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Over
the past year, the Internet revolution has begun to radically alter
the way construction-equipment manufacturers and product and materials
suppliers market and sell their products and services and the way
government agencies, trade associations, professional societies,
and even construction companies promote themselves and provide information
and services to their constituencies. Yet this ongoing Internet
revolution is creating a vexing problem for the grading, excavating,
and paving contractor: How to cope with the huge avalanche of information
that has suddenly become available? By Gene Dallaire |
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Anyone who regularly surfs the Internet to visit highway construction—related Web sites–those of construction-equipment manufacturers, product suppliers, state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other government agencies, trade associations, trade-show promoters, and so on–feels both awestruck and exhilarated by the incredibly swift and radical change now sweeping the construction industry. What is happening now is the most sweeping change to occur in the industry since its founding. There are many excellent Web sites out there brimming over with useful, insightful, and potentially profitable product, business, and technical information. The urgent problem is: How is the grading, excavating, and paving contractor to keep from getting utterly buried in this ever-accelerating avalanche of information? How to Sort It All Out, How to Make Sense of It All? Since every company’s information needs are different, only a company itself can decide what dot-coms, dot-orgs, dot-govs, and dot-edus could be most fruitful for it. The Internet information explosion makes it imperative that each construction company–small or large–have a thoughtful strategy for dealing with this avalanche. For many companies, this might mean creating an Internet-information committee charged with identifying the most fruitful sites on the Internet–and prioritizing them. An Internet directory could then be distributed to all company employees, saving them and the company countless hours surfing the ’Net unproductively. The purpose of this article is to start this sorting process by pointing the grading, excavating, and paving contractor to some information sources on the Internet that could be very fruitful. We are only scratching the surface of what is out there. Nonetheless, we believe we have identified some of the most useful sites. We have also taken pains to mention dozens of trade associations in the hope that, if the name strikes a chord, the contractor will explore that trade association’s Web site on his own to see if it has merit for his company. Associated General Contractors of America Like numerous other trade associations in the construction industry, the Associated General Contractors of America (www.agc.org) has been scrambling to offer members new or enhanced services via the Internet. Its newest service is the AGC-PrimeContract Web-based project management, collaboration, and e-commerce capability described below. Yet prior to that, AGC had recently launched its Web-based Construction Marketplace to help contractors and subcontractors find information on construction products, materials, and services via the Internet–and to facilitate purchasing. This AGC marketplace has several sectors: auctioneer, B2B business, construction materials, consultants, employment marketplace, equipment dealers/manufacturers, financial services, insurance services, safety services, and software/hardware. AGC’s Construction Marketplace is clearly in an early stage–few companies are advertising their wares here as yet. By contrast, McGraw-Hill’s online Sweet’s Catalog (www.sweets.com) is much more extensive, listing products of more than 10,000 manufacturers. Of course, McGraw-Hill has had decades to develop that extensive catalog–and putting it on-line has merely been its most recent improvement in its "catalog" business. AGC and PrimeContract, on the other hand, are new to the "catalog" business. Yet their recent partnership could make them into an important force in construction-industry e-commerce. AGC also has an Employment Marketplace. For a minimum charge of $45 for three months, a construction-industry job seeker can list his or her qualifications. There are few entries here as yet. One other AGC service of interest to contractors is the new way to create, customize, and edit contracts and other construction-project documents using AGC standardized forms. Its software automatically shows changes from AGC’s standard contract form, permitting parties to more quickly review documents. AGC’s Online Institute is an attempt to use the Internet to actually deliver educational services. It provides members with instant access to online training modules, including Effective Meetings, Equipment Utilization, Preplanning, Short Interval Planning, and Written Communications. AGC is also using its Web pages to promote traditional services–for example, its classroom-based educational programs for project managers and supervisors. Typical courses include Leadership and Motivation, Oral and Written Communication, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Contract Documents and Construction Law, Planning and Scheduling, Cost Awareness and Production Control, Accident Prevention and Loss Control, and Productivity Improvement. Since 1976, more than 100,000 individuals have taken one or more of