| In The Mix June 2010- Vol 2, Issue 6 |
|
|
| Officers / Directors |
|
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 | |
|
 Greetings! |
Do you remember your first FICAP convention? I remember mine. It was at the Sawgrass Marriott in Jacksonville. I did not know most of the people in FICAP at the time and I remember Lynn and me quizzing each other as we drove there, about what we thought it would be like. The convention was great; the people were friendly as always, the speakers were excellent, the board meeting was...the board meeting, golf was great and the beach time was all it was meant to be (excluding the shuttle bus back and forth of course).
Saturday evening brought the traditional theme party. Those of you who were there will remember it was a 20's theme and the room was decorated as a speakeasy. Lynn and I got all dressed in our costumes and then we both looked at each other and said, "I wonder how many people actually dress up for this party?" If you have ever wondered about that yourself, the answer is, virtually everybody.
We have only missed one convention since then and have enjoyed each one more than the last. I think that is true of most who attend our conventions: they just keep getting better and better. A number of our members have made it a family tradition to come to the FICAP convention and extend their stay into a mini-vacation. If you have never experienced the fun and relaxation of a FICAP convention, you have not gotten the full value from your membership dollar. It is not too late, now is your chance. This year's convention is just around the corner. The dates are July 16th and 17th at the Sandpearl resort on Clearwater Beach, and the time to reserve your rooms is now. Our discounted room rates for FICAP members are only available till Tuesday, June 22nd.
We think a convention should be enjoyable, not full of boring meetings. That is why the schedule at our convention allows for the maximum amount of free time to enjoy with family, friends, customers and suppliers. Our theme this year is "Another day in Paradise," and after what our industry has experienced over the last few years I think we all need a little time in paradise. You can find it with us at the Sandpearl on Clearwater Beach. It is going to be 5 o'clock right there, all weekend - so don't miss it.
Gary Clements
President, FICAP
|
| FICAP Roving Meeting |
On Tuesday, June 22nd, we will tour the B.E.T.ER Mix plant in Brooksville, Florida. Join us as we share a meal and some good times with one of our producer members.
Deadline to Register: Thursday, June 17th
|
|
| |
16th Annual FICAP Convention
July 16 & 17, 2010
Please join us as we celebrate Another Day in Paradise at our 16th annual Florida Independent Concrete and Associated Products, Inc. convention. Since we know It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere and our members love to visit Margaritaville, we will meet at the beautiful Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater, Florida. Come on, it's time for a few Changes in Latitiude (and attitude) while we drink a few Frozen Concoctions That Help Us Hold On.
Room Reservation Deadline: June 22nd.
|
|
|
|
|
Are You A Baseball Fan?
Michele Stropoli, Executive Director |
If so, you already know about Armando Galarraga's near perfect game. You know about the bad call: The throw beat the runner.
Galarraga deserves to be recognized as the 21st player in 135 years to pitch to perfection. His accomplishment deserves to be memorialized in the Hall of Fame, as all perfect games are. But it won't be, because his perfect game was taken away with a bad call on the last out.
Instead, Galarraga will be remembered for something greater: his response to the injustice. Did you see it? Umpire James Joyce called the runner safe, and Galarraga smiled.
We know how other players might have responded. We've seen entire teams collapse and championships lost in the aftermath of a bad call. [St. Louis Cardinals, 1985]
But Galarraga just smiled -- albeit a sardonic "you've got to be kidding me" smile -- and then he went back to the mound and got the last out. Even after the game, he refused to lash out at the umpire's mistake.
Blown calls are a fact of life. They aren't fair, life isn't! They come at us in different ways: The boss who gives credit to the wrong guy, the teenager who blames everyone else for their own insolence, the church member who finds fault in everything the pastor does, and well...you can fill in your own scenario. The result is that sometimes you get short-changed. You deserve credit, but credit doesn't come your way, thanks to someone else's bad judgment.
