companies to begin WiOPS, a professional organization geared toward women in construction operations. Creighton and Cindell were named co-chairs for the organization, which aims to mentor women working in the operations side of construction.

This past summer, Creighton and Cindell joined with 13 other women in likeminded careers to set up a board and establish goals and a mission for WiOPS. As a result, the group determined their primary goal will be to facilitate mentorship of up-and-coming women in the construction, architecture and engineering professions.

They also developed the following mission: “WiOPS is committed to the advancement of women in construction operation positions and mentoring of future women leaders in our industry. Through mentorships, education and networking, we are dedicated to establishing a platform to share our goals and explore solutions to the unique challenges women encounter. WiOPS promotes hard work, commitment, and integrity to maintain a professional network of construction leaders today and tomorrow.”

The WiOPS founding board members include: Co-chairmen, Holly Cindell and Sarah Creighton, McCarthy; Vice Chairman, Nancy Goldman, Jezowski & Markel; Secretary, Kasie Bowden, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Treasurers, Lia Tatevosian, Swinerton Builders and Lucy Villanueva, McCarthy; Membership, Amanda Corbet, McCarthy and Events Coordinator, Shaabini Alford, Murray Company. Other WiOPS members instrumental to the group’s founding include: Bernadette Reyes, Clark Construction Group; LaDrena Dansby, USC Capital Construction Development; Elle Navarro and Michelle Garcia, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Sammi Maya, McCarthy; Jessica Drake, Swinerton Builders and Kathlynn Smith, Hunt Ortman and founder of SmartGirls and SmartGirls’ Guide to Construction Law. 

Held Jan. 24, 2013, at Murray Company’s training facility in Rancho Dominguez, the organization’s launch event was a huge success with more than 150 attendees. During the launch, prospective and new members learned more about the goals and mission of the organization and had the opportunity to network with fellow women in operations during cocktail hour and dinner.

Meet-ups are currently being planned for March 7, 2013, at locations in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, with specifics to be announced on the WiOPS website. The next formal meeting is planned for April 25, 2013, from 5 to 7 p.m. at McCarthy’s office in Newport Beach. The event will include networking and feature speaker Dr. Michael Brainard, along with a distinguished panel of women in leadership positions. Brainard has designed and implemented dozens of mentoring, coaching and career development programs. During the meeting, he will define objectives, myths and best practices from “both sides” of the mentor and mentee perspectives.

WiOPS membership is open to women and men in construction, architecture and engineering industries serving in operations, managerial, estimating, engineering and design career paths. For more information about membership or to sign up to attend their next meeting, visit www.womeninoperations.com

Mason Contractors: Learn About Life-Cycle Assessment

SCS Global Services (SCS) is pleased to announce a one-day, intensive introductory training course in life cycle assessment (LCA). The one-day course will be held in Emeryville, Calif., at SCS’ headquarters on March 5, 2012.

LCA is an assessment tool used to evaluate the environmental and human health impacts of products and services from a cradle-to-grave perspective, taking into account each stage of raw material extraction and processing, manufacturing, transportation, use and final disposal. LCA has evolved over four decades, and has been used to guide product design, purchase preferences, and investment decisions. Increasingly, LCA is considered the new paradigm for transparency in environmental labeling, and is being widely adopted for use.

This overview course is suitable to all levels and provides an introduction to LCA principles, a review of the international LCA framework and environmental product declaration standards (ISO 14040, 14044, and 14025), and a summary of the key provisions in a new draft national LCA standard (LEO-SCS-002) being developed under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process.

  
The new standard provides a detailed framework for conducting comprehensive life cycle impact assessment that is sufficiently robust to support public declarations, claims and comparisons. It builds upon and complements the basic international LCA framework, providing guidance to support the calculation of results that are complete, accurate, and will stand up to stakeholder scrutiny.

  
SCS programs span a wide cross-section of sectors, recognizing exemplary performance in natural resource management, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, retailing and more. SCS is a Certified B Corp^., reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practice.

LATICRETE Effort Brings Donations for Sandy Victims

LATICRETE, a manufacturer of construction solutions for the building industry, reached out to victims of Superstorm Sandy by gathering donations at World of Concrete in Las Vegas earlier this month.

The firm constructed a stone wishing well named "Fountain of Change," positioning it in a focal spot within their WOC exhibit. Visitors to the LATICRETE booth were invited to contribute their pocket change. At the end of the expo, the total sum of donations was tallied with a 100 percent LATICRETE match, subsequently presenting the entire amount to the American Red Cross in an effort to help victims of Superstorm Sandy.

"Two of our key technical representatives working within our Specialty Products Division live in the New York City region. Unfortunately, they were affected by Superstorm Sandy," says Allen Hunter, LATICRETE channel manager, specialty products division. ”LATICRETE has a history spanning six decades of helping those in need. Collectively, we decided to implement that longstanding company regimen, extending a humanitarian arm to those who suffered setbacks due to that awful storm. So, we contacted the American Red Cross, which was very receptive to our 'Fountain of Change' idea."

   

Hilti Robotic Total Stations Make Their Mark

Using the latest in robotic technology, the new Hilti POS 180 and Hilti POS 150 Robotic Total Stations are making their mark. With digital plans stored in memory, the compact controller is in permanent wireless contact with the total station and provides direct access to functions that make everyday layout and measuring tasks easier than ever. But best of all, these jobs can now be completed quickly and efficiently by just one person for increased productivity when compared to traditional methods for all jobsite layout needs.
 
