GIE+EXPO is sure to be a rockin’ good time! Opening acts with universal appeal have been announced for the GIE+EXPO concert lineup for Thursday and Friday nights at 4th Street Live! — party central for GIE+EXPO.

Candy Coburn is back at GIE+EXPO 2010 opening for Neal McCoy Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. With a sound described as "southern soul rockin’ country," this country singer will appeal to everyone. Her latest album, "Lucky" just hit stores in September so she is sure to offer up an energetic performance.

The country duo Aly’an will stir up the crowd with their high-energy performance Friday at 8:00 p.m. With sweet harmonies and upbeat melodies along with their stage antics, Aly’an will leave the crowd wanting more. The duo will open for Heidi Newfield.

"The GIE+EXPO concert series always attracts a crowd, and we are excited to add these new acts to the lineup," said Warren Sellers, GIE+EXPO show director. "Exhibitors and attendees alike can get in on the fun at these free events."

GIE+EXPO is set for Thursday, October 28 through Saturday, October 30 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. The international tradeshow is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute Inc. (OPEI); Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) and the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). This year, for the first time, Hardscape North America will be co-located on the show floor on the same dates.

Pre-registration for a three-day pass to GIE+EXPO is $10 per person. The tradeshow admission for those who wait to register onsite will be $50. To pre-register online and to reserve hotel rooms, go to www.gie-expo.com.

As the temperatures inched up in the last full month of the summer, so did the prices of construction materials.

Construction materials prices edged up 0.2 percent in August, according to the September 16 producer price index (PPI) report by the U.S. Labor Department. Prices are 3.6 percent higher than one year ago.

Nonferrous wire and cable prices increased 1.8 percent for the month and are up 8.7 percent compared to August 2009. Prices for plumbing fixtures and fittings were up 0.6 percent in August and up 1.2 percent from the same time last year. Prices for concrete products inched up 0.5 percent for the month, but are down 1.1 percent from August 2009 levels.

Softwood lumber prices slid for a third straight month, down 3.1 percent in August. However, prices are still 6.8 percent higher on a year-over-year basis. Iron and steel prices were down 1.5 percent in August, the third straight monthly price decrease. But, prices are still 18.2 percent higher than they were one year ago. Steel mill product prices were down 3.9 in August, but were still up 17.1 percent from last August. Prepared asphalt, tar roofing and siding prices slipped 0.9 percent in August, but were up 8.6 percent over the last 12 months. Prices for fabricated structural metal products decreased 0.2 percent for the month, but were up 2.8 percent compared to August 2009.

Crude energy prices increased 0.5 percent in August and were up 18.2 percent compared to the same time last year. Crude petroleum prices were up 1.8 percent in August and were 11.8 percent higher than prices one year ago. Overall, the nation’s wholesale prices increased 0.4 percent last month and are 3.1 percent higher from August 2009.

“Today's data support the notion that the nation's recovery in nonresidential construction is beginning to stall,” said Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). “For three consecutive months, prices for softwood lumber, iron and steel have been in decline, signaling a growing lack of demand.”

It's no episode of "Extreme Makeover," but the parts and service departments at Cub Cadet dealerships are getting a little facelift. Lista International Corp. has announced that it is participating in a partnership with Cub Cadet to re-image their parts and service and repair areas of their 10,000+ dealership chain. Lista will supply a custom-designed line of high-density parts storage cabinets, transaction counters, technician toolboxes and service and repair workstations to improve dealership efficiency and its look to its customer base.

Cub Cadet dealers will also have access to Lista’s well-regarded ListaWorks design programs to improve the layout and functionality of their parts and service areas. The program can be used to remodel existing departments or outfit new ones.

The new Lista/Cub Cadet line will be formally introduced to approximately 1,600 Cub Cadet dealers at the Cub Cadet Annual Dealer meeting, to be held in Orlando, Fla., in late September. It will also be showcased at the GIE+Expo in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 28-30, 2010.

“We are very excited about the partnership between Lista and Cub Cadet,” said Jim Blake, I.R. service sales manager for Cub Cadet. “It was born out of the company’s desire to upgrade and improve the work environments within dealerships’ service and parts departments. We hope it goes a long way to improve the look and feel of the shops and increase loyalty between Cub Cadet and independent retail dealers.”

In an effort to give back to its community, Miron Construction Co. recently hosted a blood drive where more than 50 of its employees signed up to donate blood.

The Community Blood Center estimates that approximately 580 donors are needed every weekday to meet area needs. While the area needs a large amount of donated blood, a constant supply is also required, as donated blood has a shelf life of only 42 days and donated platelets last just five days.
 
“During the summer months, blood donation drives are usually down,” said Angela Brumm, public relations specialist for the Community Blood Center. “It is encouraging to see a company like Miron get employees involved in helping out such a great cause.”
 
