Announcements Archives | Page 6 of 9

Concrete Preservation Institute - The Conco Companies

The Concrete Preservation Institute (CPI) is a non-profit educational foundation; an official US military Career Skills Program; partner of industry companies who support CPI and hire active duty and other military personnel transitioning out of the service for civilian careers in concrete, construction, and infrastructure; and partner of the US National Park Service. CPI has two individual programs – Career Placement & Field School Programs – connected by a common thread of training and placement.

Conco recognizes the inherent value of transitioning military candidates for a variety of positions and has committed to support CPI’s effort to grow their Career Placement Program aimed at placing additional candidates in industry careers through its Workforce Development Plan Phase 1. Conco will participate in CPI data collection surveys and employees hired through CPI will likewise participate. Conco will also encourage company executives and/or subject matter experts to participate as occasional Field School guest lecturers & field trip hosts.

For more information about CPI, please visit http://www.cpi-foundation.org/

For more information about a career with The Conco Companies, please visit https://www.conconow.com/jobs.

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Conco’s Martinez facility was honored by Central Contra Costa Sanitary District with an annual Pollution Prevention Award. The award recognizes local businesses that go above and beyond in their pollution prevention and environmental protection practices.

Some of the practices that Conco has adopted in our Martinez facility include using recycled water to wash trucks, pretreating water before it enters the storm drain through an innovative sand-oil interceptor and installation of a new sawdust collector, and installing solar panels and LED lights to reduce the electrical usage of the facility.

We at Conco are honored to receive this award and are committed to reducing the impact of our facilities on the environment. As technologies evolve, it is our goal to continue to invest in projects like these that make not only good business sense but also generate positive environmental results.

It is with mixed feelings that we are announcing the retirement of Joe Santucci. Joe has a long history with Conco. His father, Gerald, was one of the original founders of Conco. During Joe’s tenure, Conco experienced phenomenal growth. Joe has played a critical role in the development and success of the Company. It is difficult, if not impossible, to sum up his achievements and to describe the impacts that he has had on Conco as a result of his countless hours of selfless dedication, leadership and commitment. He has shown great skill in handling and resolving many difficult situations. He has been a great mentor and guide for many employees. Everyone learned a lot under his influential supervision and he will always be remembered as a hardworking, friendly and truly caring person.

Joe will continue to work with Conco for the next few months to help ensure a smooth transition in training various personnel to take on his many responsibilities.

While we will miss Joe and his inspirational leadership, he has worked hard his entire career and has earned the opportunity to enjoy more time with his family and friends. We have a great appreciation for everything Joe has done for Conco and wish him good health and much happiness for the future.

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The Conco Companies is proud to announce the topping out of the East County Detention Center in Indio California on June 15, 2017. The facility being constructed by Clark Construction is a 500,000 SF detention center to expand and replace the existing Riverside county jail with the new facility having a 1,626-bed facility. The Conco Companies formed, pumped, and placed 55,000 CY while dealing with the challenge of 100 degree heat, and daily weather peaking to 120 degrees.

As a thank you to our crews and their families, a Pre-Fathers Day Company picnic was held at Prado Dam on Saturday June 17, 2017. BBQ, Hotdogs, and treats were served all while kids and parents played Bingo , horseshoe, and of course the obligatory water balloon toss. It was great to see everyone enjoying their well deserved rest and enjoying it with their families and colleagues. A variety of prizes were awarded to the lucky winners – It was a great time enjoyed by all and a small token of appreciation from Conco to our crews and their families for their hard work. A big thank you to all the staff that helped put the event together to host over 250 people.

East County Detention Center Topping Out (4) - The Conco Companies

East County Detention Center Employee Appreciation

East County Detention Center Employee Appreciation (2)

East County Detention Center Employee Appreciation (3)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (2)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (3)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (4)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (5)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (6)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (7)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (8)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (9)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (10)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies

Construction markets have heated up to levels not experienced for many years. In fact, in every market we do business in, The Conco Companies expect construction activity to be greater in 2017 than it was in 2016.

In Northern California, the increased business activity has been compressed over a shorter construction season due to the unprecedented amount of rain the area experienced during the first half of the year. This forced some projects to be pushed back while other jobs continued to be added to the backlog causing difficulties throughout the entire construction supply chain. As the rubber band is being stretched, structural challenges are being exposed that are not easily remedied.

Labor

Shortages of qualified workers are rampant throughout the industry. Many people do not perceive construction to be a glamorous or lucrative profession, which has greatly limited the pool of people drawn to the industry. This starts with the truck drivers that haul materials such as steel, aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete. Concrete producers tell us about trucks parked with no qualified drivers available or running out of raw materials due to a shortage of material haulers. The amount of people drawn to the trucking industry has dropped while the logistics created by an online shopping economy has increased the need for these valued professionals. As companies such as Amazon and Walmart are able to offer steadier work than the construction industry, the pool of qualified drivers is shrinking, making it increasingly difficult to attract drivers.

In addition to drivers, there is an industry-wide shortage of qualified cement masons, carpenters and ironworkers. As seasoned, experienced tradespeople retire, we have not been able to replace these folks at the levels required, and once again, must learn how to attract talent to our great industry.

Materials

Another problem involves the fact that the raw materials used to produce concrete are no longer in abundant supply. Twenty years ago, virtually all materials were produced locally. Now, all fly ash is railed in from coal-burning power plants outside of California, slag comes from Japan, and cement is imported from countries such as China and Korea. Even 30% of the aggregates used in concrete in the Bay Area are imported from British Columbia. Achieving a steady supply of concrete now not only depends on local trucks but on the railroads and international deep-water ships. Furthermore, the issue of raw material availability will most likely worsen in the future. Some examples of the dilemma are:

Only one cement plant remains in operation in the Bay Area. This plant is under environmental pressure initiated by some members of its neighboring community who perceive the plant’s operation to be incompatible with the cities that have developed around it. This opposition is occurring even though the cement plant has been in existence for more than 100 years.
Local reserves continue to be depleted and no replacement reserves are being added. The problem is further increased by the high cost of land combined with environmental opposition resulting in lengthy land approval delays. The time to permit a new deposit has been extended to an average of 7 – 10 years with no guarantee of success. In all three of Conco’s major markets (Northern California, Southern California and Seattle), the same scenario is playing out which begs the question: Where will aggregates come from in the future?
Fly ash is a by-product of coal-burning power plants, and because the use of coal is being phased out for power plants, the availability of fly ash will shrink. Studies are currently being done to determine the feasibility of replacing fly ash generated from power plants with natural pozzolans. The replacement will inevitably transpire when the economics of doing so makes it a viable option.

Our industry and our economy depend on quality people and quality raw materials. At this point, both are in short supply. We must ask ourselves if this is just a result of an overheated construction market or a glimpse into what we can expect in the foreseeable future.

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