Becoming A Geek About Concrete

ChemMasters hosted a learning workshop in their factory in February. 2016. I trekked from Pittsburgh where it was a balmy 58 degrees to Madison Ohio at 38 degrees one Sunday afternoon!  Who knew 2 hours north would be 20 degrees colder! It was a bright day and I enjoyed the Ohio farmlands and landscapes as I traveled over bridges sealed with ChemMasters sealants.

The workshop started with a basic understanding of concrete. Concrete is made of three ingredients.  Rock, Sand or Gravel and Portland cement are the first two ingredients. The cement is in a powder form and is the binding agent when mixed with the third most important ingredient – water.  The chemical reaction is called hydration which causes these ingredients to become a paste and gains strength to form rock hard roads, bridges, columns and more as it dries.  We learned about proportions,  water-cement ratio and curing.

There is a curing process that occurs after the concrete has been formed. The curing enables the concrete to continue to strengthen. Did you ever drive under a bridge being worked on and had water like rain falling down on your car? This is the curing process. It enables a strong product that will withstand the weight it needs to and to perform year after year. Did you ever stop to think about the strength of the George Washington Bridge before you drive over it? No, you don’t. We are secure in knowing our bridge contractors are creating and building the bridge to the specifications that give it the strength to ride on top of it year after year.

 I learned much about pouring and forming concrete, sealing concrete, how to use grout and the chemistry behind these value added products. We poured concrete, applied sealants and used structural repair mortar like ChemPatch to repair walls.

I added to my vocabulary terms like accelerator, cementitious, crack chasing, delamination and efflorescence. We discussed and watched them mix colors for concrete and discussed stamped concrete, colored concrete, stains, and coatings. I never thought I would find it interesting or fascinating but the scientists at ChemMasters were masters at communicating their passion for creating a high value quality product to enable us to live environmentally sound and convenient lives.

Power Tool and Supply inventories the sealers, epoxies, grouts and more that our general contractors and bridge contractors need. Our products are PennDot and ODot approved. Thanks to the great team at ChemMasters, now my workability talk with our contractors will help them get the right product and cement our relationship. 

National Women in Construction Week March 6 – 11, 2016

We observe Women in Construction Week and celebrate those women who's hard work and efforts are helping build this great country.  Both Allegheny County Council and Pittsburgh City Council have proclaimed this to be officially “Women in Construction Week”. The national focus of WIC (Women in Construction) Week is to highlight women as a visible component in the construction industry. It is great to see this vision embraced by Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA. Visit www.nawic.org for more information about women in construction.

Women in Construction Week is a celebration of the contributions women make in the construction industry. Less than 3% of workers in the construction field are female. This stereotypically male industry is making room for women. Associations like NAWIC, National Association of Women in Construction are helping spread the word that this industry is a great place for women.

Now on a jobsite you will find women project managers, laborers, carpenters, welders, engineers all working together building and creating new roads, hospitals, schools and more.  The Carpenters Union’s women members are part of Sisters in the Brotherhood which is in Canada and the U.S. The Sisters promote women in construction, help rebuild homes in impoverished areas and help put more women in leadership roles within the industry. https://www.carpenters.org/Archives1/SistersInTheBrotherhood_4-2011.aspx

Did you know?

84 Lumber, one of the largest retail building supply  companies in the U.S. is woman owned! Tabitha Babbitt invented the Circular Saw is 1812. Alice Parker invented Central Heating in 1919. Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar fiber  (5 times stronger than steel) in 1965. Power Tool and Supply is a woman owned  industrial supply warehouse and store.

I attended an ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation)  Conference in Cincinnati March 9^th and was pleased to see the initiative Cincinnati has taken in creating the first ever Department of Economic Inclusion, they are being asked by cities from all over the country to share their strategy and structure so other cities can do the same. This department will oversee all economic opportunities within the City of Cincinnati to ensure opportunity for all woman, minority and small businesses seeking to do business with the City are given opportunities. The state of Ohio is one of only 

4 states that have laws setting mandatory goals for contracts with minority-owned businesses (15%).

Women are underrepresented in many positions within construction as well as engineering and many of the STEM occupations. By celebrating women, creating opportunities for their companies to grow and allowing equal participation in state and federal contracting opportunities we are enriching our society, economy and families. Let me state, no projects are handed to woman-owned businesses. We still must work hard to provide the best quote and work. With the help of these initiatives we are given a fair opportunity to win work.

About the Author:

Linda Richardson is Director of Business Development for Power Tool and Supply. She can be reached at linda@powertoolandsupply or 330-792-1487.