Construction Bulletin articles from December 2008

Construction Bulletin archives from December 2008

Judge favors Mn/DOT decision.(Minnesota Department of Transportation's selection of Flatiron-Manson to build the I-35W Bridge)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Staff A Ramsey County, MN, district court said the Minnesota Department of Transportation's selection of Flatiron-Manson to build the I-35W Bridge was proper, given the challenges of quickly replacing the bridge. Two men in the...

More alternative energy.(Juhl Wind has acquired Next Generation Power Systems )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Staff Juhl Wind, Woodstock, MN, acquired Next Generation Power Systems for 92,000 shares of unregistered common stock and bought the Pipestone Building in Pipestone, MN, for $144,000. Next Generation, a wind turbine and solar company, will...

Industry News.
December 1, 2008... Staff Case Construction Equipment produced the first 50 Case armored backhoe loaders for the U.S. Army as part of its five-year contract for 626 backhoe loaders. The 50 units, manufactured at the Case plant in Burlington, IA, were sent to...

Memorial scholarship.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Staff AGC of Minnesota is providing scholarship opportunities for outstanding students enrolled in occupational health and safety programs in Minnesota, western Wisconsin and North Dakota. To apply for the 2008-2009 academic year, call...

Economy brings closings.
December 1, 2008... Staff United Rentals will close 30 additional branches by year's end, bringing the total to 61 branch closings in 2008. Volvo AB, Stockholm, Sweden, will lay off 600 more workers at its plants in Sweden and Belgium. Previously the company...

VeraSun files bankruptcy.
December 1, 2008... Staff VeraSun Energy Corp., Sioux Falls, SD, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 31 and cannot complete construction of its ethanol plant in Janesville, MN. It laid off the 53 employees at that location and said its 14 other plants...

JLG extends warranty.(JLG Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Staff JLG Industries, an Oshkosh Corp. company, developed an extended warranty program for all boom, scissors and telehandler products sold in the U.S. and Canada by three or five years. JLG said this program will help customers enhance...

Deere acquires ReGen.
December 1, 2008... Staff John Deere & Company, Moline, IL, acquired full ownership of ReGen Technologies, Inc., a remanufacturing company in Springfield, MO. Previously, Deere owned 50 percent of this business. Deere will integrate ReGen with its...

Minnesota Landmark: Demolished and Recycled.(Cold Spring Granite Co.)(Company overview)
December 1, 2008... By Richard Parrish The former site of Cold Spring Granite was demolished with most debris taken to recycling centers. "It amazed a lot of people at how fast everything came down," is how Gary Theisen described the community's reaction...

Rentals Increase in Sinking Economy.
December 1, 2008... By Ivy Chang Contractors in the Upper Midwest tend to rent equipment before they buy, especially in this uncertain economy. The current dismal economy brought an unexpected bright side to the construction industry: The number of...

New territory manager.(Superior Industries International Inc.)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... Staff Superior Industries, manufacturer of conveyor systems and components with headquarters in Morris, MN, appointed Vince Schlatter as conveyor components territory manager. He will work with Superior's component distributors in...

SMSC donates to three projects.(Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... Staff The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community loaned $31 million to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa at Red Lake reservation in northern Minnesota. At a cost of $21.7 million, a new Red Lake Seven Clans Casino and Hotel will be built to...

CP to upgrade service.(Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... Staff Canadian Pacific Railway took over the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad on October 30 and said it is committed to spending $300 million to upgrade various holdings in the next five years, with the first $100 million to be spent...

Manufacturing alliance.
December 8, 2008... Staff Hitachi Construction Machinery and Kawasaki Heavy Industries will form a manufacturing alliance for wheel loaders in 2009. The new company will meet the demands of the Stage IIIB/ Tier 4 engine emission regulations that will be...

AEM elects Kluver.(Association of Equipment Manufacturers)(Robert Kluver, Martin Richenhagen and Tiffany Sewell-Howard)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Staff Robert Kluver, president and CEO at Angus-Palm, Watertown, SD, is the new treasurer of the 2009 Association of Equipment Manufacturers. During recent AEM elections, Martin Richenhagen, president and CEO of AGCO Corp., Duluth, GA, was...

Gondeck-Becker promoted.(Adolfson and Peterson Inc.)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Staff Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Minneapolis, named Debra Gondeck-Becker as vice president, special projects. She oversees the design and implementation of building life cycle management to help clients manage life cycle costs of...

Hottest Hubby search.(Kevin Vranicar)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Staff Kevin Vranicar, Magney Construction in Chanhassen, MN, was a candidate on the Twin Cities Live Hottest Hubby search. His wife, Jackie, nominated him and TCL staff selected him as a finalist. Jackie said Kevin went above and beyond...

New rules for truck drivers.
December 15, 2008... Staff The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration developed new rules for truck drivers that will decrease fatalities. Drivers will be limited to driving 11 hours only and working no more than 14 hours a day. The rule requires all...

