Georgia Contractor Jan-Feb 2012

THE VOICE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OF GEORGIA

The Georgia

CONTRACTOR

ENVISIONTRANSPORTATIONASSETS AS UTILITIESSTORY ON PAGE 6

Volume 8, Issue 1 January | February 2012

http://www.georgiapower.com/AandE

January | February 2012

Letter from the EditorJanuary | February 2012

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A4 Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ATC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Cummins Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Engineered Restorations Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Georgia Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

HNTB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

JAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

LPA Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

MidSouth Machine & Service Company. . . . . . . . . . 25

Prime Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

RHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

T. Wayne Owens & Associates, PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Utilities Protection Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Dear Readers~

Everybody is going to discuss our new year with the samehope that somehow or other, just maybe, the constructionindustry will begin to see a change for the better and that isparticularly true for the transportation sector. We have reasonto hope that the July 2012 referendum on the TransportationInvestment Act will be passed by all Georgians and, if it does,we have genuine reason to hope that we are finally on the wayto move our transportation plans forward and know that thefunding will be available. Most importantly, we will know thatGeorgia will not lag behind other states in their developmentof effective and competitive infrastructure improvements.

Ken Simonson, chief economist of the AGC of Americagives us again a well presented analysis of where Georgia isgoing economically speaking in 2012. One major driver forour economy will be the Panama Canal and the deepening ofthe Savannah Harbor. Much construction will have to takeplace in preparation for the super sized container ships we canbe expecting. This increase in construction is essential to makeSavannah competitive with other harbors. The opportunitiesfor Georgia are very real.

As Ken points out, private nonresidential segments thatappear poised to improve in 2012 include manufacturing, hos-pital, and perhaps higher education construction. Large retailand office segments are likely to remain stuck in low gear foranother year, he says.

CEFGA will be working on its Careers in Constructionexposition that will be taking place at the Georgia Internation-al Congress Center in March. We need to encourage all con-struction companies and their suppliers to support and partici-pate in this event. Our supply of future skilled constructionworkers depends on it. That is true even while the currentconstruction activities appear well below our normal expecta-tions.

R. Petersen-FreyEditor-in-Chief

3

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4 The Georgia Contractor

www.thegeorgiacontractor.com

Managing EditorR. Petersen-Frey(770) 521-8877

Art DirectorPamela Petersen-Frey

(770) 521-8877

The Georgia Contractor is published bi-monthly on a calendar year basis. It is a maga-

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The Georgia ContractorOn The Cover

ENVISION TRANSPORTATION ASSETSAS UTILITIES

Every day across America, public util-ities dutifully provide us with thecomforts and conveniences of life.

Flip a switch and the light goes on. Raisethe thermostat and the gas furnace blazes.Turn the faucet and water rushes forth.

See the story on page 6

USE A COMPANY YOU CAN TRUSTWITH YOUR TRANSLATION PROJECT,

because a little mistake in another language can have unpleasant results.

A4 INC. (770) 521 8877

“Gort! Klaatu Borada nikto.”

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6Envision Transportation Assets as Utilities

8Delve into 2012: Better Times for (some) Georgia Contractors

10Meeting the Fringe Benefits Obligation on Projects Subject to the Davis-Bacon Act

12Computer Fraud: Is your money safe in the bank?

14NFRC’s CMA: A tool for making informed decisions on commercial fenestration

16High-accuracy Mapping

18When is a tax not a tax?

20When the skilled craftsmen retire, who is there to continue the tradition?

21Concerned about Finding New, Young Talent for Your Company?Check out the 2012 Career Expo and SkillsUSA State Championships.

22Winds of Change2011 Brings new levels of success with highway reauthorization

24Georgia Contractor NEWS

26GCAA Workshop Exhibitors Listing

31Moisture in Concrete Slabs ~ New Construction

The Georgia

Contractor

5January | February 2012


6

12

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CONTENTS


very day across America,public utilities dutifullyprovide us with the com-forts and conveniences oflife. Flip a switch and thelight goes on. Raise the

thermostat and the gas furnace blazes. Turnthe faucet and water rushes forth.

While we might take these modernconveniences for granted, we also do notquestion the necessity of the electric, gas,and water bills we receive. We understandthat these utilities cost money and that,since we use them, we must pay for them.

Why, then, don’t we view our trans-portation assets—such as roads, bridges, andtunnels—in the same light? They are in everyway like public utilities. We use these assetsevery day to connect us to the world. Wecommute, recreate, and travel long distanceson them, and all of the goods and services weenjoy make daily use of these assets.

Yet, there is a general tendency amongthe public to view these assets as ‘build-it-once-and-forget-it’ systems, rather than asutilities that require continuing attentionand investment. The result is a persistentshortage of appropriate funding for theseassets as politicians fear voter reprisalsshould they raise taxes or initiate tolls.

There is one way to break this impasse:take the bold step of transforming ourtransportation assets into functioning pub-lic utilities. We need only look at the suc-cess of our electricity, gas, and water utilitiesfor inspiration. In the U.S., the mechanismfor funding these necessities is public utili-ty commissions. Independent boards acrossthe country are responsible for ensuringutility companies have enough revenue tomeet the public need, but not so much thatthey generate excessive income.

Envision TransportationAssets as Utilities

By Peter Rahn, | HNTB

E


By removing politics from transporta-tion funding, new independent commis-sions could regularly adjust fuel tax ratesand other fees to ensure our transportationnetwork’s long-term viability.

These independent transportation ratecommissions could be formed at both thestate and federal levels of government. Tokeep the process in check, Congress or thecorresponding state legislature would havethe power to overturn by a super majorityvote any decision the commissions make. Inthe states, a public utility approach wouldensure safe, adequate surface transportationsystems while giving an independent com-mission oversight authority to preventtransportation agencies from collectingmore revenue than is necessary to serve thepublic’s interest.

Commissions have gotten tough jobsdone at the federal level. When politics inter-fered with the need to fund certain necessaryactivities, the solution has been to move toempowered independent commissions.We’ve seen it happen with the Postal Rate

Commission and with the military’s BaseRealignment and Closure Commission.

In fact, there are examples where suc-cessful commissions have built and main-tained high-profile infrastructure assets aswell. The engineering marvel we know asthe Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel isrun not by the Virginia DOT, but by acommission made up of representativesfrom various adjacent counties. They own,operate and maintain the 17.6-mile com-plex, using tolls to fund new constructionand maintenance.

Look farther back in history—75

years—and you’ll find the Niagara FallsBridge Commission, which was formed tocreate a bridge between the U.S. and Cana-da at the site of one of the world’s mostimpressive natural features. The NFBC nowruns three bridges in that region, dealingwith the extraordinary challenges of cross-ing international boundaries and severeenvironmental conditions.

Yet the NFBC has been able to suc-cessfully run its operation, supportingitself through tolls, tenant leases andbonds. Such a time-tested model deserves acloser look. v

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Contractors in Georgia have had an eventougher time than their counterparts national-ly, and the hard times haven’t ended yet. Butthere are some positive signs for 2012.

onstruction employ-ment in the statetopped out at224,000, seasonallyadjusted, in March2007, the Bureau ofLabor Statistics (BLS)

reported. (Seasonal adjustment is a widelyused statistical technique to remove distor-tions from normal weather or holiday varia-tions.) That was about a year after construc-tion had begun shrinking in the country asa whole. But the decline in Georgia hasbeen much steeper—41 percent throughOctober 2011—than the 28 percentdropoff nationally. The 132,000 construc-tion workers on state payrolls in Octoberconstituted the lowest count since 1993.

Moreover, Georgia was still sheddingworkers on a year-over-year basis throughthe first ten months of 2011, whereasnationwide construction employment hasbeen roughly stable since early 2010. FromOctober 2010 to October 2011, Georgialost 9.5 percent of its construction work-force—the steepest drop among all 50 statesplus the District of Columbia—while U.S.construction employment was flat.

The pain was shared throughout thestate’s major metro areas. From October2010 to October 2011, constructionemployment declined in the Atlanta-SandySprings-Marietta metro area by 7,700—thelargest amount of any metro area—or eightpercent. Employment in construction,mining, and logging dropped by seven per-cent in the Savannah metro area, six per-cent in the Augusta-Richmond Countymetro area (including two counties inSouth Carolina) and two percent in theChattanooga, Tennessee-Georgia metro

area. (BLS combines industries in mostmetros to avoid disclosing data about indus-tries with few employers. Metro data are notseasonally adjusted.)

Private residential constructionA major reason for the statewide slump hasbeen the housing collapse. According to theFederal Housing Finance Agency, single-family houses that were resold using financ-ing from Fannie Mae or Freddie in the thirdquarter of 2011 had a median price declineof 3.7 percent nationally from a year earlierbut lost 8.4 percent of their value in Geor-gia. Only four states did worse. (Half of allprice changes exceed the median and half arebelow it.) Over a five-year period, pricesdropped 19 percent nationally and 26 per-cent in Georgia.

As with construction employment, thehouse price decline has been throughout thestate and has persisted longer than in theU.S. as a whole. The national median priceinched up 0.2 percent, seasonally adjusted,from the second quarter to the third, but themedian price dropped another 1.6 percentin Georgia. One-year declines ranged fromfour percent in Warner Robins and theChattanooga metro area to 12 percent inBrunswick and Dalton.

Nevertheless, there are some positivesigns. Existing-home sales climbed 22 per-cent in the third quarter from a year earli-er, the National Association of Realtorsreported. The National Association ofHome Builders listed Athens among agrowing number of improving markets,based on metros that have shown employ-ment growth, house price appreciation, andsingle-family permit growth for at least sixmonths.

Market-rate rental apartment construc-tion should be the strongest part of the res-idential market in 2012 in Georgia andthroughout the nation. In October, privatemultifamily construction spending in theU.S. was up seven percent from a year ear-lier. But permits were 48 percent higherand starts, 89 percent higher. These arepowerful indicators that the spending fig-ures will soon climb much higher as well.

Private nonresidential constructionTwo major drivers for the economy in thenext few years will be the Panama Canaland shale deposits of oil and natural gas.Georgia is not likely to benefit from the‘shale gale’ but the port of Savannah andareas that connect with it or ship throughare affected by ‘Panamania.’

The canal is currently being widenedand deepened to accommodate container-ships that will be able to carry four times asmuch cargo as the current ‘Panamax’ sizewithout having to unload on the WestCoast. To accommodate the huge increasein containers, expected as soon as late 2014,the port and associated storage areas, inter-modal, and rail facilities must expand. Ship-pers and logistics companies throughout thenation are making adjustments to shortendelivery times to and from the ports theseships will stop at. Whether Georgia ulti-mately captures a larger share of interna-tional ocean traffic depends on the efficien-cy of Savannah relative to competing East,Gulf, and West Coast ports, but for now,

Delve into 2012 ~ Better Times for (some) Georgia Contractors

By Ken Simonson | Chief Economist | AGC of America

Ken Simonson

C


the scramble to attract post-Panamax con-tainerships will generate additional con-struction work.

Other private nonresidential segmentsthat appear poised to improve in 2012include manufacturing, hospital and, per-haps, higher education construction. Geor-gia should share in these gains. But former-ly large retail and office segments are likelyto remain stuck in low gear for another yearor longer.

Public constructionState revenue has begun to accelerate inGeorgia. After rising only three percentfrom the second quarter of 2010 to thesame period in 2011, the third quarter year-over-year gain rose to seven percent . If thetrend continues, the state will be able tofund more construction, or at least avoidfurther cuts.

But school districts and local govern-ments that depend heavily on property taxreceipts to fund spending are still hurting asa result of tumbling house prices. Even ifhome price begin to rise, it will take a cou-ple of years before assessments—and taxbills—reflect the upturn.

In addition, the in-migration from oth-er states that added to demand for schooland home construction has stopped, at leastfor now. According to the Census Bureau,249,000 people moved into Georgia fromother states in 2010, but that was nearly bal-anced by the 245,000 who moved out.

Federal dollars for stimulus, militarybase realignment, and cleanup at the Savan-nah River nuclear site had helped assortedGeorgia contractors stay afloat in the lastfew years. Unfortunately, these programshave now ended or tapered off. In addition,regular federal appropriations for publicworks and federal buildings will decline, orbe held level at most, in 2012 and, proba-bly, 2013.

CostsContractors were blindsided by steep priceincreases for several key materials early in2011. Copper futures soared past 2008 highsto a record of $4.60 per pound by February2011, but by mid-December the price hadfallen 30 percent and was below December2010 levels. Steel also moved up sharplybefore retreating in the summer and fall.Diesel fuel topped four dollars per gallon

twice during the year but was slipping inDecember.

Meanwhile, wallboard manufacturers,who had seen prices remain flat for threeyears, announced 35 percent price increas-es to take effect in January 2012. But theymay have trouble making the increases stickunless demand picks up from homebuild-ing, office, retail or school construction.Other building materials, such as lumber,concrete, and plastic construction products,also seem unlikely to have large price gains.Putting the pieces together, constructionmaterials costs should be less volatile overthe course of the year than they were in2012 but may still end up with a thirdstraight year of five percent gains. Laborcosts, which rose only about one percent in2011, will go up only slightly more in 2012.

Across the nation and the state, privatemultifamily and nonresidential constructionare slowly ending their multi-year down-turns. But any increase in constructionactivity in 2012 will be tempered by contin-ued sluggishness in several segments and afurther decline in public construction. v

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ith the privateconstructionmarket stillslow, manycontractors areeither per-

forming work on government constructionprojects subject to the Davis-Bacon Act forthe first time, or giving consideration toengaging in public construction work sub-ject to the Davis-Bacon Act for the firsttime. Contractors are also learning thatstate, local, and county projects may alsoinvolve the requirement to pay prevailingwages in accordance with the Davis-BaconAct as a result of state law, or federal assis-tance by grants or loans, including theAmerican Reinvestment and Recovery Act.Contractors are often familiar with therequirement to pay prevailing wages on proj-ects subject to the Davis-Bacon Act. Howev-er, one of the most common questions raisedby contractors performing work subject tothe Davis-Bacon Act’s prevailing wagerequirement is how to comply with a fringebenefit obligation appearing in a wage deter-mination for the roofer classification.

Meeting the Fringe Benefit ObligationA contractor may discharge his obligationfor paying basic hourly rates and fringe ben-efits when both are contained in a wagedetermination in one of the following ways:by paying at least the basic hourly rate andmaking a contribution for the fringe bene-fits in the wage determination; by paying incash for the basic hourly rate and making anadditional cash payment in lieu of requiredbenefits; or by a combination of thesemethods, such as paying an hourly rate,partly in cash and partly in payment orcosts for fringe benefits, which total at leastthe fringe benefit obligation set forth in thewage determination. Contractors can alsomeet the fringe benefit obligation by pro-viding wages in excess of the prevailing

wage requirement for the appropriate classi-fication and applying the excess wages as anoffset against the fringe benefit obligation.Regardless of the method chosen, the totalhourly wage rate paid to any laborer ormechanic (basic wage or basic wage plusfringe benefits) may not be less than thetotal wage determination for the appropri-ate classification (basic wage or basic wageplus fringe benefits).

Paying Fringes in CashContractors who pay any portion of thefringe benefit in cash are required to includethe cash payment in their payroll, and thecash payment is subject to withholding tax-es, such as FICA, FUTA, and SUTA, as wellas workers’ compensation. In general,depending on state law, the average payrollburden is between 14 percent and 25 per-cent. This payroll burden can be significant-ly reduced by providing ‘bona fide’ fringebenefits instead of paying cash to meet thefringe benefit obligation. When the fringeportion of the prevailing wage is met byactually providing a bona fide fringe bene-fit, the cost of providing such a benefit istaken off the payroll and is therefore exemptfrom payroll taxes.

Importantly, for those contractorsthat choose to pay the fringe benefit incash, while the fringe benefit is paid incash for each hour worked, under the fed-eral Davis-Bacon Act, the laborers do notearn overtime pay on fringe benefits paidin cash (although, state law may requireovertime pay on fringe benefits paid incash). In other words, while laborersreceive the straight-time cash equivalent ofthe fringe benefit paid in cash for eachhour worked, even for hours worked inexcess of 40 hours for the week, they donot earn the half-time component forfringe benefits paid in cash for hours thatexceed 40 hours for the workweek.

‘Bona Fide’ Fringe BenefitsOnly those fringe benefits that are struc-tured as either a funded fringe benefit or a qualifying unfunded fringe benefit may beused to meet the fringe benefit obligation.A funded fringe benefit is a contributionamount made by the employer which cov-ers the employer’s total future obligationand which is made to a trustee or a thirdperson irrevocably pursuant to a fund,plan or program.

The ‘third person’ must not be affiliat-ed with the contractor, and the fund mustbe set up in such a way that the contractoris not able to recapture any of the contribu-tions paid or in any way divert the funds forits own use or benefit, and the contribu-tions must be made not less often thanquarterly. An example of a funded fringebenefit would be vested contributions madeby the roofing contractor to an employee’s401k plan account.

If benefits are unfunded, they mustmeet certain requirements to be counted forDavis-Bacon Act purposes. In particular,they must be given pursuant to a plan that(i) could be reasonably anticipated to pro-vide benefits; (ii) represents a commitmentthat can be legally enforced; (iii) is finan-

Meeting the Fringe Benefit Obligation on Projects Subject to the Davis-Bacon Act

By Phillip J Siegel, Esq. | Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt

Phillip Siegel

W

cially responsible; and (iv) is communicatedin writing to the laborers and mechanicsaffected. A plan that is ‘reasonably antici-pated’ to provide benefits must be able towithstand tests for actuarial soundness. Anexample of an unfunded fringe benefitwould be if a roofing contractor set asidecontributions in a bank account set up pur-suant to sound actuarial principles andwhich would be sufficient to meet futureobligations under the plan.

Calculating the Cash EquivalentOnce roofing contractors understand whichbenefits qualify as bona fide fringe benefitsfor purposes of the Davis-Bacon Act, theissue becomes verifying that the benefit pro-vided meets or exceeds the hourly rate as setforth in the applicable wage determinations.Many contractors are surprised to hear thatthis analysis must be done by looking ateach laborer employed on the project indi-vidually and determining the benefitsreceived by that individual and the hoursworked by that individual. It is impermissi-ble to use averages to determine the applica-ble offset.

In order to calculate the cash equiva-lent of the benefit that will be used to meet

the Davis-Bacon Act, contractors need toconsider the period of time covered by thecontribution or payment being made. Forexample, if the contractor pays health insur-ance premiums for its employees in theamount of $2,400.00 per year per employ-ee, the total hours worked each year by eachemployee, on both Davis-Bacon and non-Davis-Bacon projects, must be used todetermine the hourly cash equivalent forwhich the contractor is entitled to takecredit for that employee. Again, this mustbe done separately for each laborer on theproject because, while each laborer mayreceive the same premium payment fromthe employer, each laborer may haveworked a different amount of hours overthe course of the year.

The employee that works 2080 hoursover the course of the year (including bothDavis-Bacon work and non-Davis-Baconwork) in this example is receiving a fringe ben-efit with a cash equivalent of $1.15 per hour.

Contractors that offer vacation pay totheir employees, but not pursuant to anyplan, funded or unfunded, may still claimvacation pay as a fringe benefit for Davis-Bacon Act purposes, but only after the cov-ered worker has actually used the paid vaca-

tion day. As a result, the fringe offset wouldonly apply in the week within which thevacation day was used. For example, consid-er the contractor that is paid a regular rateof $14.00 per hour. This contractor takes avacation day on Monday, and then works32 hours for the balance of the week.

The paid vacation day has a value of$112.00 ($14.00 x 8). Because the paymentis made during the week, and the employeeworked only 32 hours this week, the cashequivalent of the benefit provided is $3.50($112.00 divided by 32).

Contractors that perform an analysis ofthe cash equivalent of the benefits providedmay find that the benefit provided exceedsthe benefit obligation.When the cash equiv-alent of the fringe benefit provided by theroofing contractor exceeds the hourly ratefor the fringe benefit as set forth in the wagedetermination, the roofing contractor ispermitted to take the excess fringe benefitand offset it against the prevailing wagerequirement.

ConclusionThere are a lot of issues to be addressedwhen determining how, and if, your compa-ny will meet its fringe benefit obligation ona project subject to the Davis-Bacon Act.Questions concerning whether fringe bene-fits are bona fide and how the cash equiva-lent of fringe benefits provided is calculatedshould be referred to the Wage and HourDivision.

There are regional offices for the Wageand Hour Division and Davis-Bacon Actenforcement that are charged with answer-ing these types of questions from contrac-tors working on projects subject to theDavis-Bacon Act. Contact information forthe regional wage and hour specialists inyour area can be obtained from the contractadministrator assigned to the project. Con-tractors should also consult with their ben-efits plan provider and legal counsel toensure the fringe benefit obligation on aDavis-Bacon Act project is being met in away that is most beneficial to the roofingcontractor. v


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magine discovering that cyberthieves hacked into your corporatebank account, that they took all ofthe funds, and that the bank wasnot held accountable. Accordingto a recent article in Business-

Week, this happened to Patco Construc-tion, a 22-employee builder in Sanford,Maine. Hackers managed to take $354,444from Patco’s accounts; and the bank, nowpart of People’s United Bank, has refused toreimburse Patco for its losses.1 So far, feder-al judges are siding with the bank, twicedeeming the bank’s protections ‘commer-cially reasonable.’

The article describes another casewhere hackers stole $5.2 million from amanufacturer of metal products. The bankwas able to recover 90 percent of the mon-ey, but the manufacturer, Experi-Metal,had to sue to recover the balance after thebank refused to cover the loss. The bank’sargument was that the hackers gainedaccess through an Experi-Metal computer.Ultimately, the courts ruled in Experi-Metal’s favor.

According to the BusinessWeek article,more than $1 billion per year is taken bycyber thieves from corporate bank accounts.Cyber criminals are going after what theyperceive as easy targets—small to midsizecompanies doing business with communityor regional banks.

We are not privy to the details of eitherloss, either victim’s or bank’s coverage, orany other private information. But this doesraise some ugly issues: how secure are yourfirm’s computers? Does your firm or yourbank have any insurance that would coverat least part of such a loss? Do you knowwhat computer security protocols arerequired according to your agreement withyour bank? Do you know now what yourbank will do if (or when) it’s your firm’sturn to be the victim of cyber thieves?

Your Firm’s CoverageMost firms purchase crime insurance, and

one of the coverages available from virtuallyall insurers as part of a crime policy is com-puter and funds transfer fraud. The insur-ance covers loss of, or damage to, your firm’smoney and securities from these two perils.A typical definition of coverage follows:

We will pay for loss of and loss from dam-age to ‘money,’ ‘securities,’ and ‘other prop-erty’ following and directly related to theuse of any computer to fraudulently cause atransfer of that property from inside the‘premises’ or ‘banking premises’1. to a person (other than a ‘messenger’)

outside those ‘premises’; or

2. to a place outside those ‘premises.’

And we will pay for loss of ‘money” or ‘secu-rities’ through ‘funds transfer fraud’ result-ing directly from ‘fraudulent transferinstructions communicated to a ‘financialinstitution’ and instructing such institutionto pay, deliver, or transfer ‘money’ or ‘secu-rities’ from your ‘trans-fer account.’

In other (and simpler) words, thiswidely available coverage would havestepped in when the court in the Patco caseallowed the bank’s declination of coverageto stand.

So far so good, but there are a couple of

wrinkles in the coverage that could causeproblems if there is a loss:• Most mid-size firms do not purchase

enough computer and funds transferfraud coverage to cover all the cash theymight have in the bank. Even largerfirms often carry only $1 million ofcoverage. That may leave a big piece ofa major loss uncovered.

• Virtually all insurance policies have an‘Other Insurance’ clause. In crimeinsurance policies, the clause frequentlysays something like, “This insurancedoes not cover loss recoverable or recov-ered under any other insurance orindemnity.”

That brings us to your financialinstitution’s coverage

for such onlinelosses.

Computer Fraud: Is your money safe in the bank?By Dave Collings | Partner, Greyling Insurance Brokerage & Risk Consulting Inc.

IAccording to the BusinessWeek article, more than $1 billion per year is taken

by cyber thieves from corporate bank accounts. Cyber criminals are going after

what they perceive as easy targets—small to midsize companies doing busi-

ness with community or regional banks.

Your Bank’s CoverageVirtually all banks purchase crime insur-ance to cover a multitude of risks, amongthem coverage for computer fraud, voice-initiated transfer fraud, and telefacsimiletransfer fraud. And financial institutionsgenerally purchase much higher limits thantheir customers. After all, their “products”are the handling, storing, and safeguardingof money—including your firm’s money.

But financial institutions also havecontractual agreements with their cus-tomers. Those agreements generally includea detailed explanation of online proceduresand responsibilities. For example, one suchagreement includes the following terms:

Since we condition access upon entryof a valid User ID and Password incombination with a secure access codewhen appropriate, we will acceptinstructions for transfers or other trans-actions from any person using a validUser ID, Password, and Secure Accesscode. This is so even if the personobtaining access:• Is not a company representative

• Exceeds your authority or thatgranted by any company represen-tative

• Does not have your authority

• Has had his/her authority changedor revoked

Is an imposter or thief.This would seem to put the burden back onthe customer to protect its computers fromviruses, malware, and hackers. The degreeto which the financial institution can do solegally may vary from one state to another.

Next StepsForewarned is forearmed. Knowing thepotential for loss means there are steps youcan take to determine whether and wherethere is coverage for your firm’s bankaccounts being pilfered by a hacker.We recommend that you start with the fol-lowing steps:• Check your bank balances in detail on

a regular basis.

• Check your crime insurance policy. Becertain that you have coverage for com-puter and funds transfer fraud.

• Check your banking agreements todetermine under what condition yourfinancial institution will—and willnot—cover any losses you sustainthrough an infected computer.

• Meet with your firm’s representativefrom its financial institution to reviewyour agreement and to confirm yourunderstanding of the institution’s respon-sibilities under such circumstances.

Endnote 1. “Banks to Small Business: Online Theft?Tough Luck,” Business Week (September15, 2011).

©Greyling Insurance Brokerage and RiskConsulting Inc., 2011. All rights reserved. einformation contained herein should not berelied upon as legal, tax, or insurance advicefor specific facts or circumstances and is notintended to be a substitute for consultationwith legal, tax, or insurance counsel. v

July | August 2011January | February 2012 13

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igh performancebuilding is quicklygoing mainstreamas more sustainablebuilding productsenter the market-

place, building energy codes get tougher,and green building standards become morepopular. In Georgia, there are already morethan 275 LEED-certified building projects.Today’s high performance windows, whichuse double or even triple panes, gas-filledcavities, and insulated frames, are an impor-tant part of green buildings.

Replacing old, inefficient home win-dows with new ENERGY STAR® qualifiedones can lower utility bills by up to 15 per-cent, according to ENERGY STAR. Highperformance windows can also lower oper-ating costs for commercial buildings.Despite the array of energy-saving fenestra-tion products available today, more thanhalf of the nation’s existing non-residentialbuilding stock use single-pane windows,according to the U.S. Department of Ener-gy’s Buildings Energy Data Book. Selectingthe right fenestration products and systemsfor your project can make buildings moreenergy efficient. While it can seem chal-lenging to decipher window energy per-formance (e.g., what does “U-factor”mean?), the National Fenestration RatingCouncil (NFRC) can help.

NFRC is a non-profit organizationthat administers voluntary energy perform-ance rating programs for windows, doors,skylights, curtain walls, and other fenestra-tion products or systems. The NFRC tem-porary label is a common sight on manynew residential windows. It providesNFRC-certified ratings for heat loss (“U-factor”), solar heat gain (“SHGC”), visibletransmittance, and air leakage. NFRC rat-ings can be used to demonstrate compliance

with local or state building energy codes. For two decades, contractors, archi-

tects, homeowners and code officials haverelied on NFRC’s independent, easy-to-useenergy ratings for residential fenestrationproducts. NFRC has applied thesesame principles to its Compo-nent Modeling Approach(CMA) program fornon-residentialfenestration.

A SimplerWay to Select Commercial FenestrationRating the energy performance of fenestra-tion for commercial projects requires a dif-ferent process than residential projects,because fenestration for homes typically ismass-produced and completed in a factory.The same window may be used again and

again in adevel-

opment of newhomes. Commercial fenestra-tion, on the other hand, often is assembledor built on-site, and can involve project-specific designs. In this case, attaching atemporary NFRC label to individual fenes-

NFRC’s CMA: A tool for making informed decisions on

commercial fenestrationBy Jim Benney | Chief Executive Officer | National Fenestration Rating Council

January | February 2012 15

tration products or systems doesn’t work,particularly for commercial projects withlarge quantities of glazing.

NFRC designed the CMA program tomake it easier to select and rate the energyperformance of commercial windows, cur-tain walls, storefronts, doors, and skylights.The first step in using CMA is to downloadthe CMA Software Tool (CMAST) fromthe NFRC Web site (www.nfrc.org). NFRCoffers a free six-month evaluation period forthe CMAST software before charging amodest fee. This software tool providesaccess to a database of pre-approved,NFRC-rated frames, glazing and spacers—the primary components of a window.Using these components, designers, con-tractors, and other CMA users can config-ure different variations of a fenestrationproduct to compare whole-product energyperformance ratings. The preliminary rat-ings can help determine whether a fenestra-tion design will meet the project’s specifica-tions and local building energy codes.

At this point, the ratings are not certi-fied by NFRC. After selecting the finaldesign, the CMA user can then have the rat-ings certified for code compliance purposes.The party responsible for fenestration ener-gy ratings on a project contacts an NFRC-Approved Calculation Entity (ACE) andsigns a license agreement with NFRC. Afterthe ACE verifies the ratings from CMAST,it issues a CMA Label Certificate, whichlists the energy performance ratings for allNFRC-rated fenestration on the project.The CMA Label Certificate should be filedon the project site, so that code officials cancheck it for compliance with local and/orstate fenestration energy requirements.

This year, Georgia’s new building ener-gy code, based on the 2009 InternationalEnergy Conservation Code (IECC) andASHRAE 90.1-2007, took effect. Both theIECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 requireNFRC 100 and 200 procedures to rate U-factor, SHGC, and visible transmittance.CMA uses NFRC 100 and 200 to calculatecertified energy performance ratings. Thecertified values can be used to documentenergy code compliance for commercialfenestration in Georgia.

