AGC Names Renschen as Chair of Training, Education & Development Forum

Robin Renschen, corporate director of learning and development with McCarthy Building Companies Inc., has been appointed chairman of the national Training, Education & Development (TED) Forum Steering Committee for the Associated GeneralContractors of America. As the leading association for the construction industry, the AGC developed the TED Forum to enhance performance and career development opportunities for individuals, member firms and the construction industry overall. Renschen will hold the position for a three-year term.

With more than 20 years of experience aligning learning and performance objectives to business strategy and delivering quantifiable results, Renschen is an industry-recognized learning and organizational development leader. Since joining McCarthy in 2008, Renschen has been instrumental in developing the McCarthy Build U training and development program, culminating with McCarthy being recognized among the top 10 training organizations in America by Training magazine two years in a row. Prior to joining McCarthy, Renschen spearheaded Wieland University at John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods. Renschen holds a bachelor of science in Business Administration from University of Central Missouri.

“Given his excellent knowledge of this industry and his demonstrated commitment to increasing the skills of workers at all levels, I am pleased to appoint Robin to this important position, knowing that he will truly bring to life my yearlong theme: Building Knowledge,” said Paul Diederich, president of AGC of America. “AGC is such a strong organization because of the passion and dedication of its member volunteers. I know Robin will help us grow ever better as he steers the TED Forum in new directions that will, indeed, build knowledge.”

The TED Forum Steering Committee oversees numerous task forces, the annual training conference, the AGC education e-forum and the Knowledge Source newsletter. Among other areas, credentialing, workforce development, industry recruitment, supervisory training, and executive management all fall under the TED Forum. The TED Forum reports to AGC’s Board of Directors.

“The construction industry continues to evolve and change, and the AGC is a critical resource,” noted Renschen. “I am excited and honored to be able to help to expand education offerings for our members and to encourage the sharing of best practices across our industry.”

Oldcastle Architecture Acquires Expocrete, Harmony

Oldcastle Architectural has acquired Expocrete Concrete Products Ltd., giving the company an increased presence in the high-growth region of Western Canada. The company also has acquired Harmony Outdoor Products Inc., expanding the Belgard Hardscapes collection to include a full suite of pre-built modular hardscape elements for every outdoor living setting.

Expocrete manufactures a diverse range of concrete hardscape, masonry and precast products that meet high standards in quality, safety and sustainability. The company operates seven manufacturing facilities in the Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Winnipeg markets. Headquartered in Edmonton, Expocrete will continue to be led by President David Johnson.

Oldcastle first partnered with Harmony Outdoor Products four years ago to offer contractors the option of the Belgard Elements Collection of modular fire features, water features, grill stations and kitchen islands; the pre-built structures integrate with Belgard Hardscapes paver and wall block for a seamless look and unparalleled design detail of outdoor spaces.

With this acquisition, Oldcastle will be able to expand Elements Collection design offerings and increase accessibility through Belgard’s broad geographic reach. Oldcastle has a comprehensive network of Belgard Authorized Dealers and Belgard Authorized Contractors throughout North America, ensuring homeowners’ access to a wide range of Belgard pavers, wall block and modular features.

CDCNews Launches 'Building Blocks' Blog

CDCNews, a regional provider of public and private commercial construction leads, is launching a blog, Building Blocks. The blog, authored by CDCNews’ team of industry experts, shares in-depth information on industry projects and industry trends indispensable to commercial, building, industrial, multi-unit residential and heavy and highway construction professionals.

“We designed Building Blocks to connect construction professionals both with projects and with each other,” said CDCNews President Bill Black. “At CDCNews, we are more than just a regional lead service; we have a unique understanding of the commercial construction industry that helps contractors expand their business opportunities. Building Blocks is a platform for us to share our knowledge and expertise — we cover topics from all points of view so readers will have the information they need to make the best business decisions.”

Building Blocks blog posts provide the latest information on industry news and trends, as well as regional projects, to help contractors better compete in their individual markets. The content CDCNews provides in Building Blocks is written to help contractors get the insights they need to land more projects and to tackle them more efficiently. Posts are categorized into eight searchable segments:

·         Bidding

·         Construction Data Index (CDI)

·         Regional Reports

·         News

·         Operating Insights

·         Contracting Methods

·         Legislation

·         Company Spotlight

“Building Blocks allows CDCNews to increase our company’s visibility among a national audience of construction professionals,” said Black. “Our goal with Building Blocks is to proactively address topics and trends influencing the industry. Also, we will use the blog platform to share important information on the bidding landscape, as well as insights into weekly ‘hot projects.’ With these features, Building Blocks is yet another resource CDCNews provides contractors to be more competitive and grow their business opportunities in local markets.”

Those interested in CDCNews’ Building Blocks blog can subscribe to receive the latest posts delivered via email. Readers are encouraged to also follow the company on Twitter at @CDCNews or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/cdcnews?fref=ts.

Acme Brick Names May as 2012 Plant Manager of the Year

Ed Watson, Acme Brick Co.’s senior VP of production, announced that Greg May as the winner of Acme’s Plant Manager of the Year Award. The award was presented during Acme’s Plant Manager meeting, held in Montgomery, Ala., on March 20. This was the second Plant Manager of the Year award for May. His previous award was in 2006. He is manager of Acme’s Wheeler plant in Jonesboro, Ark.

May began his career with Acme in 1975, after attending Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., on a baseball scholarship. That year, he began working at the Kanopolis, Kan., plant where his father, Sam May, was the plant manager. 

May transferred to the Clinton plant in 1980, to Sealy in 1986, to Oklahoma City in 1994 and Tulsa in 1999, before he got the call to move, once again. This time, the move was to become the plant manager of the Wheeler plant in Jonesboro, Ark., after Acme acquired the company in 2000.

Atlas Copco Group Celebrates 140 Years

Atlas Copco CEO Ronnie Leten marked the company’s 140th anniversary by ringing the opening bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York’s Times Square on Feb. 21. The bell ringing signified the beginning of the day’s trading and the start of a year-long anniversary celebration for Atlas Copco. Maureen Ellis, an employee celebrating more than 40 years with Atlas Copco in the United States, joined Leten at the event, along with select customers and other company management and stakeholders.

Headquartered in Sweden, Atlas Copco began with an idea in 1873 that the country should become more self-sufficient in railroad building. As the years passed however, development, technical innovations and competition drove the company to diversify its product portfolio. In the 1950s the first major strategic international acquisition was made with the purchase of Arpic Engineering, a Belgian compressor company.


The growth of Atlas Copco is also widely accredited to the founding Wallenberg family. It is said that without the family's belief in the company and its sometimes unorthodox decisions, Atlas Copco would probably not exist today.

Through 140 years of innovation and acquisition, Atlas Copco has grown to serve customers in over 170 countries. Atlas Copco first came to the U.S. in 1950. Today Atlas Copco has 109 locations in the United States alone, representing 1.7 million square feet of manufacturing, production, distribution and office space, and employing more than 4,600 people and works with hundreds of carefully selected distributors. North America operations as a whole generated more than US$2.8 billion in annual revenue in 2012. 

As part of the anniversary celebration, Atlas Copco North America donated $60,000 to New York City-based “charity: water,” a global non-profit dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. The donation brings Atlas Copco’s total charity: water giving to $161,000 since 2010, with the company’s employee-run Water for All organization donating more than $239,000 since the program’s inception. To learn more about Atlas Copco’s employee-run Water for All charity program, visit http://www.water4all.org/us.  

Masons and The Software Revolution

By Jennifer Morrell

Almost six years ago, when I first entered the world of masonry, I was highly impressed with the different types of software available to contractors and project managers. Then came the rounds of estimating software, which really changed the way contractors do business – right there on the jobsite. And then, the configuring was done on a laptop. Today, it’s more likely an iPad.

As of late, I’ve been blown away again by the software ingenuity in our industry. This time, it’s a little different. Not only are software companies staying atop their game, but also manufacturers are leaving their footprints. Super-sophisticated applications (apps) for mobile devices seem to be popping up everywhere. The creativity is amazing. From Holcim’s Weather App that tells masons if conditions are right to lay brick that day, to General Shale’s new app that allows users to browse product colors and sizes in brick, thin brick and pavers, and then email favorite selections or final cost calculations without leaving the app. The innovation is growing by leaps and bounds.

Of course, we have the big, tall, fat, imposing elephant in the room: Building Information Modeling (BIM). The old saying, “Get on board or get out of the way,” applies here. BIM is prevalent for architects and engineers who are designing buildings. But masonry is not currently an option as A&E look at different available wall systems. But that is about to change.

But that’s going to change. Thanks to six determined and dedicated funding organizations, masonry is knocking at the BIM door. The Mason Contractors Association ofAmerica (MCAA), the National Concrete Manufacturer’s Association (NCMA), the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), Western States Clay Products Association, the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and The Masonry Society (TMS) have banded together to urge software developers to include masonry in BIM software. To do this, the groups are working with The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), which is creating a “roadmap” that has just been completed. 

Masonry will update you on this roadmap in our May issue. Stay tuned. Technology is changing your world, like it or not. And, from what I’ve seen, there’s plenty to like about it. 

Jennifer Morrell is editor of Masonry Magazine.