10 June/July 2010 • Masonry CONSTRUCTION www.masonryconstruction.com

Brickbats

New Contractor Start Up ProgramThe International Masonry Institute (IMI) has launched a New Contractor Start Up Program to advance union craft workers into professional con-tractors. The program offers classes in estimating, project management, qual-ity assurance, and marketing.

IMI also supports contractors through Contractor College courses and helps them compete in the green market-place through the Sustainable Masonry Certifi cation Program.

Visit www.imiweb.org for details.

Boral Plant Strikes GoldBoral Bricks’ Terre Haute, Ind., man-ufacturing facility has received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Lead-ership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certifi cation. The facility opened in March 2008.

By partnering with Republic Services, owners of the nearby “Victory” landfi ll,

Boral has effectively used methane gas from the landfi ll as a natural gas sub-stitute. All waste materials produced by the plant are recycled.

The facility reclaims shale from a nearby coal mining property, uses pre-mium effi ciency motors, and controls

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.

Hydro Mobile Restructuring Completed

The Hydro Mobile restructuring process has been fi nalized 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 fi nancial stability in the slumping economy.

“The fi nancial backing and contacts brought in by our new partner will allow our company to reinforce its leadership position in the mar-ket,” 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-pres-ident 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.

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11Masonry CONSTRUCTION • June/July 2010www.masonryconstruction.com

Obituary: Marion CochranMarion Cochran died April 30, after a lengthy battle with pulmonary fi brosis.

Cochran, 84, spent more than 60 years in the brick indus-try. First retiring as Executive Director of the Brick Association of North Car-olina, Cochran soon stepped out of retirement to pursue the Senior Engi-neering Consultant position at Boren Brick Co.

A North Carolina State graduate, Co-chran 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 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, com-mon bacteria, calcium chloride, and urea in a process called microbial-in-duced calcite precipitation (MICP) and yields bricks with sandstone-like prop-erties. Depending on how it’s made, the bio-brick can reproduce the strength of clay-fi red 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

solar masonry unit. Each artifi cial brick is dotted with 32 or 128 solar cells, de-pending on size, and packs an inverter and a battery into its recycled plastic shell. The interlocking bricks also con-tain strategically placed outlets.

The annual competition promotes activism, social involvement, and en-trepreneurship in young designers. Submissions range from urban plan-ning and community building proj-ects to environmental management. Winners receive $10,000 to further their efforts.

Visit www.metropolismag.com for more information.

JLG President RetiresJLG Industries president, Craig Paylor retired July 1, after 30 years of service. He served as executive vice president and president of the Access Equipment

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 ve-hicle 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 fi re and emergen-cy group sales and marketing depart-ment for Oshkosh Corp.

—Compiled by editorial intern Josh Krol. Send your company and association news to mceditor@hanleywood.com.

2010 NCMCA Apprentice Skills Winners

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 Con-

cepts, 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-fi ve vocational students and apprentices from

eight NCMCA member fi rms participated in the contest, hosted by McGee Brothers Co.,

Midland, N.C.

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