Proven BenefitsOne of the greatest benefits of using CMAis that it provides the most accurate energyperformance ratings for commercial fenes-tration. A study conducted by HeschongMahone Group in 2010, simulating the useof CMA in California buildings, found thatit provided up to an 11.7 percent increase inenergy code compliance margins whencompared to the state’s other two optionsfor rating fenestration. Because of its accu-racy in rating the energy performance offenestration, CMA ratings input into build-ing energy software programs can con-tribute to more precise whole-buildingenergy calculations. (Data from CMA canbe shared easily with building energy analy-sis software such as DOE-2 and Energy-Plus.) More accurate building energy analy-sis can mean better HVAC load modelingand sizing decisions, which translates intolower utility bills for the building’s owner ortenants.

One conclusion that can be drawnfrom the study is that CMA’s more accuratecalculations may contribute to more bene-fits from above-code programs that providebuilding owners with greater financialincentives for exceeding minimum energyrequirements. NFRC expects similar resultswhen CMA is used for performance-basedincentive programs in other states that allowCMA to be used in place of default calcula-tion methods.

Another benefit of using CMA is thatit can facilitate the selection of high per-formance fenestration, which can reduce abuilding’s overall energy consumption. Infact, CMA can be used to select and ratefenestration for LEED projects, becauseLEED requires the use of ASHRAE 90.1-2007 as a minimum; this in turn requiresNFRC 100 and 200.

The fenestration industry has madetremendous advancements in the energyperformance of fenestration products overthe past two decades. Selecting high per-formance fenestration products or systemscan have a significant impact on the totalenergy use of a commercial building.Thanks to CMA, it’s easier than ever tomake informed choices when selecting fen-estration, as well as rating the energy per-

formance of those products to demonstratecode compliance. v

For more information on NFRC and theCMA program, visit www.nfrc.org.

NFRC’s Component Modeling

Approach (CMA) can provide the

most accurate energy performance

values for the following fenestration

ratings:

U-factor ~ A measure of how well a

product prevents heat from escaping

or entering a building. It generally

falls between 0.09 and 1.20. The

lower the number, the better.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

(SHGC) ~ A measure of how well a

product blocks heat from the sun,

expressed as a number between zero

and one. The lower the number, the

better the product blocks unwanted

heat gain.

Visible Transmittance ~ A measure

of how much light comes through a

product, on a scale between zero and

one. The higher the number, the

greater the potential for daylight.

Jim Benney is the chief executive officer

of the National Fenestration Rating

Council (NFRC). For more than 25

years, he has been involved in develop-

ing product and performance stan-

dards for the window and glass indus-

try. You can contact him at

[email protected].


High-accuracy Mapping ngineering professionals often require high-accuracy mapping to effectively plan anddesign transportation projects. Thanks totechnological innovation, mapping and sur-veying professionals have an impressivearray of tools that can provide this detailed,highly accurate mapping. With terrestrialscanning, mobile mapping, and low-alti-tude photogrammetry solutions capable ofproviding the accuracy needed, the criticalquestion is:

Which solution is right for my project?The answer comes from a careful considera-tion of a number of factors, including safe-ty, cost, surveying control considerations,timing, accuracy, maintenance of traffic,and derivative product considerations. Formany projects, the answer hinges on the

ground control requirements that are need-ed to support the solution. These require-ments, in turn, have a major influence on

safety and maintenance of traffic considera-tions.

How do we establish the required con-trol? Where will we need to place the con-trol? How can we ensure the safety of thoseestablishing the control along the roadway?How can we minimize the impact on road-way users? What approach will provide themost information per unit cost along with arapid turnaround?

Mobile mapping provides a great tech-nology solution. But it also requires consid-erable ground control targets located neareach driving path to adequately control theacquisition. This typically requires controlplacement on the outside shoulders and inthe median. For freeways with more thantwo lanes in each direction, control in thedriving lanes might even be required. Yetcontrol requirements within the drivinglanes or in the median often pose enoughimpediments to require an alternateapproach. Tripod-mounted scanners canprovide the detail and accuracy required,

but production and cost often prevent theirapplication on all but the smallest of projectsites. Safety can also be a significant concernwith this approach.The advantages of a low-altitude, high-accuracy photogrammetric approach arenumerous. It represents a true remote-sens-ing application and allows for detailedplanimetric and topographic data collectionfrom the acquired imagery. The requiredcontrol can be confined to the outsideshoulders of a roadway, or in the case of afreeway, it can be placed on safer, less-trav-eled streets that are within close proximity.This approach also allows for the creation ofhigh-resolution orthophotos that can beextremely useful during the planning ordesign phases.

Aerial AcquisitionMost conventional mapping takes placefrom imagery acquired at heights rangingfrom 2,400 to 9,600 feet above ground.Because the acquisition height is a signifi-

Mobile mapping, terrestrial scanners, and low-altitudephotogrammetry have applications for high-accuracy mapping.

Photogrammetric solutions often use control points that are out of the traveled way. Safety and maintenance of traffic considerations are critical to a project’s success.

By Mark Meade | Photo Science


cant factor in determining the error budgetfor a project, a high-accuracy approachrequires significantly reduced flying heights.In general, fixed-wing (airplane) acquisitionwill be limited to flights of 1,000 feet aboveground in developed areas for safety consid-erations. This altitude produces a photoscale of 1”= 167’ in the imagery and placesa limit on the vertical accuracy achievable toabout 0.10 feet (measured in terms of a rootmean square error, or RMSE).

Photo Science performed one of thenation’s first high-accuracy mapping proj-ects in 1998 for the Kentucky Transporta-tion Cabinet (KYTC). This project includ-ed fixed-wing imagery acquisition at 1,000feet above ground in Louisville for Inter-states 64, 65, and 71. This project won anational award from the American Councilof Engineering Companies (ACEC) for itsinnovation and contribution to the engi-neering profession.

However, many projects require evenhigher vertical accuracies on hard surfaces.If so, the image acquisition will be con-fined to a rotary-wing (helicopter) plat-form. Helicopters can operate at consider-ably lower altitudes and acquisition speeds,resulting in significantly better verticalaccuracy from the mapping. We have com-pleted projects at altitudes to 300 feetabove ground, which provide vertical accu-racies of 0.05 feet or better. The tableabove lists the characteristics of imagery atmultiple acquisition heights.

The forward gain in the table aboverepresents the distance between successivephotos within a flight line. For example, ata flying height of 500 feet above groundand a forward overlap of 60 percent, thedistance between successive photos is 300feet along the flight line resulting in 17.6photos per linear mile (5,280/300). Thewidth of coverage within the neat model at

this altitude is 525 feet. Finally, each inchof coverage in the photo represents 83 feeton the ground.

Control RequirementsThe real advantage to a photogrammetricapproach is the flexibility in the placementof control. The control requirements hereare significant, but generally, the controlcan be placed in areas that provide safetyfor field crews while minimizing the dis-ruption of traffic. The control will need tobe targeted before flight, and the targetsmust be placed only on asphalt or concretesurfaces. The targets can be relatively smallin size given the ultrahigh resolution of theimagery. Control should be located everytwo to three models along the project areaand should be placed near the limits of theneat model on both sides of the photos tomaximize the accuracy of the imagery ori-entation.

Precision level runs will be required toestablish the accurate elevations for the tar-get positions. Often, real time kinematic(RTK) observations can provide the neces-sary accuracy for the horizontal position ofthe targets. Moreover, to minimize the dis-ruption on traffic, it is possible to sequenceall control activities in a single pass of thesurveying crew. In the case of a major free-way with outside shoulders, the level runscan extend along these shoulders withoutthe need to cross active travel lanes. An effi-cient way to do this in a single pass is toconstruct the control point locations justahead of the leveling crew as the crew movesalong the shoulder. The level run can thenturn through this point thereby establishingthe accurate elevation needed as they go.

RTK GPS observations are then per-formed on the same point. Ideally, theseobservations should make use of dual basestations to provide additional confidence

in the observation. Also, after completingthe first observation, it is a very good ideato immediately conduct a second, inde-pendent observation on the same point.While this is not as desirable as waitingfour or five hours for the second observa-tion to ensure the availability of signifi-cantly different satellite geometry, it hasthe advantage of avoiding a second passthrough all of the points by the surveyingcrew in high-traffic areas.

Finally, after completing the RTKobservations and level runs for the point, aprecut template can be placed over the pointand a small target painted. At this stage, thecrew is free to move forward to the nextcontrol location and begin the control activ-ities again for the new point.

It should be noted that it is criticallyimportant for the field surveying opera-tions to be designed for the appropriateaccuracy for the project. The controlpoints should be established at an accuracylevel three times the requirement for theproject overall. For example, for a high-accuracy project with expectations for avertical accuracy of 0.06 feet, the controlshould be established at an accuracy of0.02 feet. Anything less accurate will jeop-ardize the overall accuracy of the project.

AerotriangulationJust as the control placement and surveyingmethods are critical to a project’s success, so

Flying Height Photo Scale Forward Gain Forward Gain Neat Model

(AMT) 60% overlap 80% overlap Width

300’ 1”=50’ 180’ 90’ 315’

500’ 1”=83’ 300’ 150’ 525’

800’ 1”=133’ 480’ 240’ 840’

1,000’ 1”=167’ 600’ 300’ 1,050’

Important Points:

• Mobile mapping, terrestrialscanners, and low-altitudephotogrammetry have appli-cations for high-accuracymapping.

• Photogrammetric solutionsoften use control points thatare out of the traveled way.

• Safety and maintenance oftraffic considerations are criti-cal to a project’s success.


too is the aerotriangulation process thatextends control and orientation informa-tion to every photograph. The final map-ping solution is only as accurate as theweakest link. Careful planning and extremecare during the aerotriangulation processmust be present to achieve the desiredresults.

This process starts with the planning ofthe exposure points of each image, contin-ues with the location of individual controlpoints for the entire project area, and culmi-nates with the measurement and adjust-ment for the entire project area. These deci-sions can vary significantly from project toproject. Some projects may require parallellines for full coverage, and if so, then animportant decision must be made regardingthe side overlap. Often, it is desirable to

increase the side overlap from the conven-tional requirement of 30 percent up to 50percent or more. Also, the highest accuracyprojects might require 80 percent forwardoverlap in lieu of the more conventional 60percent overlap. These are all decisions thatwill contribute to the success of the projectwhen made in the right way—or they canresult in failure if not.