these courses. PrimeContract (www.primecontract.com), a business unit within Primavera Systems Inc. of Philadelphia, PA, aspires to be the leading provider of Web-based project management and e-commerce software and services for the commercial construction industry. Primavera announced the creation of the Web-based PrimeContract in November 2000 and, this past March, disclosed that it had forged an alliance with AGC, the United States’s largest contractor association (33,000 firms). This partnership will deliver Internet-based project management services–project control, project communication and collaboration, and purchasing of construction products over the Internet (e-commerce)–to AGC member firms working in the commercial construction industry. Primavera’s Web-based PrimeContract software can be used to manage many phases of a construction project, assisting in collaborating during the design phase, subcontractor bidding, purchasing of materials and products, and control of expenditures. Using PrimeContract or other Web-based project management software, construction owners, designers, contractors, and suppliers are already administering projects much more efficiently and with much less paper and drudgery than before the dawn of the Internet. Primavera will offer PrimeContract to AGC members, including members of all AGC local chapters, at a discount. Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors of Rosslyn, VA (www.abc.org), is a national trade association representing 23,000 contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers from all specialties in the construction industry. There are 83 ABC chapters in the US. One of the most useful features of the ABC Web pages is its virtual library, reached by clicking on the virtual-library icon on the ABC home page. The Virtual Reference Library is a central location for links to a wide range of references relevant to the construction industry. Here are the main reference links on the ABC Virtual Reference Library Web page: Construction Industry References, Education References, Frequently Asked Questions, General References, Legal References, Legislative References, and Statistical References. Of these, the most useful by far is Construction Industry References. General References is also quite handy. Clinking on Construction Industry References brings up these links: Today’s Construction Financial News Releases, Blue Book of Building & Construction, Construction Industry Dispute Resolution Procedures, County 98 Census Database, CSI Code Fact Sheet, Glossary of Construction Terms, Glossary of Construction Terms II, Glossary of Building Materials, Federal Construction Projects: Selected Articles, OSHA Safety & Health Regulations for Construction, OSHA Construction Resource Manual, OSHA Inspection Reports, State Licensing Requirements for Contractors, Surety Bonds in Plain English, and Transportation Research Board Millennium Reports. Of these, The Blue Book of Building & Construction, on-line at www.thebluebook.com, is an invaluable regional and national directory of companies and products related to the construction industry (see sidebar). The US Census Bureau’s USA Counties 1998 (click on the County 98 Census Database link) features more than 5,000 data items for every state’s counties. The data relate to age, agriculture, banking, building permits, business patterns, crime, earnings, education, households, housing, income, labor force and employment, manufactures, population, poverty, retail trade, service industries, social programs, vital statistics, wholesale trade, and so on. The data presented are derived not just from the Census Bureau, but also from numerous other federal agencies. Clicking on the CSI Code Fact Sheet will bring up BuildFind (www.buildfind.com). This is a large marketplace for the building industry, a place where 7,000 suppliers of products and services have a presence (BuildFind offers companies free Web pages). The BuildFind site also contains a large and active building-industry employment marketplace, not only for construction management personnel and architects and engineers (A/E/C JobBank), but also for building-industry tradesmen (TradeJobsOnline); job postings are free. BuildFind claims that more than 1 million unique visitors access the Web site every month. By using this site, contractors and subcontractors might be able to get more competitive price quotes for products and services than otherwise. BuildFind also offers these news groups: alt.architecture, alt.building.construction, alt.cad.archicad, and alt.building.engineering. The BuildFind site offers free Web pages, free classified ads, free employment ads, and free e-mail. Returning to ABC’s Virtual Library, clicking on Construction Industry References and then Transportation Research Board Millennium Papers yields another valuable resource to highway-related contractors. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is the largest highway construction—oriented professional society in the US, with 180 standing committees. To mark the approach of the new millennium, each of these TRB committees undertook the writing of a millennium paper to capture the state-of-the-art and likely future direction in its specialty area. These papers are accessible in full text at this site. The Virtual Library’s General References brings up a page with links to 27 references, the most useful of which are Almanacs of Facts & Figures, Atlas of the World, Auto/Truck Blue Book Values, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (searchable version), Biographical Dictionary (27,000 searchable biographies), Encyclopaedia Britannica, CIA World Factbook, Encyclopedia Online, IRS tax forms and instructions, and passport application forms and instructions. Dozens of almanacs dealing with a wide range of topics can be accessed from the ABC Web site by following this path: ABC home page –> Virtual Reference Library –> General References –> Almanacs of Facts & Figures (click on "almanacs" under infoplease.com’s Index of the Almanacs). The almanacs are divided into several major groups, among them: World (e.g., Atlas, Geography, Countries, Current Events, World Statistics, Architecture); U.S. (Cities, States, U.S. Statistics, History/Government, Geography, National Events, Disasters); History & Government; Biography (Business People, Recent Deaths, People in the News); Business & Finance (Personal Finance, Consumer Resources, Business, Economy, Taxes); Society & Culture (Education, Crime); Computers & Internet; Inventions & Discoveries; Weights & Measures; and Weather and Climate (Deadliest Hurricanes, Climate of Selected Cities, Weather Extremes). Returning once again to Virtual Library –> Construction Industry References, click on Today’s Construction Financial News Releases. This link transports us to a Yahoo site (www.biz.yahoo.com/news/construction). Typically this Construction/Building News site contains 50 news items on any given day, all drawn from either the Business Wire or the PR News Wire. The contractor can quickly retrieve news items going back three months. In addition to ABC’s useful Virtual Library, another important feature of the ABC Web pages is Bidpoint (www.ABCpoint.com). Bidpoint’s aim is to use the Internet to connect more than 1 million ABC member users. This ABC Web page—based service is expected to save contractors much time and drudgery during the bidding phase by enabling plans, specs, other construction documents, requests for quotations (RFQs), and actual bids themselves to be transmitted over a secure e-mail network. In effect, Bidpoint creates an exchange marketplace wherein general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers can buy and sell on-line–efficiently and in a cost-effective way. General contractors submit invitations to bid to subcontractors from their private directories or the ABC Bidpoint public directory. Subcontractors then receive these e-mail notifications, log on to the Bidpoint site, and let general contractors know whether or not they wish to bid. General contractors review these responses and initiate discussions. Subcontractors now send RFQs to suppliers from their private directories or the ABC Bidpoint public directory. Suppliers now receive these RFQ e-mail notifications and log on to the ABC site to inform subcontractors as to whether or not they will provide quotes. Later, Bidpoint can help with shipping and delivery details, procuring financing, securing payments, and so on. Federal Highway Administration and Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center The Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA (www.tfhrc.gov), is the central research facility for the Federal Highway Administration’s (www.fhwa.dot.gov) Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) Service Business Unit. Turner-Fairbank provides FHWA and the world highway community with the most advanced research and development (R&D) related to new highway technologies. The R&D emphasis is on developing more economical, environmentally sensitive designs; more efficient, quality-controlled construction practices; and more durable materials. Among areas emphasized: materials technology, operations and intelligent transportation, pavements, safety, and structures. The Turner-Fairbank Web pages provide an RD&T organizational directory (click on Research Expertise) listing names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and specialties. The expertise of the scientists and engineers here encompasses more than 100 transportation-related disciplines. There is a wonderful opportunity for highway-related contractors here; top research experts in more than 100 specialty areas dealing with highway design and construction are only an e-mail away–merely by clicking on the e-mail address of the expert listed under the specialty of interest. Among the most relevant Turner-Fairbank specialties to the grading, excavating, and paving contractor are aggregates, asphalt technology, bridge coating systems, bridge engineering, concrete pavements, corrosion protection of concrete, geotechnical research, ground improvement, light and sign supports, modified asphalt, Portland cement concrete pavement construction, recycling, steel bridges, and work-zone traffic control. Both current and back issues of FHWA and Turner-Fairbank magazines can be accessed from its Web sites. Focus discusses FHWA and state highway department infrastructure innovations; Public Roads, an FHWA bimonthly, is an easy way to keep abreast of federal highway policies, programs, research, and technology; and The Research & Technology Transporter publishes the latest on FHWA’s research and technology. Finally, the contractor can search on-line by keywords through the Turner-Fairbank extensive publications catalog. The Web site for the Transportation Research Board (www.nas.edu/trb), the US’s largest professional society devoted to highway and transportation research, is a gold mine for anyone working in highway-related construction. One noteworthy feature is the TRB Bookstore, which provides