With intuitive operation and automatic target acquisition, these total stations are great for 3D layouts: outdoors on the ground or on facades, indoors on floors, ceilings and walls, and for checking positions on plans and measurements for drawing up building plans.
The POS 180 and 150 bring the whole jobsite to your fingertips by providing a reliable “Building Information Modeling (BIM) to the jobsite” and “jobsite to BIM” data flow. Thanks to automatic prism tracking and continuous measurement data capturing, the new controller puts the complete building plan in the palm of your hand.
 
Backing the Hilti POS 180 and POS 150 Robotic Total Stations is  Hilti’s Calibration Service to help ensure reliability and accuracy. Even with Hilti’s built-in protection features, precision instruments can be affected by everyday use and more. Through the Calibration Service, the total station will be calibrated and adjusted as needed, with the calibration confirmed in writing. The POS 180 and POS 150 Robotic Total Stations also are covered by Hilti’s Lifetime Service, a unique service agreement that includes two years of no-cost coverage.

Nonresidential Construction Index Continues to Rise

FMI, a provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, released The 2013 First Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index report. The NRCI of 58.1 is a 2.6-point improvement over Q4 2012.
 

The improvement reflect fundamental bright spots in the economy. “Optimistic but not bullish” is the way one panelist described his outlook on hiring for his company in 2013. Reflective of this is that 45 percent of NRCI panelists expect to increase full-time direct employees by as much as 5 percent.

Most noting that hiring will be based on current staff reaching a level of consistently over full work capacity. Only 9 percent report that they expect to decrease the number of full-time direct employees.

In addition, NRCI panelists are slightly more optimistic than last year at this time for growth in nonresidential construction. Nearly 50 percent expect modest growth for 2013, with 18.4 percent predicting that industry growth for the year could reach as high as five percent. However, backlogs for NRCI panelists are unchanged, holding steady at a median of 9 months.

To download a copy of the full report, click here. For reprint permission or to schedule an interview with the author, contact Sarah Vizard Avallone at 919.785.9221 or savallone@fminet.com.

Holcim US Names Ruiz as President, CEO

The board of directors of Holcim (US) Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of cement and mineral components, has named Filiberto Ruiz to serve as the company’s president and CEO. Ruiz’s appointment also includes serving as president and CEO of Aggregate Industries US, a Holcim Group Co.

Additionally, Bernard Terver, currently a member of the Holcim Ltd. Executive Committee, formerly president and CEO of Holcim (US) and Aggregate Industries US, has been named chairman of the board.

“As we look to the future, it is clear that Filiberto is the right choice to lead both organizations,” says Terver. “I am confident that through his leadership we will continue to develop the next generation of leaders from within the organization, maintain our focus on the communities we operate in, the environment and our commitment to delivering the highest quality products and services to our valued customers.”

“Holcim is one of the world’s most distinguished companies, with a 100-year history of commitment to its employees, customers, and the communities in which we operate,” says Ruiz. “It’s a tremendous honor to have been selected to lead this talented team and to build on the success of the past.”

Ruiz has served as the company’s deputy CEO since August 2012 and has been with the company for more than 26 years, holding a range of general management, manufacturing and sales and marketing positions both within and outside of the United States.

Terver has been president and CEO of Holcim (US) since October 2008 and Aggregate Industries United States since 2010. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the cement and mineral components industry both in the United States and internationally.

North Carolina MCA Masonry University Coming March 13

The North Caroline Masonry Contractors Association (NCMCA) Masonry University 2013 featuring the MCAA Masonry Wall Bracing Seminar with Rashod Johnson, P.E., is Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at McGee Brothers Co. in Greensboro.

You an use this link to download additional details and a registration form:

www.ncmca.com/PDF/MasonryUniversity2013RegistrationForm.pdf

Masonry University is an opportunity for NCMCA certified individuals to maintain required continuing education. The daylong session covers the two-year requirement. However, participation is not limited to the certification program or to members of NCMCA. A number of masonry contractors have requested we bring the wall bracing program to the Carolinas. Here it is!

Mock Bid Day Seminar Teaches Construction Professionals

Securing construction work is twice as hard in today's economy, so creating the perfect bid package that stands above the competition and gets noticed is essential for any contractor's success. 
 

Construction industry professionals can get a true sense of what general contractors experience on bid day at a Mock Bid Day Seminar on March 7 at the Mason Contractors Association, 1429 S. Big Bend Road in Richmond Heights, MO. The seminar is co-hosted by the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) - Midwest Council, American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE) and the Mason Contractors Association (MCA) of St. Louis. 

The cost to attend is $60 for non-members of the ASA, ASPE and MCA and $40 for members. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast followed by the seminar, which runs 8-11 a.m. Reservations are required and may be made online at www.asamidwest.com/registrationform or by contacting ASA Executive Director Susan Winkelmann at 314-845-0855 or susan@asamidwest.com.

Attendees will learn:

• How to make a bid stand out from the competition.
• How to make the subcontractor bidding process more efficient and effective.
• What NOT to do during the bidding process.