New exemption certificates.(Minnesota. Department of Labor and Industry)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Staff On January 1, 2009, Minnesota will require individuals who work as independent contractors in the building construction industry to obtain an Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate from the Department of Labor and Industry. For...

Editor's Report.
December 15, 2008... By Ivy Chang Construction Industry Benefits From Stimulus Plan The construction industry will benefit from some new administration plans. Under president-elect Barack Obama's fiscal stimulus plan, roads and bridges will get an overhaul...

Sustainable Product Enhances Resort.
December 15, 2008... Staff Insulated concrete forms provided lightweight and environmentally friendly characteristics to complete the project in less time. When Kuepers Inc., architects and builders in Baxter, MN, began its initial design work on the newly...

Maintenance Requires Team Effort.(United States. Department of Transportation)
December 15, 2008... By Ivy Chang South Dakota's DOT equipment maintenance is spread among more than 60 shops to keep track of over 250 pieces of construction equipment. To keep track of the hundreds of pieces of equipment in its fleet, the South Dakota...

Han appointed principal engineer.
December 22, 2008... Staff American Engineering Testing Inc. appointed Dr. Chunhua Han as principal engineer in its Geotechnical Division. Han joined AET this fall and completed the full-service infrastructure and pavement engineering group. Previously, he...

MMPC announces new board.(Midwest Masonry Promotion Council)(Todd Frantz, Tamelyn Holter and Dave Joslin)(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... Staff The newly formed Midwest Masonry Promotion Council, a marketing and promotion source for the masonry industry, announced its new board of directors. Masonry contractors: Todd Frantz, Donald R. Frantz Concrete Construction; Tamelyn...

Industry News.
December 22, 2008... Staff Minnesota's architectural, environmental, engineering, suppliers, contracting and subcontracting businesses set up exhibits for the University of Minnesota Construction Expo on November 18. The Expo provided access and networking...

Spider hires Don Hatch.(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... Staff Don Hatch was hired as industrial sales representative for Spider's Midwest region serving Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. He is responsible for solving the suspended access and safety challenges of power plants and...

SDSU holds career fair.(South Dakota State University)(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... Staff South Dakota AGC staff Toby Crow and Kim Leiferman attended the Construction Management Career Fair at South Dakota State University in November. Sixty-seven students, enrolled in Construction Management, stopped to ask about career...

De-icer in short supply.(Report)(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... Staff The FAA is notifying airports about a shortage of runway de-icer fluid this winter because of a prolonged mining strike in Canada that affects shipping of potassium acetate, a key ingredient in the fluids. Prices of de-icers have...

ASV brand to change.
December 22, 2008... Staff Effective January 1, 2009, all ASV products also will be branded "Terex" and join the North American Terex compact equipment line, including Terex-branded compact track loaders featuring the ASV patented Posi-Track...

Collins joins AET.(American Engineering Testing Inc. has appointed Michael Collins)(Brief article)
December 29, 2008... Staff American Engineering Testing, Inc. hired Michael Collins as a staff engineer in the construction services department in its St. Paul office. He will provide consulting services in the areas of soil correction and deep foundations for...

New website for AGC of SD.(Website overview)
December 29, 2008... Staff In November, AGC of South Dakota launched a new website that will be updated continuously. Each member company received a company log on name and password; however, members who have not received that information or would like...

MAC receives award.(Metropolitan Airports Commission)(Brief article)
December 29, 2008... Staff The FAA presented the Metropolitan Airports Commission, Minneapolis, with an Outstanding Achievement Award for Community and Public Outreach citing extraordinary measures taken to communicate with all stakeholders on the runway...

ARM presents awards to Cemstone.(Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota)(Brief article)
December 29, 2008... Staff The Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota (ARM) presented 8 first-place awards to Cemstone, a leader in ready-mix, engineered and architectural concrete in the Upper Midwest with headquarters in Mendota Heights, MN. The...

AGC meets transition team.(Associated General Contractors of America)(Brief article)
December 29, 2008... Staff Stephen Sandherr, CEO of AGC of America, was invited to meet with President-elect Barack Obama's transportation transition team to discuss issues AGC believed the new administration should address. Sandherr listed transportation...

Winter driving alert.(Minnesota Department of Transportation)
December 29, 2008... Staff The Minnesota Department of Transportation asks motorists to be alert for frosty and icy bridge decks, overpasses and ramps during freezing weather, especially in the Arrowhead region. Bridge decks freeze sooner than roadways because...

JLG manuals online.(www.jlg.com)(JLG Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
December 29, 2008... Staff JLG Industries placed its operator, service and parts manuals for JLG, SkyTrak and Lull branded equipment online at www.jlg.com . Customers can view and download the manuals from the website, which gives them instant access,...