both hard-copy and electronic access to TRB’s countless publications, including long-term pavement-performance studies and National Cooperative Highway Research Program reports. Using TRB’s search engine, the contractor can quickly ferret out by keywords relevant papers and other publications. TRB also has an extensive listing of forthcoming conferences and workshops. One of the best features of the TRB Web site is the direct links it provides to each of the 180 TRB technical committees. Each committee has its own set of Web pages, containing extensive information about its technical activities. The contractor can locate relevant committees with a keyword search. Among the most relevant TRB committees for the grading, excavating, and paving contractor are management and productivity, public involvement in transportation, transportation and air quality, transportation-related noise and vibration, historic and archeological preservation, pavement management systems, flexible pavement, construction and rehabilitation, management of quality assurance, transportation earthworks, foundations of bridges and other structures, subsurface soil-structure interaction, subsurface drainage, freeway operations, maintenance and operations management, pavement maintenance, structures maintenance and management, polymer concretes, adhesives, and sealers. The TRB Web site also contains numerous links to other highway-related organizations (many found by clicking on Sponsors on the home page), among them:
The TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) (www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/crp.nsf) is an applied, contract-research program aimed at developing near-term, practical solutions to problems facing highway agencies. From the NCHRP Web pages, the contractor can quickly search by keyword through the database of NCHRP research reports, then instantly view on-line an executive summary of the work. Searching is easy because the Internet surfer is first presented with a menu listing 25 major research subject areas, including pavements, economics, general materials, illumination and visibility, bituminous materials, maintenance of ways and structures, safety, concrete materials, finance, testing and instrumentation, vehicle barrier systems, mechanics and foundations, and impact analysis. By clicking on any one of 25 major research areas, the contractor can instantly view a list of all research projects conducted in that topical area since 1989 (earlier reports are also available). Clicking on the title of any report instantly yields the name, the organization, the investigator, an executive summary of the work, and a link for ordering the full hard-copy report. National Center for Asphalt Technology The National Center for Asphalt Technology (www.eng.auburn.edu/center/ncat/) works to improve the performance of hot-mix asphalt pavements through research, education, and dissemination of information. Though designed to last at least 20 years, traditional asphalt pavements often exhibit severe rutting and cracking well before then. The Superpave (SUperior PERforming Asphalt PAVEments) system was developed to give highway engineers and contractors means to design asphalt pavements far superior to traditional pavements. There are several centers in the US devoted to advancing NCAT’s Superpave approach: Auburn, Penn State, Purdue, and the University of Texas. The NCAT-sponsored facility at Auburn in Alabama has a useful links page to other asphalt-technology sites. Further, Auburn’s Engineering Extension Service offers highway-industry practitioners short NCAT-cosponsored distance-learning video courses on hot-mix asphalt mix design (including the Superpave system), pavement construction, and pavement preservation and rehabilitation. The Northeast Center of Excellence for Pavement Technology is the Superpave Center for the Northeast, located at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Penn State. This Web site contains Internet links to these asphalt-related organizations: Asphalt Institute, North Central Superpave Center, South Central Superpave Center, NCAT, Pacific Coast SHRP Superpave Facilities, and Connecticut Advanced Pavement Lab. It might also be worthwhile for the contractor to log on to the Web pages of his state government and spend some time exploring appropriate state agencies and programs that might have bearing on his business, including agencies devoted to economic development and business services. For instance, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (www.migov.state.mi.us) is charged not only with attracting new businesses to the state, but also with keeping existing businesses in the state and helping them grow by providing financial services, employee recruitment and training, regulatory assistance, permitting help, site-development services, workers’ compensation information, and export assistance. Becoming intimately familiar with the Web pages of the state DOT (and with those of appropriate county and municipal governments) is most important for the grading, excavating, and paving contractor. There he will usually find information on planned highway projects and requests for bids on current projects. For instance, the grading and excavating contractor in Michigan can quickly zero in on state highway projects being let for bid by contacting the Michigan DOT bulletin board system at www.mdotbbs.mdot.state.mi.us. This page lists all requests for bids, grouped by month. For those contractors new to doing business with MDOT, the