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May 9th, 2005
With the second offical Dispatchthis.com newsletter, we are excited to introduce you to an organization which truly gives something of value back to our vets who have served to protect us: Helmets to Hardhats.
Featured Story: Giving Back to Vets
 Helmets to Hardhats is a not-for-profit trust dedicated to the employment of veterans who have served in our military. Featured in the Engineering News Record, Helmets to Hardhats is an organization which will allow veterans a greater opportunity to succeed after their valuable military service.
Helmets to Hardhats eases the difficult passage into civilian life for military families, providing the best career opportunities, pay, and benefits to those who have earned the nation's support through their years of service and sacrifice.
The program collects information about the best career opportunities in building and construction trades and works to provide former military personnel with that information. Candidates can access information about careers and apprenticeships via the Internet from anywhere in the world. To apply for work or membership, each candidate must complete a comprehensive profile that helps Helmets to Hardhats refer candidates in the right direction. The program then connects the candidate with the right opportunity in the right location, serving as an advocate wherever necessary.
We've passed this information along to the ACPA with the hope that the concrete pumping industry can work with H2H to support our troops and also gain access to ideal operator candidates.
For more information, please visit Helmets to Hardhats.
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Industry News: Bendable Concrete
(excerpted from the University of Michigan News Service)
A new type of fiber-reinforced bendable concrete will be used for the first time in Michigan this summer—and University of Michigan scientists hope that their new material will find widespread use across the country.
The new concrete looks like regular concrete, but is 500 times more resistant to cracking and 40 percent lighter in weight. Tiny fibers that comprise about 2 percent of the mixture's volume partly account for its performance. Also, the materials in the concrete itself are designed for maximum flexibility. Because of its long life, the Engineered Cement Composites (ECC) are expected to cost less in the long run, as well.
U-M's ECC technology has been used already on projects in Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Australia, but has had relatively slow adoption in the United States... despite traditional concrete's many problems: lack of durability and sustainability; failure under severe loading; and the resulting expenses of repair.
The ductile, or bendable, concrete is made mainly of the same ingredients in regular concrete minus the coarse aggregate... It looks exactly like regular concrete, but under excessive strain, the ECC concrete gives because the specially coated network of fibers veining the cement is allowed to slide within the cement, thus avoiding the inflexibility that causes brittleness and breakage.
For more information, please visit The University of Michigan News Service.
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ACPA News: Spring Board Meeting
 The ACPA held their Spring Board Meeting in Washington, D.C. on April 22nd and 23rd. As first time attendees, we found the meetings to be extremely informative, professional and inspiring.
At the meeting, Craig Percy of Sagamore and Associates (the lead lobbyist supporting the ACPA's efforts to ensure the reinstatement of the fuel tax exemption for fuel consumed on-site by concrete pumps) gave a presentation on the status of their efforts. Positive progress is being made, but there's still more that concrete pumpers can do to help. Contact the ACPA to find out ways you can help!
Of prime importance to the ACPA is safety. Training seminars were discussed and planned for the upcoming year, and progress on the online operator certification and re-certification programs was shared.
We'd like to thank the ACPA for their effots to continue to improve the concerete pumping industry. We plan to attend all future meetings and you should too. The next ACPA Board Meeting is scheduled for October 27th and 28th in Monterey, CA. Please contact the ACPA at (614) 431-5618 for more information.
For more information, please visit the ACPA.
And just for fun, we've included some pictures from our visit to D.C.
The White House (Front View)
The World War II Memorial
The Lincoln Monument
The World War II Memorial Reflection Pool and Field of Stars of the Freedom Wall
The Korean War Memorial
The White House (Rear View)
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