| In The Mix
September 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 6 |
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| Officers / Directors |
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President
Gary Clements
Cement Products &
Supply Company
863-686-5141
Vice Presdient
Preston Sparkman
Quality Precast Co. Inc.
813-685-5615 ext 2228
Secretary
Brad Coolidge
A-1 Block Corporation
407-422-3768
Treasurer
Steve Bishop Maschmeyer Concrete
Jeff Bishop
Maschmeyer Concrete
561-848-9112
Adam Freeman
A-1 Block
407-422-3768
Sherry Griswold
Griswold Ready Mix
904-751-3796
Tony Segree
Hicks Concrete Services
863-425-4155
Mark Smith, Past President
Bell Concrete, Inc.
352-463-6103
Executive Director Michele Stropoli 407-333-4694 email | |
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 Greetings! |
 This month's article comes as I complete the Labor Day weekend which, according to someone, officially marks the end of summer. If that is true then we are being ushered into the fall season and all the holidays and celebrations that are a part of this busy time of year. Fall is indeed a busy time of year. There is much to be done in our personal lives as well as our business lives. At FICAP things are no different- there is much to be done and, based on last month's meeting and the highly successful exercise of re-populating our goal groups, we are in excellent shape to take on the tasks before us because of our many faithful volunteers. Thank you to those of you who have renewed your commitment to FICAP and a special thanks to the good number of first-timers who stepped up to serve on one or more of our goal groups. In addition we have a good group of experienced and new goal group leaders who are prepared to move us forward in the coming year. One of the new projects that we will officially be launching at our next dinner meeting is our Mentor Program which will be carried out in our Future Leaders group (goal group #5). There will be a reception/mixer before the September dinner meeting for mentors and mentees to get to know each other and discuss future partnerships. If you have an interest in participating in our Mentor Program as a mentor or a mentee, please contact Michele at the FICAP office. As we are forced to leave summer, some of us under protest, and start a new season we can look back at a long summer, and year for that matter, of very poor business and unfortunately the end of the year does not look much better for most of us. In the book "7 Habits for Highly Effective People" it is stated that, "our economic security does not lie in our jobs: it lies in our own power to produce, to think, to learn, to create, and to adapt." It seems to me the person that wrote that must have known about FICAP and its members. This epitomizes the spirit of the members of FICAP, and it is the fiber that makes us and our businesses strong during even the toughest of times. Please make plans now to attend our next meeting on September 29, and enjoy an informative meeting on website design and start up costs.  Gary Clements President, FICAP |
| Convention Photos |
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Interested in revisiting the convention? Check out the pictures by visiting www.photobucket.com. The link to the left will take you directly to the convention album. Once there you may right click on the photo and save to your computer. you may also follow the link on the right side of the menu to view the photos as a slide show.
If the link above doesn't work, copy and paste the following into your address bar:
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| 13th Annual Fall Golf Tournament |
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Prices have been lowered
and every effort has been
made to encourage your
participation in this year's
golf tournament. Please
join us on October 6, 2009
for a best ball scramble
and shotgun start at 8:30.
Sponsorship prices have been lowered as well. Please review the registration information online and let the FICAP office know as soon as possible if you plan to sponsor a hole or a food event. We would like to start promoting your company as soon as possible. | |
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| FICAP PAC - The Legislative Corner Wade Mullins, Chairman |
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 Are you as encouraged as I am with the public debate regarding national or universal health care? Have you noticed how effective the people can be when we get involved? This forum isn't intended to express my views on this very emotional issue, but to demonstrate how influential each and everyone can be in the political process. Members of Congress used to love holding the quaint little town hall meetings where they get up close and personal with "the people." This was where a handful of folks came to gripe about something, but most of the attendees of these types of meetings were filled with supporters. That certainly hasn't been the case this year. What happened during the August break where the local Congressman or Congresswoman has been overwhelmed with the voters speaking out loud and clear demonstrates that the people have more power than both the elected officials and the voters thought. |
| FICAP News |
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Your 2009 - 2010 Goal Group Chairmen:
Goal Group 1 - Todd Brown, Nextran Truck Center - Orlando
Goal Group 2 - Bob Thomas, Nextran Truck Center - Tampa
Each name above is an active link to contact the individual. Member rosters are being updated, but will be available online within the next few weeks. Goal Groups Online
Goal Group 3 - Promotion Ron Pafford, Co-Chair  With a great session behind us in Goal Group #3, I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and some new faces as well as we move forward on our FICAP promotional initiatives. I do want to thank all of the committee members for taking their valuable time and putting forth their efforts for GG3. I must say I was impressed by the attendance and willingness to "get 'er done" when we all have become creatures of multi-tasking and dealing with all the stress we seem way too familiar with these days. Read More
Goal Group 5 - Future Leaders Stephanie Bishop
Chairman, Networking Committee
 What is a mentor? According to http://en.wikipedia.org, "a mentor is a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more
experienced person. Today mentors provide expertise to less
experienced individuals to help them advance their careers,
enhance their education, and build their networks. In many different
arenas people have benefited from being part of a mentoring relationship, including:
Politicians - Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great
Athletes - Eddy Merckx (five-time Tour de France winner) mentored Lance Armstrong
(seven-time Tour de France winner). Bobby Charlton mentored David
Beckham
Movies - Obi-wan Kenobi mentored Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke Skywalker"
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| Around The Industry |
The High Cost of Shortcuts: by Billy Dickens, WR Grace
The testing of concrete on a construction project is typically performed by a testing agency hired by the contractor, owner or owner's representative. These acceptance tests are performed to determine if the concrete meets the project's specification. These test results verify if the concrete should be accepted or rejected. That is why it's important that an American Concrete Institute (ACI) certified technician performs these tests. Read More
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The Importance of CEMENT Mill Reports
By Drew Vermeulen - Technical Services Engineer, Suwannee American Cement
Everyone should get a new Portland Cement Mill Report almost every month, but who knows exactly what these reports really tells us? Hopefully this will cover the basics and shed some light into the cloudy corners of the report.
Every cement producer is required to report on the same physical and chemical properties of their cement with the addition to some optional characteristics as well. Those properties are the average of the previous lot's production and the format it is given in does vary some from company to company.
Here is an explanation for some of those properties found in a typical Portland Cement Mill Report: Read More
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Automating Fiber Lifting and Carrying by Mike Schultz, P.E.
We often take for granted the safety and convenience automation creates. I was reminded of this when a severe storm caused a power outage in my hometown. When my pushbutton
approach to opening my garage failed, I had to manually lift and lower the door. True, a small discomfort, but I soon realized how automation makes my commute safer, easier, and faster.
When will automation be the norm in adding fiber to concrete? Read More
Implication of EPA Regulations on Fly Ash Supply NRMCA
The US EPA is considering proposed rulemaking to regulate and classify the management of Coal Combustion Byproducts (CCBs) from power utilities. Fly ash is one of the primary CCBs that has considerable beneficial use in ready mixed concrete to impart performance and durability to concrete structures. Attend this webinar to understand the current thinking of EPA, current efforts to address the anticipated proposed rule and steps the industry can take to ensure a continuing supply of fly ash for use in ready mixed concrete. The presenter will be Tom Adams with the American Coal Ash Association, who has been involved in discussions with EPA and other initiatives.
This webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 19th at 10:30-11:30 am EASTERN.
Registration (free of charge) is available on-line at http://www.nrmca.org/Education/Online_Learning/Webinars/Tech_Fly-Ash.htm
"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world."
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Solid Idea: Greener Concrete by Keith Goetzman
Rail all you want against paving paradise, but concrete is going to be with us for a while. We might as well make it greener, right? Environmental Building News writes in its August 2009 issue about a new disposal system for concrete washout, the water left over after washing down concrete equipment. Washout, the magazine writes, "can be nearly as caustic as drain cleaner and can contain metals that are toxic to aquatic life, including chromium, copper, and zinc." Read More
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Time for Real Estate by James B. Stewart
Passing through the Fort Myers, Fla., airport a few weeks ago, I noticed people eagerly signing up for a free bus tour of foreclosed real estate-with all properties offering water views. During the ride to my hotel, the young driver volunteered that he had just bought his first house, paying $65,000 for a foreclosed property in nearby Cape Coral that last sold for over $250,000. He said he had never expected to be able to buy anything on a driver's salary, let alone something that nice. Read More
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Does Orlando need to go on a 'road diet'? by Dan Tracy
Reduce lanes and slow down, engineer says Sentinel Staff Writer
Billy Hattaway once was a true believer in roads - the bigger, the wider, the better. He was, after all, a top road designer and engineer for 23 years at the Florida Department of Transportation.
Now a consultant, he has become a proponent of what he calls "road diets," or reducing the amount of pavement in an effort to make communities a better place for walkers, bicyclists and businesses.
If that means roads with pretty much nonstop bumper-to-bumper traffic, the 57-year-old Hattaway has a simple answer: "That's ok." Read More |
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"I would give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter."
Michele Stropoli, Executive Director |
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Ok, a little secret about me. I love chocolate. Well, maybe that's not such a secret, but I needed to mention it to begin this article. While at the convention this year, I visited a little t-shirt shop in St. Armand's Circle and purchased a chocolate dyed shirt with the saying, I would give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter. (Yes, the shirt was dyed in chocolate and smelled of chocolate through two washings.) It's my new favorite shirt.
Recently, the motor for my pool pump died. When the "repair" men came by to fix it, they explained that the reason I needed to pay $ 500 for a new motor was it was easier to replace it than to rebuild it. Hah...they had not read my chocolate shirt. Long story short, I removed the motor and carried it to an
actual repair shop and $ 80 later, I have a newly rebuilt motor installed for my pool pump. It wasn't easy, especially where the motor is located on the pump, but perseverance paid off. (The fire ant bites have started fading too from where they had built a home in the motor.)
The independent producers are in a breed (light) of their own. Just when you think it can't possibly get any worse, it does, and what do you do? You dig in, look things over, and figure out how to make it work. There are no quitters in this group. You continue to exemplify the mission and goals of FICAP. In today's times, it would be easy to pull in the stakes and say every man for himself, yet you don't. You continue to support and encourage one another...the FICAP way! I like that.
Sincerely,
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