right side of this Web page contains these links to facilitate their involvement: how to do business with MDOT, how to get prequalified, how to bid on a construction project, bid-letting schedule, prequalified contractors directory, and prequalified contractors by work type (an illuminating overview of the structure of the highway-construction industry in the state). Construction bid results are posted by month on these Web pages. On typical state DOT Web pages, the contractor will also find much on the status of existing highway projects, plans for new projects not yet at the request-for-bid stage, frequently asked questions, and so on. There are also usually online highway publications, DOT press releases, and other sources that can provide the contractor with an overview of state construction activities. California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans, www.dot.ca.gov) has a very-well-organized "Doing Business with Caltrans" section. It presents the businessperson with an extensive menu of the type of business to be done with Caltrans (e.g., construction, design, engineering, environmental, and maintenance); he can then quickly focus in on that area and receive specialized guidance. One of the most valuable items on the Caltrans Web pages is the Caltrans Construction Manual, found in the "Doing Business with Caltrans" section. All nine chapters are available to anyone on-line. This is intended as a training tool and reference guide on Caltrans policies and procedures governing construction. It covers administration of highway construction as well as specific technical procedures. This manual should be of interest even to contractors not operating in California because of the state-of-the-art construction methods detailed here; it might serve as part of a training program for employees. Among Caltrans’s links to highway-related organizations not often listed on other sites are Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Center, Amtrak, Caltrans Earthquake Engineering Research Center (UC Berkeley), Manual of Signs, Project Management Institute, and Texas Transportation Institute. American Road & Transportation Builders Association The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (www.artba-hq.org) was founded in 1902. Clicking on News from ARTBA’s home page gives the contractor access to press releases going back three years. There are also Industry Links to all the state-level road or transportation builders associations. Michigan Road Builders Association The contractor can also find much useful information through the Web sites of the American Road Builders Association and its affiliated state-level road builders associations. The Michigan Road Builders Association, for example–which represents the interests of contractors, support-service firms, and suppliers–strives to keep members abreast of the latest industry trends. Besides posting forthcoming highway and road construction projects (at the state, county, and local levels) and requests for bids on its Web site (www.mrba.com), MRBA also organizes informational and educational forums (supervisor training and construction safety are popular topics), meetings, and conferences and makes current and back issues of Michigan Road Builder magazine available on the Web site. The site also has a very useful Member Directory, which lists the company name, address, phone number, and fax number. In some cases, the Internet surfer can click on a member-company name and be instantly linked to that company’s Web site. Ajax Paving Some grading, excavation, and paving contractors already have attractive Internet Web sites and are using them very effectively to enhance their company image and to promote business. For instance, Ajax Paving Company of Detroit, MI, a large asphalt and concrete paving company and producer of hot-mix asphalt and ready-mix concrete for a southeast Michigan market, has an appealing Web site that gives the visitor a fascinating history of the company along with photos and a synopsis of several of its recent projects. Ajax does work for the big three automakers, MDOT, and many of the state’s city and county agencies. It also contracts with many general contractors and developers of subdivisions and shopping centers in the Detroit area. To provide an additional incentive for Internet-site visitors, the Ajax Web pages feature employment ads and a very useful links page, which connects the user to the home pages of important organizations in the highway construction industry, statewise and nationally. These organizations include the National Asphalt Pavement Association; Asphalt Institute; Asphalt Museum; NCAT; Superpave Center; American Concrete Pavement Association, including local chapters; US DOT’s FHWA; ARTBA; MDOT; MRBA; the State of Michigan Web site; Detroit News; Detroit Free Press; Crain’s Detroit Business magazine; Detroit On-Line Metro Directory; and Detroit Weather On-Line Report. CONEXPO 2002 and the Dawn of the Internet "Virtual" Exhibit It used to be that trade shows were something a contractor either attended in person or missed entirely. In the Internet Age, though, he can now "attend virtually"–either months before or after the actual exhibit. A major trade show comprises a gold mine of invaluable information about products, companies, industry trends, and so on. What a shame that in the past such a wonderful concentration of useful information evaporated when the expo ended a mere three or four days after it began. But such colossal information waste no longer