It's happened to each of us before, and it will certainly happen again. In Galarraga, we see how to respond. You don't lash out. You don't lose your head. You smile and go back to work. You do your job with excellence, even when you have to deal with a little unfairness along the way.
Galarraga didn't get the perfect game he deserved. But he did show fans everywhere how to really play the game.
This article was written by Jeff Dixon, my pastor and friend.
Thank you,
|
| FICAP PAC News Wade Mullins, Chairman |
 Can you believe that it has been nearly six weeks, since the 2010 Spring Legislative Session adjourned? The animosity that exists between Governor Crist, our Legislative Leaders, and the Republican Party didn't end with the session and has continued to grow, since the Governor declared himself an Independent Candidate for the U.S. Senate that is up for grabs this fall.
Here are some of the things that have transpired that I am aware of, and they are not necessarily in the correct chronological order in which they have occurred. Governor Crist vetoed a bill that was passed early during session that overhauled the system of how teachers are paid in Florida. The Republican Majority Leadership had made this fiscally sound legislation a priority. Obviously, the Governor now has the backing of the Teacher's Union for his upcoming Senate bid. Read More |
| Around The Industry |
Fly Ash Pushback
While the concrete industry awaits the public comment portion of the EPA's controversial fly ash proposal, an ASTM committee which submitted a letter to the agency on the subject did receive some feedback.
"We got quite a reaction," said Tony Fiorato, chairman of Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates. "There was pushback. We told them this affects the use of our standards." Fiorto updated his committee during its meeting on June 9 in St. Louis. Read More
~~~~~~~~
The Importance of Minimizing Groundwater Pollution
Preservation of surface and groundwater quality are basic premises underlying the industrial wastewater permit for concrete batch plants. Development of standardized components utilized for permitting simplicity sometimes tends to minimize the importance of those concepts upon which the permit is based. The simplified solution becomes the focus of compliance and some of the original ideals are lost. The core requirements remain in the regulations but are often over looked. The effort required to achieve compliance has been reduced to a standardized solution that minimizes the importance of the core ideals. Groundwater quality is one component of the Generic Permit that seems to have been minimized in this way. Read More
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again,
this time more intelligently. Henry Ford
~~~~~~~~
In praise of small businesses, especially their resilience
DON'T KID YOURSELF; THERE really are just a few "big" businesses in Southwest Florida.
Sure, we have players like Tropicana Products, FCCI Insurance and PGT Inc., but they are by far the minority -- greatly outnumbered in raw body count by their smaller brethren.
The economies in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties are driven by small businesses to an even greater degree than most places in the United States, and anyone who knows even a little bit about economics recognizes that the lion's share of job creation in the last 50 years has been from small, entrepreneurial companies. Read More
~~~~~~~~
Small Business: Fewer business owners say vacation is off the table
Summer is on the way, but do small-business owners have time for vacation?
A new survey by Discover Financial Services found that more small-business owners may find time for a break this year: 51 percent of the 750 owners surveyed in May said that the sour economy had forced them to cancel or postpone their time off. That was an improvement from the 58 percent who said the same thing last year. Read More
~~~~~~~~
Direction, not intention, determine your destination.
~~~~~~~~
Foreign buyers are flocking to Florida condos again
Canadians, Brazilians -- even some Chinese -- are buying up Florida condos, sometimes in bulk. The lure: rock-bottom prices.
Nearly 800 Canadians will jam a hotel ballroom near the Toronto airport Sunday to hear the gospel of Florida real estate. High-end Brazilian buyers prefer to be wooed more intimately -- perhaps at a cocktail party or a small private dinner -- but they are just as pumped. Read More
~~~~~~~~
Workers quitting can be a good sign
One sign of better economic times is when more people start finding jobs. Another is when they feel confident enough to quit them. More people quit their jobs in the past three months than were laid off-a sharp reversal after 15 straight months in which layoffs exceeded voluntary departures. The trend suggests the job market is finally thawing. Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
