Construction Bulletin articles from July 2007

Construction Bulletin archives from July 2007

Editor's Report.(Editorial)
July 2, 2007... By Ivy Chang Gov. Tim Pawlenty's vetoes to the Minnesota Legislature's seven major bills will satisfy conservatives who won't be paying higher taxes but left most Minnesotans with unmet needs and an uncertain future. The state budget...

Weather Challenges Construction of Liberty Memorial Bridge.
July 2, 2007... By Ivy Chang Contractors considered time and weather in the unusual approach to build this bridge. London Bridge was the only bridge over the Thames River in London when it was built in 60 A.D. Romans built it because they had to...

Employee Retention Requires A Plan.
July 2, 2007... By Shawn Abraham Open communications and employee recognition are ways to keep employees working for you. A recent graduate from a top engineering program, Robert had a career on the rise with a large, international specialty...

Ed Hutterer dies.(Obituary)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Staff Ed Hutterer, a Minnesota Department of Transportation employee for 42 years, died on June 7. He was born in Sanborn, Iowa, in 1918, moved with his family to Winsted, Minnesota, in 1928 and to Minneapolis in 1936. He was with the 34th...

AET employees certified.(Trey Howard and Sean O'Connor certified)(American Engineering Testing Inc.)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Staff Trey Howard and Sean O'Connor, American Engineering Testing, Inc., St. Paul, received their Certified Hazardous Materials Manager certifications. Howard is a licensed professional geologist in Minnesota and Wisconsin with 17 years of...

Industry News.(ceremony conducted at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Staff The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers held a dedication ceremony at its Minneapolis Joint Apprentice Electrical Training Center to rename the building after its most famous alumnus. Charles Lindberg (center) is the last...

Student receives scholarship.(Amanda Lloyd received scholarship from National Demolition Association)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Staff Amanda Lloyd, Prior Lake, Minnesota, received a $5,000 scholarship from the National Demolition Association at its annual convention in Las Vegas. Lloyd's Construction Services, Inc., Savage, Minnesota, nominated her. Seven college...

Ethanol company acquired.
July 2, 2007... Staff U.S. BioEnergy, Minnesota-based ethanol producer that went public last year, acquired Millennium Ethanol of Marion, S.D., through a combination of cash and stock worth about $135 million. Millennium is building an ethanol plant near...

Chuck Martz named CEO.
July 2, 2007... Staff Chuck Martz, president of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co., Lexington, Kentucky, also has been named CEO in an announcement by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Link-Belt's parent company. Martz began his career with Link-Belt in 1975...

HCEA receives grant.
July 2, 2007... Staff The Historical Construction Equipment Association received a $75,000 grant from the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to establish an endowment fund for engineering scholarships for students. Half...

Three managers named.
July 2, 2007... Staff Manitowoc Crane Group appointed three new global product managers to ensure that local and global requirements are met for existing and new product development projects. David Havard is manager for Potain tower and self-erecting...

Smith joins TBEI.(Truck Bodies and Equipment Internationa)(Greg Smith)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Staff Greg Smith joined Truck Bodies & Equipment as vice president of Dealer Direct Sales East. Greg comes to TBEI from Fontaine Modification Company as general manager. Previously he was vice president of Operations for a power generator...

Sen. Thune receives award.
July 9, 2007... Staff Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) honored Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) with its Legislative Leadership Award as part of its Government Affairs Conference. Every year AED presents the award to a member of Congress who demonstrated...

Institute moves office.(International Masonry Institute)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Staff The International Masonry Institute, Minnesota Area office, moved to 312 Central Avenue S. E., #334, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Telephone is (612) 332-2214; fax is (612) 332-1621. The office is a showcase of masonry materials and remains...

NDSU takes first place.(North Dakota State University)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Staff North Dakota State University took first place in the National Student Steel Bridge Competition held in Northridge, California, at the end of May. University of California, Davis, took second place and University of Wisconsin,...

MNLA begins recycling program.
July 9, 2007... Staff The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is offering its plastic garden pot recycling program for the second year. On September 23-24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the public may bring clean plastic garden pots of any size and color to...

CONEXPO registration begins.
July 9, 2007... Staff Attendees of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 can begin registration on July 9, 2007, in advance of the shows' many educational opportunities and housing accommodations. Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the location of the...

Site Preparation Grows Into Construction.
July 16, 2007... By Ivy Chang Northern Improvement Company grew from a freight moving business to a diversified contractor with multiple locations. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, McCormick Dray Line began as a freight moving company carrying...

Case Continues Crazy Horse Carving.
July 16, 2007... By Paul Lloyd An open house marked the 50th anniversary of the Case loader backhoe and 60th anniversary of sculptor Ziolkowski's move to the carving site. Case Construction Equipment recently joined the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation...

Card joins TBEI.
July 16, 2007... Staff Truck Bodies & Equipment International, manufacturer of truck body equipment, appointed Robert Card as director of Engineering. He has over 19 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering, most recently at Dover Corp. and...

Madison wins canoe competition.(The University of Wisconsin Madison)(20th Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Staff From June 14-16, 22 college teams participated in the 20th Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition at the University of Washington, Seattle, to build and race their canoes made of concrete. The University of Wisconsin, Madison,...

Ditch Witch managers complete training.(Marie and Darrell Feist)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Staff Kenny Ste. Marie, parts and service manager, and Darrell Feist, service manager, for Ditch Witch of North Dakota, completed the Trencher Product Dealer Service Technician training at the Ditch Witch Training Center in Perry,...

Rasmussen is new NTI engineer.
July 16, 2007... Staff Chris Rasmussen, P.E., joined Northern Technologies Inc. (NTI) as a geotechnical engineer in the Minneapolis office. Rasmussen has a Bachelor of Science in geological engineering from Michigan Technological University and has 12...

Kolberg-Pioneer promotes two.
July 16, 2007... Staff Kolberg-Pioneer Inc., Yankton, South Dakota, promoted Jeff Wendt and Jodi Heirigs to product managers. Wendt is responsible for the washing and classifying product line the company manufactures and will focus on new and evolving...

Doosan creates new program.(Doosan Infracore America Croporation)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Staff Doosan Infracore America created a new 48-hour Parts Guarantee program for its wheel loader and excavator customers in the United States. The program guarantees Doosan heavy equipment owners that they will receive broken or worn...

Program promotes engineering.(Project Lead The Way)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Staff Project Lead The Way, a non-profit organization that offers pre-engineering and science curricula, is 10 years old and now comprises more than 1,700 schools in 46 states. In 2006-2007, more than 175,000 middle school and high school...

realigns staff.(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Staff Engineering and environmental consulting firm Braun Intertec appointed new executive leadership to carry forward its mission to the next generation. Aligning with its 50th anniversary, the new team members are Jon Carlson, P.G.,...

Van Neste promoted.
July 23, 2007... Staff Travis Van Neste, L.S., was promoted to Survey Department manager at Schoell Madson, a consulting company specializing in commercial, residential and mixed-use developments. Van Neste joined the company in 2006 and has worked in...

Van Heuveln receives licensure.(American Engineering Testing Inc.'s Derek Van Heuveln)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Staff Derek Van Heuveln, American Engineering Testing, passed his engineering exam and received his license as a professional engineer in Minnesota. He joined AET in 2003 and served in capacities in both geotechnical and materials...

Dom-Ex founder dies.
July 23, 2007... Staff David Ellefson, founder of Dom-Ex, LLC, a parts supplier for the mining and construction equipment industries, died on May 28 at age 50. The company realigned its staff to continue it commitment of service. John Kokotovich, chief...

Fabcon receives award.
July 23, 2007... Staff Savage, Minnesota-based Fabcon, manufacturer of precast concrete panels, received a 2007 Progressive Manufacturing Award, which recognizes 50 companies that have achieved distinction in core disciplines as critical to business...

Firestone honors roofing contractors.
July 23, 2007... Staff Firestone Building Products honored roofing contractors in the United States, Canada and Mexico with 2007 Master Contractor status. A Minneapolis contractor was among 261 contractors receiving this award and one of 15 contractors who...

Minnesota-Iowa leads.
July 23, 2007... Staff For the 11th consecutive year, the Minnesota-Iowa region has been North America's largest consumer of Caterpillar lubricants. This unusual distinction surfaced because of a unique arrangement made in 1989 when Ziegler Cat,...

Achieving Success Through Resource Management.
July 30, 2007... By Don Kafka Construction resource management is a top-to-bottom method of managing tools, equipment, consumables, and other materials throughout a company or project. In the competitive construction industry, providing unsurpassed...

Cemstone acquires Concrete Materials.
July 30, 2007... Staff Cemstone Products Co., a ready-mix and architectural concrete business, acquired Concrete Materials Inc., a manufacturer of concrete masonry units in Medford, a southern Minnesota city. CMI will continue to operate under its current...

DEED presents cleanup grants.(Minnesota. Department of Employment and Economic Development)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Staff Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development will present 11 grants totaling $4.7 million to clean up polluted sites around the Twin Cities. The grants will be matched with $260 million in private money to convert...

RMS is dealer for SkyTrak.
July 30, 2007... Staff JLG Industries Inc. appointed Road Machinery & Supplies Company, Savage, Minnesota, as a dealer for its SkyTrak telehandlers. RMS will represent 7 SkyTrak models with capacities ranging from 6,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds and lift...

Wells Fargo acquires CIT.
July 30, 2007... Staff Wells Fargo & Company, San Francisco, acquired CIT Construction., the U.S. construction lending business unit of CIT Group Inc., New York. CIT Construction has provided commercial financing to the construction industry since 1938 and...

ABC honors top projects.
July 30, 2007... Staff Associated Builders and Contractors presented its Excellence in Construction award to construction teams across the U.S. honoring projects of exceptional craftsmanship and professionalism. Three projects in the Construction Bulletin...

Associations sign resolution.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Staff Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Association of Women in Construction signed a joint resolution that will create opportunities and business for women-owned construction firms and policy-making executives in the...

Carbon-neutral buildings supported.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Staff Five organizations finalized a memorandum of understanding that established a common starting point and goal of net zero energy buildings with the ultimate goal of designing carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. The American Institute of...

Pavement Decisions Require Analyses.
July 30, 2007... By Richard O. Wolters, P.E., Executive Director, Jill M. Thomas, P.E., Associate Director, Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association Alternative paving materials and methods should be considered in a pavement's life cycle. Not all...

Women Contractors Held Annual Celebration.
July 30, 2007... By Ivy Chang AWC elected a new board and presented many awards. The Minnesota chapter of Association of Women Contractors held its annual celebration in June to present awards and conduct other business. This year's theme of the...