Donating blood is an extremely helpful, easy and free way to give back to the community as Community Blood Center donations stay in the area. Miron encouraged employees to take part in the drive, staffed by the Community Blood Center, by offering two casual-dress workdays to participants.

It’s time to break out the gifts of gold. The Ford E-Series, America’s best-selling full-size van for 31 straight years, marks 50 years of meeting customer needs with production of the 2011 model, enhanced with state-of-the-art technologies at Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.

E-Series, synonymous with capability and reliability since its debut in 1961, will offer a commemorative 50th anniversary edition, available as an XLT model, the van’s premium package. The anniversary edition features unique blue metallic exterior paint, specially embroidered “Econoline” front seatbacks and unique “Econoline 50 Years” badging on the left-rear cargo door.

It’s all designed to appeal to the enthusiast who recognizes the long-term durability of a van that has maintained a steady presence throughout 50 years of societal change.

“Ford has maintained its level of success for E-Series by continually monitoring its customers’ needs and maintaining a high level of quality,” said Craig Ruggirello, assistant marketing manager for E-Series. “If there’s a secret to its success, that might just be it.”

For 2011, the E-Series boasts available technologies like Ford Work Solutions, SYNC voice-activated communications and entertainment system, and a Navigation System with HD Radio bring E-Series squarely into the future, setting the stage for both productivity and customer satisfaction.

In an effort to keep its community and business partners in the loop, Miron Construction Co. Inc. has announced the launch of www.miron-constructionnews.com — an interactive newsroom designed to further Miron’s brand experience through interactive resources and ongoing engagement. The new site features a blog, as well as newsroom, press kit and resource pages.

Miron employees will serve as contributors in updating the blog about construction industry news and trends, innovation, green building, health and wellness tips, safety in the workplace and more.

“The ways in which people find and receive information is changing. At Miron, we recognize these changes, and therefore, in addition to our current involvement in social media, we are excited to announce the launch of our new blog and media newsroom,” stated Jen Bauer, director of marketing, Miron Construction Co. Inc. “This will be one more avenue to keep our clients, partners and community members informed about what’s going on within our organization.”

Visitors to the newsroom are encouraged to interact with contributors through the comment function where they can post their thoughts on blog entries.

In addition to the blog, information on Miron Construction can be found on the newsroom, press kit and resource pages. It will also be a resource to access Miron’s recent news releases, media alerts, Miron stories in the news and background information on the company.

Updates on the website can be followed by visiting the site and subscribing via e-mail or RSS. You can also follow Miron on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and SlideShare.

Want to head to the putting green or to the office? Now, there’s no need to choose. In keeping with tradition of creating unique courtyards for its office buildings, Mammoth Equities Property Management Group has designed a 9-hole putting green for the courtyard in its recently constructed Rocklin Professional Building in Rocklin, Calif.

Created as an amenity for office tenants, the courtyard’s design surpassed all of Mammoth’s previous concepts in its complexity. The courtyard features an elaborate waterscape with a 5-ft waterfall surrounded by a 9-hole, 7,000 sq ft professional putting course. The synthetic-turf putting course has fringe grass around the edge of each green and also incorporates real sand traps. Golf and athletic field construction company Turf Solutions Group (TSG) was chosen as the design and construction company for this project. TSG applied its expertise in synthetic turf, water features and drainage to bring this “wow” concept to life.

“This Rocklin courtyard was one of Mammoth’s most complex creations,” said Kent Ahlering, Mammoth’s finance and entitlements manager. “We wanted it to appear dramatic from the office suites, so it is designed with elevation spreads that are close to 9 ft. Not only did TSG accommodate our unique, stringent design requirements, but thanks to them it was a relatively smooth project. TSG listened to what we were trying to achieve and made it happen. Plus, they were very responsive and easy to communicate with.”

The 9-hole putting course is open to the general public, as well as available to building tenants. The suites all have balconies overlooking the courtyard. Since the amenity is offered to the public, the building, as well as the putting course, needed to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant.

“The ADA requirement affected the course design,” said Mead Babcock, TSG president and general manager. “Seventy-five percent of the putting greens needed to be wheelchair accessible, but the ball also needed a backstop so it couldn’t fall into the water. In addition, a disabled patron needed to be able to continue in a circle around the course without having to backtrack.”

And the award goes to... Bridgestone!

Bridgestone, the world’s largest tire and rubber manufacturer, was awarded the prestigious title of Volvo Premium Supplier this past June. The award recognizes Bridgestone’s leading performance across a broad range of strict criteria. Bridgestone is the first tire manufacturer to receive the Volvo Premium Supplier Award.

Now in its 5th year, the annual Volvo Premium Supplier Awards recognize those suppliers who book the best measured performance in the areas of quality, safety, environmental performance, cost, logistics and corporate responsibility. Close attention is also paid to the supplier’s capacity to work with Volvo’s teams in the spirit of continuous improvement. A total of nine awards were presented for 2009 including Bridgestone’s.

“This is a great honor for Bridgestone, especially as we are the first tire supplier ever to be recognized by the Volvo Premium Supplier Award Program,” said Takashi Tomioka, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Bridgestone Europe. “Bridgestone looks forward to maintaining its high level of quality service and its status as one of the Volvo Group’s long-term strategic partners.”

As a Volvo Group Premium Supplier, Bridgestone will continue to set the standard for original equipment supplier performance in the years to come.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is giving a big round of applause to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Yesterday, the ABC showed its support of the USACE for removing a proposed, mandatory project labor agreement (PLA) for the construction of a $100 million to $250 million technical applications center at Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, Fla.

A project labor agreement is a special interest scheme that discourages competition from nonunion contractors and their nonunion employees by requiring a construction project to be awarded only to contractors and subcontractors that agree to recognize unions as the representatives of their employees on that job; use the union hall to obtain workers; obey the union’s restrictive apprenticeship and work rules; and contribute to union pension plans and other funds in which their nonunion employees will never benefit unless they join a union.

“Less than 2 percent of the construction workforce in Florida is affiliated with a labor organization, yet the federal government was willing to increase costs for all taxpayers and discriminate against 98 percent of the industry just to reward special interests,” said ABC president and CEO Kirk Pickerel. “We hope that other federal agencies will heed this example and recognize that project labor agreements ultimately harm taxpayers by reducing competition from the qualified contractors and their skilled employees that have successfully built similar federal projects in Florida and across the United States.”

Hundreds of ABC member firms in Florida and around the country contacted the USACE to voice their opposition to the proposed PLA on the Patrick Air Force Base project. The USACE deleted the clause that mandated the PLA and substituted new language that makes a PLA submission optional, but specifically states PLAs will not be an evaluation factor.

“ABC will continue to fight any attempt to impose PLAs on federal construction projects, as these special interest schemes violate competitive bidding laws, reduce competition, increase construction costs and needlessly inject political favoritism into the federal procurement process,” said Pickerel.

NOTE: This is the third of many blogs detailing an industry-wide summary of compact wheel loaders. Be sure to check back throughout August for the entire listing.

Terex compact wheel loaders offer economical, quiet and low-maintenance operation without sacrificing cutting-edge technology. Ideal for digging, loading and hauling jobsite materials, the progressive Terex range addresses the needs for a variety of construction site work, nursery and landscape applications.

Each model incorporates transverse-mounted engines for optimal stability — so Terex wheel loaders can lift and transport high payloads, and in turn lower fuel consumption. Designed with an oscillating rear axle, it provides comfort and easy handling on rough terrain by maintaining four-wheel traction, as well as articulated steering to effortlessly maneuver in tight spaces.

Operators can easily and accurately control movements even when giving the loader full power — making Terex hydrostatic wheel loaders the choice for powerful breakout and fast lifting.

Terex compact wheel loaders range from 50 to 175 hp with bucket capacities between 0.65 cu yd and 6 cu yd and achieve breakout forces from 8,325 to 26,995 lbs.

Terex compact wheel loaders come standard with a general purpose bucket. Terex also offers the following optional attachments for its compact wheel loader line: side-dump bucket, light material bucket, forks and carrier, brooms, multi-purpose bucket and crane jib.

Other features on Terex compact wheel loaders include:

• Articulated, full hydraulic steering for fast and low effort steering for increased stability while operating even at low engine speeds.
• A universal coupler system to make the wheel loader compatible with all skid-steer attachments, as well as to make it fast and easy to switch from a loader to a material handler.
• Hydrostatic, four-wheel drive with creep mode and dynamic braking to give operators speed control and efficient engine rpm when working in tight areas. The hydrostatic drive also reduces tire slippage which results in faster cycle times and less wear and tear on the tires.
• Low front windshield and right- and left-hand side windows to offer operators the best possible view of the jobsite, especially important for jobs when people are working alongside or moving around the machine.
• A large, roomy operator’s cab that provides easy access from both sides. 

Advice to Buyers
When choosing a wheel loader, make sure the piece of equipment is going to be adequate for 85-90 percent of your jobsites’ needs — don’t sacrifice power, breakout force or anything else just to save a dollar. Also, always buy quality — a wheel loader needs to durable and reliable because downtime is expensive.

When considering one brand over another, consider the reliability of the machine and how well you know and understand its parts. Are you comfortable with the technology that’s under the hood? If you can handle the small maintenance issues yourself, you can help reduce overall cost and downtime. Also, how responsive and expansive is a brand’s dealer network? You should look for a distributor who is conveniently located to your jobsites and who can deliver the parts and services you need quickly.

Productivity features are also important in building a case for investment to meet on-site productivity requirements and project time constraints. ROI will be considered in the context of the hours the machine is working and revenue generated so whether a customer bites the bullet during tough economic times ultimately depends on the financial situation of the company and the anticipated level of current and future work/projects.