has to be the norm. A good example of transforming a trade exhibit from a transient event to a quasi-permanent, valuable information resource is CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the largest construction-industry exposition in the world. Held every three years (next at Las Vegas Convention Center, March 19-23, 2002), CONEXPO features the latest in equipment, services, product design, and construction equipment and methods for the construction industry. Sponsored by the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA); the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association; the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association; AGC; and numerous other construction-industry trade associations, CONEXPO anticipates 2,300 exhibitors and 125,000-plus visitors for the March 2002 exposition. The trade show’s Web site (www.conexpoconagg.com) is a glittering gold mine–months before the show begins–of valuable information. A contractor can conduct either a product or company search through the Exhibitor List database, click on the company name, and view brochures and press releases about products to be exhibited at CONEXPO or be connected to the company’s home page to view extensive information about its product line. The CONEXPO 2002 Web site also has a links page that is especially strong in its listing of dozens of trade associations servicing the construction industry. Carefully studying the Web pages of the most relevant of these associations would likely prove productive for many grading, excavating, and paving contractors. World of Concrete Another major expo and abundant major information resource is the World of Concrete (www.worldofconcrete.com). The exhibit is held annually, and the next one will take place at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA, January 9-12, 2002, with 1,600 exhibitors and 60,000 construction professionals in attendance. On the World of Concrete Web site, contractors can click on the Exhibit Hall tab for exhibitors and products, a floor plan, and an itinerary planner. World of Asphalt Another trade-exhibit Web page that will interest paving contractors is the World of Asphalt (www.worldofasphalt.com). To be held annually except in CONEXPO years, the World of Asphalt is produced by the National Asphalt Pavement Association in partnership with the CONEXPO management. But CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2002 will devote significant exhibit space to asphalt equipment, products, and services. Access the CONEXPO Web site to get the latest on asphalt products and equipment. By logging on to the World of Asphalt Web site, a contractor can access highlights of the recent World of Asphalt 2001. Visitors can also obtain information on the next show, to be held March 18-20, 2003, in Nashville, TN. Other notable features include the ability to search the database by product or company, the ability to access all press releases issued at the exhibit, and a links section that provides connections to numerous asphalt paving associations in the US and abroad. Construction Industry Manufacturers Association The Web pages for CONEXPO 2002’s main sponsor, CIMA, is also a rich information resource for contractors. CIMA (www.cimanet.com) is the trade association of 500 construction-equipment manufacturers and construction-services (e.g., equipment financing, equipment auctions, consulting services) providers. CIMA has an Industry Links page (accessible from the home page), connecting the user to a score or more of trade associations servicing the construction industry. Another exceedingly useful feature of the Web site is the construction-equipment Product Locator. The first step is for the contractor to select a particular product type from a menu containing 24 categories, including Aggregate Equipment, Associations/Governments/Organizations, Attachments, Compactors, Components & Accessories, Compressors/Generators/Light Towers, Construction Materials, Earthmoving, Electronics/Controls/Instrumentation, General Utilities, Lifting Equipment, Publications, Safety and Security, and Trucking and Hauling. Clicking on one of these categories (e.g., Earthmoving) will now produce a detailed submenu (Boring Machines, Excavators, Graders, Haulers, Loaders, Scrapers, and so on). Clicking on one of these product subtypes (e.g., Excavators) will now yield a list of manufacturers offering that type of construction equipment or industry service. Clicking on one of the listed companies will then produce a page exhibiting the company’s contact information. The CIMA Product Locator database is exceptionally well organized, is very easy to use, and yields very useful, focused information on demand. CIMA’s Member Links allows the contractor to quickly locate any of 500 CIMA member firms by company name. Companies are listed alphabetically. The contractor can merely click on the name of a particular company to get its Web site. Associated Equipment Distributors The Associated Equipment Distributors (www.aednet.org) is a trade association of 1,200 independent distributors, manufacturers, and other firms involved in the distribution of construction equipment and related products and services (including sales, rental, parts, and service) in North America and abroad. Its 750 distributor-member companies account for more than $15 billion of annual sales of construction equipment and related supplies and services in the US and Canada. Among member firms are suppliers of business services, including finance, insurance, and