Mapping and OrthophotographyCareful consideration must also be given tothe appropriate platform for carrying outthe mapping. Not all analytical stereoplot-ters and softcopy systems provide the rightenvironment for maximizing the accuracyof the compilation, particularly in terms ofextracting elevation data. But by choosingthe right compilation environment,

extremely accurate planimetric and topo-graphic information can be generated fromthis high- resolution aerial imagery.

Gaining high-resolution orthopho-tography can be a significant advantage tothis approach. Resolutions in theorthophotography of an inch or better areeasily attainable from this imagery. Just becareful to fully discuss these options withyour mapping provider as the file size ofindividual image tiles can be challenging atthese resolutions. Make sure to maximizethe usefulness of the imagery in terms ofboth increased resolution and the manage-ability of the size of the imagery. v

For more information about high-accu-racy mapping applications and projectdesign, contact Mark at [email protected].

n the November/December2011 edition of the GeorgiaContractor, the article on theTransportation Investment Act2010 (TIA) gave a comprehen-sive overview of the history of the

legislation and the subsequent activitiesauthorized by this act. The TIA providedfor 12 transportation investment regions(coterminous with Regional DevelopmentCommissions created in 2009) which areempowered to raise funds for specific localtransportation projects by imposing a onepercent sales tax for a period of ten years.This will be decided by voters in each trans-portation region in a referendum votescheduled for July, 2012.

While some may view this referendumas ‘just another tax,’ there is a clear distinc-tion between a government-imposed taxand a local investment tax determined bythe voters and for the local region only.

Our current social dynamics are bookcased between the views of Tea Party andthe views of the Occupiers. One side saysthat there is no tax that is a good tax, andthe other side in less clarity appears to want

When is a tax not a tax?By John Cardosa | Executive Director | Georgia Construction Aggregate Association

I


government to be more benevolent to thosewho have less. What is the role of govern-ment and what is the justification foranother tax?

This is the question that will be askedof Georgia voters in 2012. In 12 separatereferenda in 12 unique regional areas, acomprehensive transportation initiative isbeing decided. In total, there is up to $19billion dollars that will be generated over aten year period from a one percent sales tax.

In each region, the funds will be usedfor a pre-selected list of transportation proj-ects in each region that were determined bya regional round table and thoroughly vet-ted by the public. The outcome in eachregion is a stand-alone decision by the vot-ers in their respective regions.

There are incentives built into theenabling legislation to encourage a positivevote. All revenue generated through the2012 TSPLOST will stay in the localregions and be distributed in two ways: 75percent will go to the regional projects onthe approved list (85 percent in metroAtlanta) and 25 percent (15 percent inmetro Atlanta) will be returned to theregion to be used for local, city, and munic-ipal projects needed. Cities and countieswill receive these extra funds in direct pro-portion to their population and the numberof road miles in their jurisdiction. The mostimportant fact to glean is that the decisionto approve is local; all funds will be invest-ed locally, and with local control.

The projections for positive economicimpact for the regions that approve areworth noting but the most important factoris it is a region-by-region decision. (Seemap.) According to the Federal HighwayAdministration, every $1 billion invested inhighway construction and improvementssupports 27,823 jobs. This includes 9,537construction jobs; 4,324 jobs in industriesthat directly or indirectly supply materialsand services needed for construction proj-ects; and 13,962 jobs supported when thoseemployed at the construction site or in sup-plier industries spend their incomes.

There is also the statewide connectivityimpact that if Georgia can create efficientand reliable freight, cargo, and goods move-ment, we will attract businesses to ship

goods thorough Georgia’s ports and roads.And a border-to-border inter-regional net-work will stimulate the economy statewide,not just in the metro Atlanta area. Finally,for the regions that pass the referendum,new economic centers will also emerge.

Why is this proposed tax not the usual‘run of the mill’ tax? Why should this beseen more as an investment? The significantdifference is the project list. There is noquestion as to how these new revenues willbe used. Each region has a defined projectlist with a cost estimate for each project. Anunusual aspect of this transportation tax isthat it will stop when the amount of pro-jected revenues is achieved. The maximumtime period is ten years. In other words, thisis not a permanent tax, and you know actu-ally how the money is being used. There arefew, if any, taxes that have these provisions.A complete list of projects in each regioncan be found on the GDOT Web site athttp://www.it3.ga.gov.

More importantly, why do we need thisinvestment? At one time, Georgia had a

transportation system that was the envy ofother states. From the world-class Harts-field-Jackson International airport to thebest system of federal, state, and local high-ways, we became a destination for manycorporations and individuals looking formore economic opportunities.

With this level of business activity,there was a large influx of new citizens.Between 1980 and 2000, Georgia’s popula-tion grew by an impressive 50 percent.

This population growth put a signifi-cant burden on our transportation systems.Unfortunately, as demand for more trans-portation systems grew, our investment lev-el on a per capita basis decreased. We rank49th on a per capita basis for transportationinvestment. This situation has now impact-ed our ability to attract new businesses toour state.

The 2010 Transportation InvestmentAct is the opportunity to reverse our currenttrend and make Georgia competitive again.It can make Georgia again the premier loca-tion for businesses and provide the quality

http://www.hntb.com

The Georgia Contractor20

hen my familyimmigrated tothe US fromGermany inthe 19th Cen-tury, they

came as skilled craftsmen. Generations inmy family before and after them workedproudly as stonemasons, carpenters, andglaziers.

They were drawn to the US by theprospects of long-term work on cathedralconstruction projects in Cincinnati, St.Louis, and Newport. But they stayed, asdid thousands more, because they found amarket for skilled craftsmen providingthem the ability to earn a good living andsupport their families.

The trades were then, and are stilltoday, a proud tradition of craft-workerscommitted to perfecting their skills andthen passing those skills down to theirapprentices.

But this proud tradition now faces acrisis. Baby Boomers (ages 47-65) make upalmost half of the construction workforceand the median age of Georgia’s workforce,is 40.1 according to a Boston College casestudy. At Vulcan Industrial, the average ageof our workforce is 45, with 68 percent overage 40, and we are struggling to attractyoung people into our apprenticeships.

There is urgency to this problembecause we must have skilled craft-workersto perform the work on our books and toprepare the next generation of workers toperform quality work for our company.

A career in the construction field hassomehow been marked as a second choicebehind a corporate office with a businessdegree. We have seen a cultural change ofhow this industry is perceived. What hap-pened to the value of hard work in askilled trade?

What we must show students is that acareer in construction can prove to be very

rewarding financially if you are willing tocommit to learning a trade and completingan apprenticeship.

It seems that most people today set offto a four year college, earn their liberal artsdegree and get stuck searching for a job formonths or years past their graduation date.

Students could enroll in training programsthrough technical schools or the buildingtrades and be in a job in a matter of monthsor even immediately earning a fair livingwith good benefits.

I believe the key is to peak the students’interests early. Go into middle schools andhigh schools to give students the resourcesnecessary to explore careers in construction.On a local level, Vulcan Industrial has part-nered with others in the industry to create asummer construction camp designed tointroduce middle school-aged girls tocareers in construction. Our success is evi-dent by the increase we’ve seen in local highschool technical program enrollment. Butthis local focus is not enough.

We must broaden our resources torecruit and retain new workforce memberswho will produce the same quality work ourclients have come to expect.

Pushing career and technical educationis just a first step in solving this problem forGeorgia. Funding has been a barrier for

many recruitment and training programs.There is just not enough money to changethe perceptions of careers in constructionand carry out the training necessary to givethe new workers the proper skills for thejob. I feel as if this problem needs tobecome more of a priority for the state.Georgia’s economy and infrastructuredepend on this industry heavily and with-out a stable workforce the consequencescould be extreme.

With the economy hopefully on theupturn, companies will have larger andgreater numbers of projects. They cannottake these on if they are doubtful they willhave the workforce to complete the job suc-cessfully. v

When the skilled craftsmen retire, who is there to continue the tradition?

By Teresa Magnus | CEO Vulcan Industrial Contractors Co. LLC

W

What we must show students is that a career in construction can prove to bevery rewarding financially if you are willing to commit to learning a tradeand completing an apprenticeship.


ven in this economy, manyconstruction companieshave an eye on the future,wondering where they willfind skilled workers once itimproves.

Construction companies know that aretiring generation of Baby Boomers, com-bined with recent legal efforts to addressimmigration, will and, in some cases,already are having a negative impact on ourworkforce.

In partnership with more than 200companies, CEFGA will host the eighthAnnual CareerExpo and SkillsUSA StateChampionships on March 15-16, 2012.

What is the CareerExpo and SkillsUSAState Championships?The event is two events in one, coveringmore than 200,000 sq. ft. at the GeorgiaInternational Convention Center in Col-lege Park. The eighth Annual CareerExpoand SkillsUSA State Championships willdraw more than 7,000 attendees. It is thelargest event of its kind in the SoutheasternUnited States.

The CEFGA Career Expo targets mid-dle and high school students, promotingconstruction-related careers in a fun,hands-on, interactive way. The SkillsUSAState Championships showcases more than400 of the state’s high school and technicalcollege talent—top students enrolled inconstruction-related training programs,competing in more than 20 construction-related contests.

Companies support the event becausethey see it as a way to give back by helpingstudents understand career pathways in ourindustry. They also support it because it’s agreat way to brand their company with topnew talent in the state. In addition, it’s agreat way to network with others in ourindustry, as the event will draw more than700 construction industry professionals.

Both events are organized and fundedby private construction companies, who seethe need to attract new talent to the con-struction industry.

How Can My Company Get Involved?One day soon, you will need new young tal-ent. We believe there are thousands ofyoung people across Georgia who are a per-fect fit for your company.

If you are a company looking for goodyoung talent today or are concerned aboutfinding talent in the future, this event isyour opportunity to do something; to bepart of the solution; to connect with thou-

sands of Georgia high school and technicalcollege students.

Join CEFGA as we present the con-struction industry in a fun, hands-on way tothousands of young Georgians from acrossthe state.

Specifically, we are seeking event staff,volunteers and financial support to make the2012 CEFGA CareerExpo the biggest andbest event of its kind in the United States.

