• Senate-passed bill would boost aggregates research: With support from NSSGA, the Senate voted 88-2 to pass the long-awaited bill making technical corrections to SAFETEA-LU, the association reported. Progress on the bill stalled until agreement was reached on an amendment requiring the Justice Department to investigate how an earmark in the 2005 law was changed after the House and Senate passed the bill, but before the president signed it into law. Democratic Party leaders intend to pass the amended bill through the House in the next few weeks and then send it to the president for signature. The president has not indicated he would veto the bill. The bill funds research provisions that were left unfunded by SAFETEA-LU. Of particular interest to NSSGA, the bill would correct the federal cost share element of provisions providing for aggregates and other construction material research from a percentage of 50-50 to 80-20.
• Fulop promoted to Pit & Quarry publisher: Rob Fulop has been promoted to publisher of Pit & Quarry and Portable Plants & Equipment magazines, announced Kerry C. Gumas, president and CEO of Questex Media Group. Fulop, who has been with Pit & Quarry for 10 years, most recently served as associate publisher. In his new role, he will oversee the editorial and sales sides of the magazines, as they continue to serve the aggregates and portable plants industries, respectively.
• Tilcon educating kids about aggregates: Tilcon Delaware, a commercial construction materials supplier, is traveling to area schools to fire up kids’ imaginations and educate them about the aggregates industry as part of the Science, Math and Technology Alliance in the “What in the World” program. The “What in the World” program was created to educate students about different careers and fields available to them. The program includes grades 3-12 in all schools throughout Delaware, with about 15-16 schools participating each year. Tilcon’s “Science Alliance” team visits two to four schools per month, where they teach mostly third- through seventh-graders. The presentations are designed to be fun and hands-on, incorporating materials such as a model of a hot-mix plant, posters of asphalt plants, labs and equipment and samples of hot-mix, stone and crushed glass that the students can safely handle.
• ASGCO, Industrial Mining Supply announce joint venture: ASGCO and Industrial Mining Supply (IMS), a longtime ASGCO master distributor, have entered into a joint venture. ASGCO service teams will now be located in conjunction with the new IMS branch location in Thatcher, Ariz., to better service the copper and other mining and power industries in this area. The ASGCO services group will support ASGCO and IMS products and services that are exclusively sold and billed through the IMS branch location.
• US Synthetic acquires Brady’s Mining & Construction Supply: US Synthetic Corp., an operating company within the energy platform of Dover Corp.’s Fluid Management segment and a provider of polycrystalline diamond cutters for oil and gas exploration, has announced the acquisition of Brady’s Mining & Construction Supply Co. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Brady, based in St. Louis, manufactures diamond roof drill bits and support products specifically designed for underground mining operations.
• Samoter 2008 focuses on safety, innovation: Construction trade professionals gathered March 5-9 in Verona, Italy, for Samoter, a European trade show held every three years. Samoter 2008 set attendance records with more than 100,000 visitors, a 10 percent increase over the last edition in 2005. Foreign visitors were up, with significant increases of more than 20 percent from the Asian and East European markets. In addition, Samoter’s more than 1,000 exhibitors offered a variety of innovative products. The number of exhibitors this year increased by 4.2 percent over 2005. Foreign exhibitors accounted for more than 300 of this total, representing 36 countries. Workplace safety was the main theme of Samoter 2008.
