Construction Bulletin articles from February 2009

Construction Bulletin archives from February 2009

ARM honors members.(Aggregate and Ready Mix Association )(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Staff The Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota honored several members at its annual meeting in December. Kevin MacDonald , vice president of Engineering Services, Cemstone Products Co., was selected 2008 ARM Member of the Year....

Inspec names president.
February 2, 2009... Staff Michael Remington , P.E., was named president of Inspec by the board of directors. Inspec provides engineering architectural services for roofs, exterior walls, pavements, and waterproofing with offices in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and...

Electronic bidding.(Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Staff The Minnesota Department of Transportation began electronic bidding in 2001 with results available on its website immediately after each letting. As of January, bids of $1 million or more must be submitted electronically with bids...

CNH closes Fargo plant.(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Staff Case New-Holland's Fargo plant will close temporarily for about nine weeks between January and April, according to a spokesman for the Illinois-based CNH Global. Construction equipment production will be shifted to other lines,...

Titan Machinery acquires dealers.
February 2, 2009... Staff Titan Machinery, Fargo, ND, signed an agreement and acquired Western Plains Machinery Co. and WP Rentals, consisting of nine construction equipment locations in Montana and Wyoming. Western Plains Machinery has Case Construction...

NUCA accepts applications.(National Utility Contractors Association)(Conference news)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Staff Application for the William H. Feather Safety Awards from the National Utility Contractors Association is open. NUCA members who have the best safety records in five categories may submit an application with all supporting materials...

Correction.
February 2, 2009... Staff The December 29, 2008, Construction Bulletin incorrectly reported issues that Stephen Sandherr, CEO of AGC of America, discussed with President Obama's transition team. AGC advocates for infrastructure investment in all sectors of...

Winter Work in the Trenches.
February 2, 2009... By Ivy Chang A sanitary and storm sewer re-construction and replacement provided little space and no street closings as crews worked in arctic-like weather. Repair, removal and replacement of an old storm sewer tunnel under Interstate...

Congress Develops Stimulus Package.
February 2, 2009... By DeAnn Stish, Executive Director, Minnesota Utility Contractors Association MUCA provided technical information and manages members' interests and training. By now there are few who have not heard of the efforts in Washington, D.C.,...

Richard Schmidgall dies.(Hancock Concrete Products Inc.)(Obituary)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Staff Richard Schmidgall, Morris, MN, a past president and CEO of Hancock Concrete, died on January 8. Schmidgall began working in the family business in Salina, KS, after high school. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and...

I-35W Bridge audited.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Staff Minnesota OSHA audited the I-35W Bridge during and after construction with the last audit conducted on October 16. A team of OSHA compliance principals performed 120 random audits and identified and corrected 500-plus hazards....

Company to close its doors.
February 9, 2009... Staff Olson General Contractors, New Hope, MN, will close its doors this spring after 100 years in business. CEO Bob Olson will retire after he dissolves his business and transfers his clients and projects under construction to...

VeraSun auctions six plants.
February 9, 2009... Staff VeraSun Energy Corp., Sioux Falls, SD, ethanol producer, will auction all six plants it owns as part of an agreement with one of its lenders. The biorefineries are located in Janesville, MN; Ord and Central City, NE; Dyersville, IA;...

PUC approves Big Stone.(Minnesota. Public Utilities Commission)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Staff The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission cleared the construction of 111 miles of power lines in Minnesota for Big Stone II, a coal-fired power plant that would be located across the South Dakota border but will carry half of its...

Construction language.
February 9, 2009... Staff Purdue University research studies showed Hispanic construction workers and workers new to the industry did not understand jargon and acronyms used in training; researchers questioned whether this compromises safety and understanding...

Form I-9 must be used.(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Staff Effective this month, employers must complete a new, revised Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification for all newly hired employees and for re-verification of certain employees with temporary work authorization when their...

Technical sales rep hired.(North Star Stone and Masonry)(Mitch Regal )(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... Staff North Star Stone and Masonry, Rochester, MN, hired Mitch Regal as technical sales representative serving southern Minnesota. He will lead all sales, marketing and distribution programs for the recently acquired license of Keystone...

Lift bridge displayed.(Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... Staff The Stillwater lift bridge, connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin, will be converted into a pedestrian and bike bridge in the next few years, according to a plan of the Minnesota and Wisconsin DOTs. The DOT representatives are part of...

AGC of Minnesota 90th meeting.(Associated General Contractors)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
February 16, 2009... Staff AGC of Minnesota held its 90th annual meeting on January 15 at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency Hotel. An evening networking reception drew about 150 members and others from around Minnesota to get acquainted. Sixteen education...

Leadership award nomination.(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... Staff Nominations for the Arthur E. McCauley Jr. Leadership Award are open to honor a safety or health professional who is an example of safety excellence. The award is named for a former Minnesota Safety Council member whose work...

Case increases assistance.
February 16, 2009... Staff As of February 1, Case Construction Equipment expanded its customer assistance hotline beyond business hours and includes information on its crawler dozers, large excavators, motor graders, large wheel loaders, articulated trucks,...

Construction Outlook Is Optimistic.
February 16, 2009... By Ivy Chang "For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and...

Use of Warm Mix Asphalt Increases.
February 16, 2009... By Ivy Chang The benefits of warm mix asphalt are lower cost and lower levels of greenhouse gases. Since the United States Clean Air Act passed into law in 1970, environmental responsibility has been a major priority to U.S....

Actively Manage Your Delay Claims.
February 16, 2009... By Mark R. Becker, Esq. Contractors must be vigilant about record keeping to manage delays. In present market conditions, construction contractors need to actively manage their risks to avoid bank-busting problems that could have been...

PE license received.
February 23, 2009... Staff Benjamin Hoefer, American Engineering Testing, Inc., St. Paul, MN, received his professional engineer license. Hoefer works in the company's cement laboratory implementing project tracking processes and upgrading laboratory test...

ASA MN presents awards.
February 23, 2009... Staff The American Subcontractor Association of MN held is annual awards and recognition dinner in January to present its General Contractor of the Year award, scholarships and Membership Excellence Awards. Finalists and recipients of the...

Viracon announces changes.
February 23, 2009... Staff Owatonna, MN-based Viracon, a glass fabricator company under Apogee Enterprises, Inc., announced organizational changes to continue the company leadership after anticipated retirements. Greg Silvestri is president and will continue...

Fern promoted to VP.
February 23, 2009... Staff Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. (K-A) promoted Greg Fern to vice president of marketing and business development. Fern will coordinate business development of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Kansas City offices with focus on health...

Public review of TRIP.(Conference news)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... Staff The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Statewide Transportation Plan for 2009-2028 is available for review and comment. Mn/DOT held eight outreach meetings in February and will hold a video conference public meeting on March...

JLG launches toll-free service.
February 23, 2009... Staff JLG Industries Inc. launched a new telephone number to help customers reach its service centers, where JLG personnel can help with equipment problems. Customers can dial 877-JLG-CENTER and obtain a menu to guide them to a service...

NUCA needs instructors.
February 23, 2009... Staff The National Utility Contractors Association is accepting applications for 2009 Safety Instructor Train-the-Trainer programs held annually. To qualify as a NUCA instructor, applicants must have experience in the construction...

Call for presentations.(Conference news)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... Staff The Tilt-Up Concrete Association announced a Call for Presentations for the 2009 Tilt-Up Convention on September 30 through October 2. The Association invites industry experts to submit abstracts of 100 words and a bullet list of...

Fourth quarter tumbled.
February 23, 2009... Staff Investment in commercial and industrial sectors of the U.S. economy fell 19.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 while residential fixed investment plunged 27.8 percent. Personal consumption spending dropped another 3.5 percent...