Around the Globe: September

Brussels
Siobhan McKelvey from Nynas Bitumen was elected president of Eurobitume at the European Bitumen Association’s recent meeting in Brussels. Jose Luis Prieto Menendez from Cepsa Comercial Petroleo was appointed vice president and Markus Spiegl from OMV was elected treasurer.

Canada
Heatec, Inc., of Chattanooga, Tenn., has earned certification from the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), according to Tony W. Mahaffey, Heatec’s quality control manager. To obtain the certification, Heatec had to meet CWB requirements of Canadian Standard CSA W47.1 for a Division 2 Company. The company released a statement that welding is a vital part of virtually all Heatec products, which include heaters, liquid storage tanks and related products used by oil and gas producers, hot mix plants and many other industries.

China
According to Petrosil’s Bitumart newsletter, China imported 246,637 megatonnes of bitumen from Singapore specifically between the period of January to March 2015. Then China’s bitumen imports dropped 17 percent in the month of April compared to March. The newsletter didn’t speculate as to whether or not the drop in import had anything to do with Singapore’s bitumen drum price, which was still trending upward in June, but China’s imports of bitumen overall from January to April totaled 1,413,926 megatonnes.

India
The Asian Bitumen Conference does something new this year on its tenth anniversary (AsB 2015). The conference will be held in New Delhi, India, for the first time. Conference dates are Nov. 19 through 20, 2015. Get information at www.asian-bitumen.com.

Spain
Lehigh Technologies has announced the formal opening of Lehigh Spain based in Barcelona, enhancing global access to micronized rubber powders.

United States
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You have until Aug. 28 to submit your nominations for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) 2015 Contractor Safety Awards. Nominations are accepted in one of three categories based on the number of employee hours worked during the previous year, and first tier qualification is based on a contractor’s low OSHA Recordable Rate. Finalists will make a presentation about their safety programs based on seven key criteria. Check it out and submit your nominations online at www.artbatdf.org.

California
Lucinda Powell announced her retirement from Vulcan Materials of California this spring after 30 years of building relationships with customers in Northern California.

Caltrans has officially promoted Rachel Falsetti to division chief of construction for the state transportation department. Source: California Asphalt Pavement Association

Caterpillar Inc. has invested in the peer-to-peer equipment rental start-up company Yard Club of San Francisco, Calif. This partnership will launch an online ordering platform in specific metropolitan markets to help contractors rent machines that are in between jobs to other contractors. The equipment available for the peer-to-peer rental platform will include both Cat® and non-Cat brands.

Florida
Make plans to encourage the industry’s next generation at the 12th Annual NAPA Young Leaders Conference & Tour this Oct. 19 through 21 at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando. Get information at the events tab at http://asphaltpavement.org.

Illinois
The 7th Shingle Recycling Forum takes place Oct. 29 through 30, 2015, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel just outside Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

Kentucky
The Asphalt Institute offers an award-winning safety video that illustrates how crucial it is for workers to place asphalt burns under flowing water immediately. Watching this 13-minute video could make the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. Visit asphaltinstitute.org for more information on the video “Cooling Asphalt Burns.”

Maine
The Maine Department of Transportation signed a $10.1-million consultant agreement in early June. The DOT has awarded Kleinfelder, based globally in San Diego, Calif., six General Consultant Agreements (GCA) on-call contracts, totaling four years and $10.1 million to provide multi-disciplinary design and engineering services throughout the state. Under the contracts, Kleinfelder will provide a range of construction management and inspection services, and pedestrian/bicycle facilities design, along with multimodal business design and architectural services. “The projects are funded from different sources within MaineDOT,” according to a company press release.

Missouri
AsphaltPro Magazine, Fayette, Mo., wishes to recognize and applaud the asphalt professionals who make the industry great. We’re looking for a few good projects. As you work this summer, as you compile your numbers and stats, be sure you take pictures and notes to share with us. You could be featured in the pages of AsphaltPro and could be in the running for something special. Stay tuned for details. Stay alert for quality projects that we should brag about. Share them with sandy@theasphaltpro.com.

Oregon
Patrick McGuire has joined KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, Eugene, Ore., as the service manager for its Oregon manufacturing facility. To contact McGuire, call (541) 988-9411 or email pmcguire@jcieug.com.

Register to attend the 2015 Asphalt Sustainability Conference West at the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront this Oct. 13 through 14. Find information at the events tab at http://asphaltpavement.org.

Pennsylvania
Wendy Nester-Schiavo of Stern Nester Paving in Pottstown, Pa., won a baseball prize package from Atlas Copco Construction Equipment. Nester-Schiavo won two tickets to a professional game of her choice and a $2,000 voucher for airfare, hotel and accommodations because she downloaded the new Atlas Copco Construction App while at the 2015 World of Asphalt tradeshow in Baltimore.

The Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association (PAPA) has appointed Charles Goodhart its executive director following the completion of Gary Hoffman’s five-year commitment to the association. Goodhart has close to 40 years of experience in transportation, including a 36-year career with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Source: NAPA ActionNews

Washington, D.C.
The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has named James R. Kirby, AIA, as director of technical services. Kirby holds a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois.