Brickbats
Hydro Mobile Restructuring Completed
New Contractor Start Up Program The International Masonry Institute (IMI) has launched a New Contractor Start Up Program to advance union craft workers into professional contractors. The program offers classes in estimating, project management, quality assurance, and marketing. IMI also supports contractors through Contractor College courses and helps them compete in the green marketplace through the Sustainable Masonry Certification Program. Visit www.imiweb.org for details.
Boral has effectively used methane gas from the landfill as a natural gas substitute. All waste materials produced by the plant are recycled. The facility reclaims shale from a nearby coal mining property, uses premium efficiency motors, and controls
Hydro Mobile
The Hydro Mobile restructuring process has been finalized following the AGF buyout last year. Hydro Mobile will maintain the same name and continue manufacturing mast climbing work platforms while AGF will continue to install concrete reinforcing steel and offer post-tension services. Both Canadian companies sought the merger as a need for market expansion and financial stability in the slumping economy. “The financial backing and contacts brought in by our new partner will allow our company to reinforce its leadership position in the market,” says Vincent Dequoy, president of Hydro Mobile. Personnel shifts include Dequoy stepping down to focus his efforts as the sales and marketing vice-president. Current executive vice-president Benoit Duplessis will take Dequoy’s position. Chad Baumgartner, currently director of business development, will focus his attention in sales and U.S. market development. For more information visit www.hydro-mobile.com.
lighting with sensors and timers. Based in Australia, Boral Bricks is the largest brick manufacturer and distributor of masonry products in the U.S. To learn more about the facility, visit www.boralbricksplant.com.
Boral Plant Strikes Gold
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June/July 2010
• Masonry CONSTRUCTION
Boral Brick
Boral Bricks’ Terre Haute, Ind., manufacturing facility has received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The facility opened in March 2008. By partnering with Republic Services, owners of the nearby “Victory” landfill,
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Obituary: Marion Cochran Mar ion Coch ran died April 30, after a lengthy battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Cochran, 84, spent more than 60 years in the brick industry. First retiring as Marion Cochran Executive Director of the Brick Association of North Carolina, Cochran soon stepped out of retirement to pursue the Senior Engineering Consultant position at Boren Brick Co. A North Carolina State graduate, Cochran is also a celebrated veteran. He served his country in WWII and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, and other medals.
Next Generation Design Competition Recognizes Masonry Developments
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JLG Industries president, Craig Paylor retired July 1, after 30 years of service. He served as executive vice president and president of the Access Equipment
—Compiled by editorial intern Josh Krol. Send your company and association news to mceditor@hanleywood.com.
2010 NCMCA Apprentice Skills Winners
NCMCA
A biomanufactured brick won top honors in Metropolis magazine’s Next Generation Design Prize Challenge. This year’s contest was aptly themed “One Design for the Future.” American architect, Ginger Krieg Dosier, formulated a biomanufactured brick from bacteria and sand. Dosier, 32, designed the bio-brick that replaces the baking process with simple mixing and chemical reactions. The process combines sand, common bacteria, calcium chloride, and urea in a process called microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and yields bricks with sandstone-like properties. Depending on how it’s made, the bio-brick can reproduce the strength of clay-fired brick or even marble. The bio-brick can take up to two weeks to grow while clay bricks can be produced in two days. If Dosier’s biomanufactured masonry replaced each new brick on the planet, it would reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 800 million tons a year. Alexander Keller, a 23-year-old graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design, was a runner-up in the competition with his design for a
JLG President Retires
segment of affiliated Oshkosh Corp. since 2007. Paylor started his career at JLG in 1978, as a district sales manager. In 1999, he was named senior vice president of sales and market development. Wilson Jones succeeds Paylor as president of JLG. Jones will also take over executive vice president and president roles of the Oshkosh Access Equipment segment. Jones has been in the specialty vehicle manufacturing industry for more than 20 years, including positions as vice president and general manager of the airport products business unit and vice president of the fire and emergency group sales and marketing department for Oshkosh Corp.
solar masonry unit. Each artificial brick is dotted with 32 or 128 solar cells, depending on size, and packs an inverter and a battery into its recycled plastic shell. The interlocking bricks also contain strategically placed outlets. The annual competition promotes activism, social involvement, and entrepreneurship in young designers. Submissions range from urban planning and community building projects to environmental management. Winners receive $10,000 to further their efforts. Visit www.metropolismag.com for more information.
Winners of the May 22, 2010 Annual North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association Apprentice Masonry Skills Contest are shown here. Bottom left to right: Ramiro Perez, Fred’s Masonry, 8th; Dylan Ennis, Custom Masonry Concepts, 7th; Scott Emig, Alward Masonry, 9th; Lamal O’Neal, Brodie Contractors, 6th; and Wriston McGee, McGee Brothers Co., 10th place. Top left to right: Padro Ramirez, Fred’s Masonry, 3rd; Chris Charles, Gates Construction Co., 5th; Cory Huneycutt, Alward Masonry, First Place “David R. Sigmon Award 2010” winner; Brett Hallman, McGee Brothers Co., 2nd; and Paldo Ramirez, Fred’s Masonry, 4th place; joined by NCMCA state president Larry Kirby, right. The new NCMCA Champion is 18-year-old Cory Huneycutt, of Mount Pleasant, N.C. He will study Construction Management at Western Carolina University when he graduates Mount Pleasant High School in spring 2010. Twenty-five vocational students and apprentices from eight NCMCA member firms participated in the contest, hosted by McGee Brothers Co., Midland, N.C.
Masonry CONSTRUCTION • June/July 2010
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