For additional information about thisunique opportunity, please contact CEFGAExecutive Director Scott Shelar at (678)889-4445 or visit www.cefga.org v

Concerned about Finding New, Young Talent for Your Company?Check out the 2012 CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State Championships.

E


h, the changes a yearcan bring. Or, ifwe’re to give propercredit to efforts fromour industry and ourallies, we actually

should look at the past two years.As far back as 2009, the heated debate

over health care reform took the wind fromthe sails of any transportation discussionwhatsoever. Congress in 2010, with its spateof short-term extensions for SAFETEA-LU,perpetuated uncertainties for transportationconstruction. And even up until six monthsago, transportation infrastructure still wasnot top-of-mind.

Legislative priorities have certainlychanged. Today, transportation infrastruc-ture is mentioned daily on television news,radio talk shows, in the newspapers, and onthe Web. In fact, it is also being called “thejobs bill” by Congressional leaders. Increas-ingly, members of Congress of both partiessee completing action on surface transporta-tion reauthorization as a jobs creator—essential to preserving global competivenessand imperative to timely movement ofgoods and services, reduced congestion,cleaner air, and improved safety. But justhow did we get to this change of view?

Supercharged StrategiesIndeed, efforts by our two coalitions, Amer-icans for Transportation Mobility and theTransportation Construction Coalition,kept a steady drumbeat for the need toinvest in America’s surface transportationinfrastructure through print and radio ads,billboard placements and ancillary mediacampaigns. In addition, other transporta-tion interest groups individually amplifiedthe need for a well-funded, long-term high-way authorization bill through their owncreative initiatives.

As for NSSGA, we supercharged our

existing grassroots strategies and creatednew ones. NSSGA has always encouragedits members to invite Congressional leadersto visit aggregates facilities for tours duringrecess periods or to arrange meetings withthem in their home district office to encour-age a better understanding of the aggregates

industry—its commitment to safety and tothe economic, social, and environmentalvalues it imparts on communities. But dur-ing the last two years, it became increasing-ly important that we put a human face onthe reauthorization debate. With our mem-bers’ help, we wanted to ensure Congressunderstood that solving transportationfunding challenges was essential to thecountry’s long-term economic growth andprosperity.

In 2010, NSSGA gave this program aformal name, ‘Driving It Home.’ Particular-ly in the month of August, when all of Con-gress was on summer recess, we proactivelypromoted the campaign with our members,supplying them with our Driving It Home

Toolkit, which included sample letters ofinvitation, talking points, and a ‘Hosting aLawmaker’ template.

Driving It Home marked an unprece-dented grassroots effort by the aggregatesindustry. But NSSGA also concluded earlyin the reauthorization debate that onlythrough expanding its grassroots efforts toinclude businesses and individuals outsidethe construction sector would the aggre-gates industry be successful. So hundreds ofindustry members, joined by a broad coali-tion of other highway users that includedlocal business leaders, auto dealers andschool officials, among others, stepped upto the plate and pressed Congress to makereauthorization of the nation’s surface trans-portation program a priority.

During the second half of 2010, 448out of 535 senators and representatives, aswell as dozens of newly elected members ofCongress, were contacted by a member ofthe aggregates industry—and that number

continued to grow throughout 2011.

The 100-Day PlanWe continued our work with non-industryalliances last year. In May 2011, NSSGAinitiated a 100-Day Action Plan for Reau-thorization. A signature element of the planwas coined the ‘One-to-Five’ program.NSSGA asked each of its members to con-tact five individuals outside the construc-tion industry, educate them on the pendingtransportation authorization and ask themto contact their members of Congress tourge action on a bill.

As part of the 100-Day Plan, NSSGAwas chief sponsor of a ‘Rally for Roads,’which was held in May 2011 on the

Winds of Change2011 Brings new levels of success with highway reauthorization

By Joy Wilson | President and CEO | National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association

OJoy Wilson

Congress in 2010, with its spate of short-term extensions for SAFETEA-LU, per-petuated uncertainties for transportation construction. And even up until sixmonths ago, transportation infrastructure still was not top-of-mind.


National Mall. The rally attracted morethan 600 attendees and nine members ofCongress who spoke before this audience.

The 100-day plan also called for a writ-ing campaign, as we realized it was criticalto build media and public awareness to gar-ner broader support for reauthorization. InJune 2010, NSSGA pushed for an ‘Op-Ed /Letter to the Editor Week.’ Sample op-edarticles and letters to the editor were distrib-uted by NSSGA’s grassroots network andmade available on NSSGA’s LegislativeAction Center Web portal. To date, some350 articles have been placed in newspapersaround the country.

The ‘Op-Ed / Letter to the EditorWeek’ was quickly followed by ‘Talk RadioWeek.’ Our goal was to broaden the audi-ence of individuals being exposed to thefacts about highway reauthorization inorder to increase the pressure on Congressto get it done in 2011. We encouraged ourmembers to call their local talk-radio pro-grams during the week of July 4 to discusshow important passing a new highway billis to the economy. Talking points were pro-vided, but we also asked our members towork in information specific to their com-panies and locations. We neededto tie everything together tobe effective and influenceCongress to get the jobdone—so that peoplein our industry couldcontinue to keeptheir jobs.

The Push ContinuesAlthough Congressextended the highway pro-gram until March 31, 2012,it has not yet passed a multi-year surface transportationbill. House Republicans havepostponed their releaseand markup of anew “Energy& Infrastruc-ture Jobs Act”until early 2012,citing limited floortime in December due to

other ‘must dos’ before the end of the year.Republican members of the House Trans-portation & Infrastructure Committee hadhoped to roll out the bill in late Novemberor early December, followed by a quickmarkup and floor time the following week.Although no bill language was available,indications were that the bill would providelevel funding for five years, partially fundedby revenue from expanded oil and gas roy-alties and include program consolidation,quicker project review, and environmentalstreamlining.

Rather than releasing the legislationand leaving it to twist in the wind for weekswhile critics take potshots at it, the commit-tee is holding the bill until they are ready tomove it.

The push to keep MAP-21, the Sen-ate’s bipartisan surface transportation reau-thorization bill, moving forward continues.While the unanimous passage of MAP-21out of the Environment and Public WorksCommittee was a tremendous first step, thefocus turned to the Senate Banking andFinance committees. Senate Banking Chair-man Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota),whose committee has jurisdiction over tran-

sit, indicated he wanted to mark upthe bill before Christmas, but

time ran out. At the sametime, Senate Finance Com-mittee Chairman Max Bau-cus (D-Montana) is workingto find almost $13 billion in

offsets necessary to fill the rev-enue shortfall in MAP-21 and

that will be accepted on a bipar-tisan basis.

Without passage to dateof a multi-year surface trans-portation bill, NSSGA hascontinued its grassroots effort

with a new five-monthaction plan:

‘FLOOR IT!— Accelerating to Reautho-rization.’ We have developed a theme foreach month of our FLOOR IT! campaign.In October, we issued to all members ofCongress a ‘Statement of Expectations” forreauthorization. In November, our themewas “Holiday Hustle,’ and we focused onthe needs of the system combined with thecosts of a failure to act in terms ofincreased congestion and more wastedtime and fuel spent idling in traffic.

And then we rolled out ‘Wrap It Up’ inDecember, urging Congress to finish workon reauthorization in advance of the currentextension’s expiration. Working with othertransportation interests, we are planning asecond ‘Rally for Roads’ that will be biggerand will include more sponsors. Eachmonth, until the end of the extension, weare asking our members on the designatedday to ‘Jam the Switchboard’ of the Capitolby calling their members of Congress tourge action. We provide talking points forthe calls to ensure our message and focus areconsistent.

In the meantime, our ‘One-to-Five’initiative will continue unabated. Membersof Congress need to hear from their con-stituents—citizens who are outside of theconstruction industry sector, because, thefact of the matter is that the state of ournation’s surface transportation networkaffects each of us every day. It is more thanan aggregates issue or even a constructionissue—it’s an American issue. v

GeorgiaNewsContractor

IEC Atlanta Receives Grant from Johnand Mary Foundation. The Independent Electrical ContractorsAtlanta Chapter received a $2,500 capitalgrant from the John and Mary Founda-tion. This is the second grant IEC Atlantahas received from this foundation.

The grant will be used for appren-ticeship recruitment and training. Thereare always areas IEC seeks to improve onwhile servicing its members and students.IEC is appreciative of the charitable con-tributors and for the opportunities thisgrant will provide! Currently, IEC’sWorkforce Developer goes to schools andother non-profit organizations to spreadthe word about the opportunities withinthe electrical construction industry. Thisgrant will continue to help these effortswhere electrical contractors are constantlylooking for talented workers to enter thisindustry.

For additional information, contactNiel Dawson, Executive Director at (770)242-9277. IEC is a trade association formerit shop electrical contractors. IECoffers a wide array of training programsfor apprentices and experienced electri-cians, personnel referral includingloan/borrow programs, and provides abroad range of informational resourcesfor electrical contractors in Atlanta andGeorgia.

Contact Niel Dawson, ExecutiveDirector, Independent Electrical Con-tractors, Atlanta & Georgia Chapters,(770) 242-9277, [email protected] v

Independent Electrical Contractors,Georgia Chapter has SavannahGraduationThe Independent Electrical Contractors

(IEC) Georgia Chapter celebrated itsgraduates from the IEC ApprenticeshipProgram. This was the 4th Annual Savan-nah Graduation Ceremony. The gradua-tion was held at the Cambria Suites inSavannah, November 11th. Graduatesenjoyed a dinner in their honor and anight of recognition for a job well done!The guest speaker was Frank Bartlett,President of Pace Lighting, who sharedinspirational words and advice for thegraduates as they venture into beinglicensed electricians. IEC instructors,Jack Harley and Mark Breningstall pre-sented the academic achievement awardto Turner Electrical’s Michael Slunski.Michael maintained the top average forthe fourth year. Richard Schreiber of VosElectric awarded Tyrone Armstrong, alsoof Vos Electric, with the perfect atten-dance award for fourth year, as well as forall four academic classes. IEC Georgia isproud of its graduates’ accomplishments!

The IEC Apprenticeship Program isnationally registered by the US Depart-ment of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.Graduates of the four-year program arecertified as an electrician by the USDepartment of Labor. Program partici-pants have completed at least 8,000 hoursof on the job training and 576 hours of rig-orous classroom instruction.

For additional information, contactNiel Dawson, Executive Director at (770)242-9277.

IEC is a trade association for meritshop electrical contractors. IEC offers awide array of training programs forapprentices and experienced electricians,personnel referral including loan/borrowprograms, and provides a broad range ofinformational resources for electrical con-tractors in Atlanta and Georgia. v

Atlanta’s first Lifecycle Building Centerto store and sell salvaged construc-tion materials, teach green buildingIn Southwest Atlanta’s Oakland City, areclaimed industrial site will soon storeand sell reclaimed building materials, cre-ating the area’s first Lifecycle BuildingCenter. The facility will collect high-vol-

ume residential and commercial salvagedmaterials, and act as a green building edu-cation center.

With a planned spring 2012 opening,the Lifecycle Building Center will serve asa retail facility to collect and resell bulkused building materials. The goal is toreduce solid waste disposal, improve hous-ing stock, stimulate economic develop-ment, and promote resource efficiency.Proceeds will ultimately be used to teach



fundamental concepts of green building andhome performance to the general public.

“We are excited to provide a facility topromote and encourage green building andsustainability,” said Jimmy Mitchell, a Life-cycle Building Center board member andSkanska estimator. “Skanska firmly believesin bettering the environment and furthereducating communities on ways they canget involved in sustainability.”

The Lifecycle Building Center marks acollaborative effort between Atlanta areapartners such as Skanska Construction,DPR Construction, Newcomb & Boyd,Perkins + Will, Scoutmob, Southface, U.S.Green Building Council of Georgia (USG-BC-GA), Walter P. Moore and J.E. Dunn.

A planned second phase of the Lifecy-cle Building Center consists of a formersprocket manufacturing facility constructedin 1914. Acquisition of this space will bringthe Center to 70,000 square feet of welldesigned space. The entire site will include3.6 acres of heavy industrial space.

“This facility will be a huge asset toAtlanta and the entire Southeast,” saidAdam Deck, director of the Lifecycle Build-ing Center. “The Phase 2 completion willbring that many more resources to supportgreen building and sustainability efforts inour region.”

For further information please contactAdam Deck, Director LBC,[email protected], 404-275-1725,Patrick Hill, Jackson Spalding, [email protected], 404-724-2506.v

Skanska to expand and renovate hospital for $103 MillionSkanska has secured the assignment toexpand and renovate St. Francis Hospital inColumbus, Georgia. The total contractamounts to $115 million, out of which$103 million will be included in the book-ings for USA Building in the fourth quarterof 2011.

The expansion includes a four-story,17,500 square meters clinical services build-ing and a five-story, 15,700 square meters,medical office building. Skanska will alsorenovate the main hospital.

The new clinical services building willhouse a dedicated cardiovascular surgical

unit with four labs, a special proceduresroom, a nuclear medicine suite, and 30 prepand recovery bays. It will offer an expandednumber of spacious private rooms.

The medical office building will housethe Cardiac and Women’s Centers of Excel-lence and include a new 324-seat auditori-um. Renovation of the main hospital willresult in an expanded emergency room,including 20 new patient treatment roomsand an expanded surgical suite.

Work has started and is expected to becompleted in August 2013. Skanska USA isone of the leading development and con-struction companies in the country, consist-ing of four business units: Skanska USABuilding, which specializes in building con-struction; Skanska USA Civil, specialized incivil infrastructure; Skanska InfrastructureDevelopment, which develops public-pri-vate partnerships; and Skanska CommercialDevelopment, which develops commercialdevelopment projects in select U.S. mar-kets. Headquartered in New York with 35offices across the country, Skanska USAemploys approximately 7,000 employees

who are committed to sustainable construc-tion and an injury-free workplace. v

specializing in Crusher repairs &rebuilding since 1960

gyratory • Jaw • Conehsi • vsi

Completed serviCes inClude:

vertiCal & horizontal boring mills

horizontal lathes, drills, boring bars

hydrauliC presses, welding turntables,

Cutting table, field maChining,

meChaniCal & welding warehouse stoCked

with Crusher parts & wear items

Call us for your Crusher repair

and heavy maChining

and fabriCation needs!

534 national drivemaryville, tn 37804telephone 865-7900

fax 865-4220


AFOR SYSTEMS/MARS manufac-tures and markets tramp metal removal andmaterial diverter(tripper) products for mostany application involving bulk materials on amoving conveyor belt. Our primary markets

are aggregate plants, cement plants, gold mines, coal-fired power plants, load out oper-ations, and most any bulk materials applications using conveyor belts. Our MARS trampmetal removal system connects to existing or new metal detectors and can easily integrate

into automated plant operations. AFOR Systems Inc. has complete design and engineering capability to design,develop ormodify equipment for bulk materials handling applications. In business since 1999, AFOR products are in use world wide.The MARS tramp metal removal system probably has the fastest payback of any capital equipment purchased; some pay-back in two months, and contributes significantly to greater profits.The benefits from using a MARS include:

Avoid belt stops Less electricity Longer belt lifeGreater tonnage Longer motor life More worker availabilityImproved safety Fewer crusher repairs Complement plant automation

AFOR Systems/MARS Inc. | 1000 Whitlock Ave | Suite 320-130 | Marietta, GA 30064Phone: (770) 980-3415 Fax: (770) 428-0534 Cell: (770) 313-7746

E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.aforsystems.com

aSpecial ThankSSpecial ThankS

Castrol Heavy Duty Lubricants

For over 100 years Castrol has been a leading provider of premium lubrication solutions for off-road equipment. Using their premi-um products and technological expertise they are well equipped to meet

the diverse needs of fleet asset managers to help lower total lifecycle costs of their equipment.

Ascorel Inc.

Ascorel USA provides on board systems for increasing worksite safety and efficiency. Systems include on board scales for wheel loaders,skid steers, high capacity lift trucks, and telescopic material handlers.Ascorel USA has proudly selected Kennesaw, Georgia. as the location for

its North American Headquarters. All systems and their components are fully stocked and ready for immediate delivery fromthe Kennesaw warehouse.

Michael Magnesi | Ascorel USA | 1590 N Roberts RD | Suite 107 | Kennesaw, GA 30144 | (404) [email protected] | www.Ascorel-USA.com

to our

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http://www.Ascorel-USA.com

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/castrolhomepage.do?categoryId=3240


Columbia Steel

Columbia Steel manufactures wear parts for all popular crushers, with the broadest range of wear part styles and designs of any manufacturer in the industry. Columbia works closely withcustomers to specify or design crusher wear part profiles to improve production throughout the wear life of the part, toincrease overall wear life, obtain consistent sizing, reduce the number of change-outs, and solve specific problems. All wearparts are made in USA.

Conn-Weld Industries

Conn-Weld Industries Inc. manufacturers horizontal vibrating screens, incline screens, banana screens, dewatering screens, and centrifuge machines and screens. We also manufacture pro-files, profile centrifuge screens, urethane screens, and sieve bends. This equipment is used in various industries which include:coal, coke, sand and gravel, pulp and paper, food processing, brewing and distilling, corn wet milling, and many otherprocesses.

Douglas Manufacturing

Douglas is a well respected manufacturer of conveyor components including: CEMA class heavy duty pulleys, mine duty pulleys, quarry duty pulleys, engineered class pulleys andpulley lagging, CEMA Class idlers, magnetic separators, magnetic pulleys, impact beds, take-ups, and conveyor accessoriesincluding the patented Guardian™ Return Roll Guard. Douglas uses the latest technology including computer design andanalysis programs to select and design the best conveying solutions in the industry.

Ford Steel

Distributor of Wearalloy 400, 500, nickel chrome & wear-resistant plates and bars. Also, mangalloy impact-resistant steel

plates and bars; superclad overlay plates, superblock white iron chocky/wear bars, and super-hard chrome plate. Fabrica-tions available from ~ bucket & truck bed liners to cutting edges, hoppers, crusher, chute and feeder liners.

Golder & Associates

Golder Associates Inc. is a global company specializing in ground engineering and environmental services, employee-owned sinceour formation in 1960. We employ nearly 7,000 people in more than 160

offices around the world.We specialize in environmental sciences; geotechnical & civil engineering; laboratory testing; site selection & due

diligence; licensing & permitting; operational development & maintenance; project management, environmental assessments& clean up; closure plans and rehabilitation; regulatory compliance; stormwater; air permitting; and construction services.

www.golder.com phone: (770) 496-1893

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http://www.columbiasteel.com/

http://www.conn-weld.com/

http://www.douglasmanufacturing.com/

http://www.fordsteel.com/

http://www.golder.com/us/en/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=969


Jeffrey Rader

Jeffrey Rader Vibratory Feeders can process 1800 TPH. With their unique low-maintenance design and positive drive components, Jeffrey Rader vibrating feeders provide reliable,quiet operation while reducing energy cost. Jeffrey Rader offers two types of feeder drives for its industrial vibrating feed-ers: the EF models and HP models are Electromagnetic Feeders. The NF models are Electromechanical Feeders. The newestaddition to the Vibratory Feeder line is the CentroloadTM Feeder. Engineered with the latest in feeding technology, the Cen-troloadTM Feeder evenly distributes material directly to the Cone Crusher or Vertical Shaft Impactor. Industry leaders havealready experienced at least a “15-20 percent higher production rate, better gradation of materials and at least a 10 per-cent improved liner wear in the crusher.”

www.jeffreyrader.comOffice locations in the USA, Canada, Sweden, China | (662) 844-9035

K&R Weigh Systems

K&R Weigh Systems has been the Loadrite distributor in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina since 1993. Trust Loadrite for fast, accurate, on-board weighing. Accurate weighing is achieved quickly without having toslow down your operation. Experienced technicians from K&R are available to support our entire product line. We’ve beenaround for 18+ years and even through the tough economy, we remain healthy and will continue to support our product lineand customers for many years to come. Trust Experience—K&R technicians have installed over 3,000 systems since 1993!

1 (800) 910-2885 | www.KnRGroup.com | [email protected]

Metso Mining & Construction

Metso is the leading global provider of equipment, solutions, and services to the mining and construction industries. Metso's expertise is based on over a century of experience, andtoday's industry-leading solutions embrace the latest technology and an extensive services offering. Our know-how coverseverything from individual machines—such as crushers, grinding mills, conveyors, and components—to complete systemsand turnkey installations, and is complemented by a comprehensive range of installation and commissioning services, oper-ational support, and training, together with wear parts and maintenance.

Metso's offering within Mining and Construction combines an extensive portfolio of brands, including suchrenowned names as Nordberg, Lokotrack, Barmac, Trellex, Skega, and Svedala.

Our offering is based on ensuring that our customers benefit from better end product quality, higher throughput,enhanced availability, lower operating costs, and high standards of safety and sustainability.

www.metso.com E-mail: [email protected]

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Heavyquip

Heavyquip is one of the nation’s largest independent suppliers of parts and servicefor earthmoving equipment. For over 50 years, Heavyquip has provided customers

with high quality Undercarriage, GET, Replacement Parts, and Asphalt Paver parts for use on popular equipment manufac-tured by Caterpillar, Komatsu, Deere, Hitachi, and other fine equipment manufacturers. Heavyquip leads the industry inoffering customers cost effective alternatives that reduce operating costs and offer exceptional field performance.

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http://www.jeffreyrader.com

http://www.KnRGroup.com

http://www.metso.com


Miller Brothers Giant Tire Service

Miller Bros. Giant Tire Service is a full service independent off-the road tire company serving the construction, intermodal, industrial, quarry, and the steel mill industries in Georgia, Florida, NorthCarolina, and South Carolina. Our company was founded in 1984, and since that time we have become one of the lead-ers in the off-the-road tire industry. We feel that our growth over the past 27 years is due to the partnerships that we haveformed with our customers. We also feel that this growth is a direct testimonial to the integrity of our products, programs,and the desire of our associates to properly serve our customers. All our Field Service Support Team are MSHA certified,and all our service techs are TIA certified. We are supplied by four of the largest major tire manufacturers in the world,Bridgestone/Firestone, Michelin, Titan, and Yokohama.

Miller Brothers Giant Tire Service (229) 314-1988 or (704) 232-0164

Miller Wire Works Inc.

As an industry leader since 1949, you will appreciate Miller Wire Works many years of knowledge, dedication, and experience. We have developed the highest quality products. Our attentionto detail and service is unprecedented in our industry. Our Screening Media Solutions include Rubber,Urethane, Woven Wire, Welded Wire, Perforated Plate, and Self-Cleaning Screens. Screening Media isjust the beginning. Our products include Wear Parts, Wear Liners, Conveyor Components, Screen Com-

ponents, etc. We can provide most anything you need to increase Wear Life and Cost Efficiency from the Haul Truck to theStock Pile. Miller Wire Works has Your Solutions! Mil-loy Screens • XT Screens • M-Slot Screens • Mil-ethane Screens •Polyurethane Screens • Rubber Screen • Perforated Screens • Vibrating Machinery • Idlers • Side Rails • Center Hold DownRubber • Bucker

Miller Wire Works Inc. • P. O. Box 610280 • Birmingham, AL 35261-0280Phone (800) 783-0341 Fax 205-599-2172 | www.millerwireworks.com | [email protected]

Paschal Associate Sales Incorporated

Paschal Associate Sales invites you to visit with our engineering sales group and suppliers. We will be there with Deister, McLanahan, Polydeck, JeffreyRader, and Linatex / Durex.

Come by and see us!www.paschalassociates.com (336) 625-2535

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Polydeck Screen Corporation

Polydeck Screen Corporation has been a leader in the development and evolution of synthetic modular screen media since

1978. From our headquarters and manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, we supply polyurethane and rub-ber screen media, custom frame designs, and screen accessories to aggregate producers throughout Georgia. State-of-the-art manufacturing processes, complete in-house tool and die and frame fabrication facilities, and a corporate culture dedi-cated to superior customer service and support make Polydeck your best resource for dependable, cost-effective screenmedia solutions.

Visit us in Booth #49 and ask us about our unique performance guarantee.

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http://www.mbgts.com/

http://www.millerwireworks.com/

http://www.paschalassociates.com

http://www.polydeckscreen.com/


Saiia

Saiia’s mining experience includes working in more than 25 different quarries in multiple states. With an extensive fleet of equipment and MSHA-trained employees, Saiia can quickly react when needed due to customer demands or

other unexpected challenges. We provide the following services to support mining operations:• Overburden Removal and Production Mining• Greenfield Quarry Development• Pond Construction and Maintenance• Capital Improvement Projects (Plant Site Grading, Railroad Construction, etc.)

Taggart

Taggart Global LLC designs, builds, and operates state-of-the-art coal preparation plants and material handling systems worldwide. Our expertise spans the areas of design, construction,commissioning, and operations to deliver turnkey solutions for clients in the coal production, powergeneration, steel making, and material handling sectors.

4000 Town Center Blvd. | Canonsburg, PA 15317 | Phone: (724) 754-9800 | Fax: (724) 754-9801

www.taggartglobal.com

Superior

Headquartered in Morris, Minnesota, Superior Industries designs and fabricates a full line of conveying equipment, telescopingconveyors, supply-erect systems, feed systems, conveyor idlers, pulleys,

as well as other conveyor components. Superior operates manufacturing facilities in Prescott Valley, Arizona, and Norcross,Georgia, totaling a half-million square feet of manufacturing space. Superior’s Fesco Systems Division (Norcross, Georgia)adds more than a half century of experience, engineering, and manufacturing of some of the world’s most complex convey-or systems.

Yancey

Since 1914, Yancey Bros. Co., “The Nation’s Oldest Caterpillar Dealer,”has proudly served customers in Georgia’s Construction, Mining, andAggregates communities by providing quality products, outstanding parts

availability and highly trained Service Technicians. From Excavators and Wheel Loaders, to Engines and Generator Sets,to the new Cat CT660 Vocational Truck, Yancey offers a wide range of products and services to meet your business needs.

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http://superior-ind.com/

http://www.taggartglobal.com

http://www.yanceybros.com/


e previously pub-lished a LessonsLearned on Con-crete Floors andMoisture whichfocused on test-

ing for moisture in completed concrete slabsprior to the application of floor coverings orcoatings. is edition approaches the sameissue but from a different perspective—reducing the effects of excess floor slab mois-ture in new concrete construction. is Les-sons Learned applies mainly to concrete slabson grade since elevated floor slabs typicallydon’t have significant moisture problems.

e old adage of Time is Money hasnever been more apparent than in today’sfast-paced construction arena. While thereare many ways for contractors to speed upthe delivery of a project, one of the morevexing issues facing many projects is thetiming of the placement of the finishes onconcrete floor slabs. While owners typicallywant the interior finishes placed as quicklyas possible so that tenants can start payingrent, delays in construction and tenantspace delivery can be several weeks for theslab to ‘dry’ adequately to allow the installa-tion of floor covering materials. What canthe owner and contractor do to speed upthis process?

Let’s start with the base material itself,the concrete. While typically there are proj-ect specifications for the concrete materialproperties, there may not be sufficientdetails related to the moisture condition ofthe slab prior to placement of flooring mate-rials. e strength of the concrete is certain-ly very important. However, there are otherfactors that can have a large impact on theability of the slab to lose excess moisturequickly. All too often, the flatwork contrac-tor placing the concrete for the slab includesadditional water in the concrete mix toimprove the workability for the floor slabfinishing personnel. Unfortunately, theaddition of the excess water, while makingplacement and finishing easier, increases thetime for the moisture to leave the slab

before floor covering materials can beinstalled.

e use of water reducing admixturesthat reduce the volume of water in the con-crete mix are generally beneficial to theplacement and finishing operations, canreduce the amount of moisture that mustleave the slab, and results in lower per-meability concrete to resist vapormigration. erefore, in order toaccommodate timely installation ofthe floor covering materials, the con-crete mix design for slab constructionshould be reviewed to confirm that ithas a low water-to-cement ratio, and water-reducing admixtures. In addition, the proj-ect specifications should prohibit the flat-work subcontractor from adding water tothe mix when the concrete is delivered tothe site. While the higher cost of concretewith water reducing admixtures adds to theconstruction costs, delays in construction orreplacement of floor coverings that wereinstalled too soon can be many times moreexpensive.

Additionally, the use and location of avapor retarder (plastic sheeting often called‘vapor barrier’) is critical to reducing thepotential for migration of moisture from thesubgrade up into and through the slab.However, the vapor retarder should not beplaced directly beneath the concrete becausethe plastic sheeting will severely impede theloss of water into the sub-base materialsresulting in longer drying time becausemore water is present in the concrete.Another effect is that upward curling of theedges of a slab-on-grade can occur due toshrinkage of the concrete when the surfaceof the concrete loses moisture at a faster ratethan the bottom of the slab. For criticalapplications of floor coverings, a layer ofsub-base materials (i.e. compacted sand orstone) can be used between the vaporretarder and the bottom of the concrete slabto allow moisture to dissipate from the con-crete more evenly.

e reduction of excess moisture in theslab is affected by the temperature and

humidity conditions atthe surface of the slab. Low humidity levelsare a benefit to draw moisture out of theslab and can be achieved with dehumidify-ing units or running air conditioning in thebuilding. ese methods take time, effort,and money. e cost of removing excessmoisture can be reduced by addressing theproblem early in the selection of the con-crete mix components by involving theflooring installation subcontractor, the con-crete supplier, and the finishing subcontrac-tor in pre-construction planning. e pub-lication entitled ‘Concrete Floors and Mois-ture’ by the Portland Cement Associationcontains detailed information on variousmethods that can be utilized to controlmoisture in concrete slabs.

Additional information regarding test-ing for slab moisture can be found in ourLessons Learned entitled ‘Concrete Floorsand Moisture.’ We hope that this LessonsLearned is helpful to you in your next proj-ect. ECS is available to provide consulta-tion for concrete mix designs and the use ofwater-reducing admixtures, can providefloor slab moisture testing, and assist you indetermining the cause(s) of existing flooringproblems. v

Respectfully,ECS Corporate Services LLC©2011 ECS Corporate Services LLC All Rights Reserved

WMoisture in Concrete Slabs ~ New ConstructionObservations & Lessons from the School of Experience By ECS Corporate Services LLC.

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Documents

Georgia Contractor Jan-Feb 2012