Masonry Magazine November 2001 Page. 49
MASONRY INDUSTRY COUNCIL SUPPORTS FOURTH EDITION OF MASONRY DESIGNERS GUIDE
The Masonry Industry Council at its Board meeting on September 28 voted to support the publication of a fourth edition of The Masonry Designers Guide, a Masonry Society publication. The Masonry Designers Guide in its third edition is targeted toward the design profession making it easier to design buildings with masonry. The fourth edition, to be published in the Spring of 2003, will be the most important edition due to its being based on the MSJC 2002. The new document will be launched with an aggressive promotional campaign including placing the Masonry Designers Guide on the Internet for designers to review, an aggressive mail campaign to designers and a strong seminar series, which explains the Guide to the design community.
"With prospects for the economy slowing down, it has become more important for industry associations to show action in the area of masonry promotion. Getting the Masonry Designers Guide and its information into the hands of designers who can specify the use of masonry is a catalyst to getting more work for our industry," said Mike Adelizzi, Executive Director of the Mason Contractors Association of America and newly elected Secretary for the Masonry Industry Council (MIC). "The cumulative impact for our industry from designers specifying masonry for one new building per year is astronomical. MIC's support for the Masonry Designers Guide can help achieve that goal," Adelizzi said.
The MIC is an industry board that assists in unifying the industry into a cohesive force. Its core purpose is to advance the masonry industry by working together on areas of common interest. MIC's members include the Mason Contractors Association of America, the National Concrete Masonry Association, the Brick Industry Association, The Portland Cement Association and The Masonry Society.
NELSON RECEIVES ASTM AWARD OF MERIT
Construction materials quality control expert Robert L. Nelson, president of Robert L. Nelson and Associates in Schaumburg, II, has been named a 2001 recipient of the ASTM Award of Merit. The honor recognizes his outstanding leadership and dedicated service to ASTM Committee C12 on Mortars and Grouts for Unit Masonry as demonstrated by his numerous contributions to the development of masonry-related standards for materials, testing, and laboratory accreditation.
Nelson has 45 years of experience in quality control and quality assurance of major construction and research projects as well as experience in all types of product testing, research, and evaluation for the construction industry.
An active ASTM member for the last 40 years, Nelson also serves on ASTM Committees C01 on Cement, C07 on Lime, C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units, C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, and E06 on Performance of Buildings. He is also chairman of the joint C12/C15 Laboratory Accreditation Subcommittee. He has provided technical support to standards development through volunteering his laboratory's participation in interlaboratory test programs, and he has worked to incorporate revisions to a masonry testing agency accreditation standard so that it addresses the needs of both the industry and the laboratory community.
A co-chairman of a 1999 ASTM Masonry Symposium and co-editor of the resulting proceedings, Nelson has also co-authored papers published in other ASTM and professional publications. In addition, he has served as a guest speaker at a number of seminars in his field.
In addition to ASTM, Nelson is a member of the Industry Advisory Committee/International Code Council, the Masonry Standards Joint Committee, The British Masonry Society, the International Conference of Building Officials, the Southern Building Code Congress International, Building Officials and Code Administrators, the American Concrete Institute, and the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, and a past vice president of The Masonry Society.
Note from Editor: This article was reprinted from the ASTM Standardization News section of Society News, October 2001 issue.
HOME GROWN TOOLS
Homegrown Tools features innovative tools and ideas adapted by contractors from around the country. This column does not accept tools or ideas that are for sale by a manufacturer. The only ideas or tools published will be "homegrown." We encourage readers to submit their own "Homegrown Tools" to the editor of Masonry Magazine at 1910 5. Highland Ave. Ste. 101 Lombard, IL 60148. The publisher of this magazine does not endorse or promote the use of any of these ideas or tools. Readers should evaluate these ideas for safety and effectiveness and adapt their own thoughts on the usefulness of these tools and ideas.
This month's feature submitted by: Steven Fechino, WASCO Masonry, Nashville, TN
COMPRESSED AIR TANK
I recently burned the motor up on an air compressor. I often require just enough air to fill a tire or blow off a table saw. By putting an air fitting on the tank, I was able to make a portable air transfer tank for just a few dollars.