data processing. The options on the AED Web site include career development, directories, financial management, government affairs, periodicals, product support, rental publications, rental videos, safety, and technology. The AED annual membership directory (May issue of CED magazine) includes distributors, manufacturers, and other member firms, listed by state. It would make sense for the contractor to periodically surf this Web site as it continues to evolve. Portland Cement Association The Web site of the Portland Cement Association (www.portcement.org) features a primer titled "Concrete Basics." It deals with all aspects of concrete, from the manufacture of cement to the final mixing, placing, and curing of the concrete. Part of the presentation is animated, with sound. A paving contractor might find this primer very effective for training new workers. The site also has a well-designed online publications catalog. This begins with an alphabetical listing of dozens of topics–concrete walls, floors, and so on. Clicking on a particular topic provides the user with a list of publications falling under that topic, each with a short abstract. Clicking on a publication title yields a more detailed abstract. The contractor can order on-line. National Stone Association Since its founding, the National Stone Association (NSA), which recently merged with the National Aggregates Association, has represented the aggregate (crushed stone, sand, and gravel) and mining industry. This industry’s operations provide aggregates for the construction, maintenance, and repair of roads, bridges, buildings, railroad ballast, and airports. NSA’s Web site (www.nssga.org) contains a slide presentation on the crucial importance of aggregates to the US economy. It could be used by paving contractors involved in aggregate production to help win greater public acceptance of aggregate-mining activities. NSA’s Manufacturing & Services Division comprises firms that manufacture and market equipment or provide services to aggregate producers. Its Buyer’s Guide lists all member firms. Clicking on a firm name yields the key contact personnel, address, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses and Web sites, and all the products and services available to the aggregates industry. National Ready Mixed Concrete Association The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s Web site (www.nrmca.org), though primitive-looking, does have some useful features. It contains a list of ready-mixed—concrete companies in the US, as well as the names of equipment suppliers (ready-mix plants, truck mixers, and so on) and materials suppliers (e.g., cement, admixtures, colors, and other concrete additives) to that industry. The contractor can view a US map, click on a particular state, and thereby call up an alphabetical list of the ready-mixed producers in that state (company name, address, and phone and fax numbers). It would be more convenient if a state list was grouped by region and a contractor could click to send an e-mail or link to the producer’s Web page. Another useful feature of NRMCA’s Web site is its short primer on concrete, which contractors might find useful for training new workers. Clicking on Concrete Basics calls up this backgrounder. NRMCA also has more than 300 publications, videos, and software applications for ready-mix producers, suppliers, and customers. Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute Since 1924, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (www.crsi.org) has had a research, engineering support, marketing, and promotion effort to advance the use of reinforced-concrete construction. Its Web site contains a backgrounder on continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), a jointless concrete pavement reinforced to control cracking without aid of conventional transverse joints. According to CRSI, CRCP can handle more traffic than other pavement types, requires fewer repairs, improves fuel economy, reduces shock-induced damage (no joint "bumps") to vehicles, and improves road visibility (versus asphalt) because of its greater surface reflectance. The CRSI Web site also contains a backgrounder on epoxy-coated rebar. Both these backgrounders could be helpful to the pavement contractor for training purposes. The Web site does have a directory of CRSI members broken down by state, but there is (as yet) no direct Internet link to them. It also has an online publications and software catalog. Among the trade associations on its Industry Links page (CRSI Home Page –> Resources –> Industry Links) are American Concrete Institute, American Iron & Steel Institute, American Concrete Pavement Association, Association of Iron & Steel Engineers, Iron & Steel Society, National Concrete Masonry Association, NRCMA, Portland Cement Association, Society for Marketing Professional Services, Steel Manufacturers Association, Tilt-Up Concrete Association, Wire Reinforcement Institute, key magazines and reference books, and the electronic Blue Book of Building and Construction. Editor’s note: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this article is current; however, because Web sites are ever-changing, Grading & Excavation Contractor cannot guarantee that the same information will be available at these sites. Gene Dallaire is a former feature article writer for Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering magazines. He currently teaches history at Lansing (MI) Community College.
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