Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
June 16 2010
$3.00
Vol. XXIII • No. 12
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Kroc Center Construction Begins in Augusta By Cindy Riley
Hard at work on storm drain excavation. So far, things have been smooth onsite, with no weather delays or surprises.
CEG CORRESPONDENT
After years of evaluations and a frenetic fundraising campaign, a multimillion dollar Salvation Army complex in Augusta, Ga., is finally getting off the ground. The Kroc Center — named in honor of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc and wife Joan — is under construction, with a targeted completion date in July 2011. In 2004, the estate of Joan Kroc made a $1.7 billion bequest to The Salvation Army earmarked to build and endow a series of Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers across the country. Two years later, The Salvation Army in Augusta was awarded one of them. The approved proposal included $33.9 million for construction and another $34 million for an operational endowment, provided Augusta provide significant funding as well. Located along the Augusta Canal, the cen-
Flint Equipment Purchases Metrac…8
The historic Sibley Mill, pictured at right, is across the Augusta Canal from the Kroc Center site. Bobcat, Doosan Unveil New Products…14
Economic Healing Aided by Increased Former AED President, Industry Spending Michael Sill, Passes Away see KROC page 22
Frank-Lin Cleans Up Kennedy Space Center…26
By Martin Crutsinger and Alan Zibel AP BUSINESS WRITERS
Table of Contents ............4 Paving Section ........29-43 Crawler Loaders, Dozers, Undercarriages & Parts Section......................47-53 Parts Section............54-55 Business Calendar ........68 Auction Section ......77-87 Advertisers Index ..........86
WASHINGTON (AP) The economic recovery is gaining strength from the biggest rise in construction spending in nearly a decade and the 10th straight month of expansion for manufacturers. The two positive reports eased some fears that the debt crisis in Europe might be starting to stunt the U.S. economic rebound. “The recovery is still on track,” said Brian Bethune, a senior economist at IHS Global Insight. While Europe’s troubles will put a drag on profits at U.S. companies that do business overseas, Bethune said, “it’s not going to be a show-stopper.” The burst in April construction spending reported June 1 by the Commerce Department sent a promising signal for an industry that was among the hardest hit during the recession. The 2.7 percent increase was spread across all see ECONOMY page 70
Michael Robert Sill, former president of Associated Equipment Distributors, passed away May 28, at the age of 78. Mr. Sill grew up in Duluth, Minn., and graduated from Duluth Central High School, and the University of Minnesota, Duluth. After serving in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953, Mr. Sill went to work for Road Machinery & Supplies Co. (RMS), the company his father started in 1926. In 1956, he moved to Minneapolis to start a RMS branch office and worked for the company until his retirement in 1996. During that time, Mr. Sill played a pivotal role in the success of RMS, help-
ing the company become statewide representative of Clark (wheel loaders), Blaw Knox (asphalt pavers), and Link Belt (cranes and excavators) by 1960. He helped the company grow further as RMS entered the truck equipment business in 1972 and expanded that operation in 1979 when it became the Midwest distributor of Telelect Products and other lines of truck mounted equipment in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa. By 1980, Road Machinery took on representation of Komatsu dozers and by 1985 had added the Komatsu wheel loader and excavator product lines. Komatsu is the second largest manufacsee SILL page 56