David Vickers Named as CIM NSC Interim Executive Director
We are pleased to announce David L. Vickers as the Interim Executive Director of the Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee (NSC). Vickers, an advisor to the cement and concrete industry, replaces Earl Keese, the first Executive Director of the National Steering Committee and the former president of Rhodes State College. Keese has held the position since 2006.
As Executive Director, Vickers will work closely with the long-term planning and executive committees in quantifying the National Steering Committee’s long-term needs for executive leadership.
A member of the National Steering Committee since its inception, Vickers has more than 20 years of experience in the concrete industry. In addition to his current consulting business, he previously served as President of Lehigh Southwest Cement Company, President of H.G. Fenton Company and Vice President of Operations for Ameron. He also has served on the board of director of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for more than 20 years as well held positions on the board for the Portland Cement Association from 1995-2002 and the San Diego AGC from 1989-1992. Vickers holds a B.S. in Management and Industrial Technology from Tennessee Technological University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California, Long Beach.
“Since the inception of the CIM program, David has been instrumental in garnering industry support for the development of the program, which made him a natural choice for this position” said Gene Martinaeu, President of the NSC. “He will assist us in our goal of continuing to advance the program at a rapid pace while providing the industry with highly qualified graduates with degrees in Concrete Industry Management.”
CIM Program Grateful For Dr. Earl Keese’s Dedication, Service and Leadership
CIM has been honored to have Dr. Earl Keese serve as the Executive Director of the NSC for the past two years and would like to thank him for his years of service to the CIM program.
Dr. Keese was Dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University in 1995 when a representative from the concrete industry approached him to determine if there was interest in starting a bachelor’s degree tailored to the needs of the concrete industry. “Although I was not immediately convinced, the persistence and enthusiasm of the people in the industry quickly converted me,” said Keese.”
In the first quarter of 1996, he participated in the development of the CIM curriculum that was led by national leaders of the concrete industry and then shepherded it through the University’s curriculum approval process and through the Tennessee Board of Regents. In February 2000, he became president of Rhodes State College and served in that role for six years. When he retired, concrete industry leaders approached him to join in the organization of the National Steering Committee with the purpose of expanding the CIM program to other areas of the United States.
According to Gene Martinaeu, President of the NSC, Dr. Keese played a major role in the advancement of CIM, including the expansion of the program to new schools. “The NSC has been very fortunate to have Earl’s leadership during the formative years of the program,” said Martineau. “He has been an unwavering champion of CIM and a great friend of the concrete industry. We are extremely pleased that he will continue to assist the NSC in our efforts to advance the program.”
Third Annual Auction To Be Held At the World Of Concrete
The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program will host its third annual auction, to be held at the World of Concrete on Thursday, Jan. 24 at noon in the North Hall Room N262 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Organizers hope the 2008 Auction is even bigger than the 2007 Auction, which raised approximately $500,000. In addition to the traditional auction items, a silent auction will occur in the North Hall this year. The money raised from the both the live and silent auctions will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the CIM Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University - Chico, as well as help fund future program expansion.
"The support from the concrete industry has been tremendous. Thanks to the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, Concrete Producer magazine, Concrete Construction magazine, McNeilus, International Truck, and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the 2007 auction helped raise valuable dollars that will benefit the CIM programs," said Brian Gallagher, Chairman of the CIM Marketing Committee. "We've added the silent auction component this year, which will allow us to offer even more items."
To date, the following companies have donated these big ticket items for the Auction:
McNeilus/International Concrete Mixer Truck
- Cemex 20 Truckloads of Cement
- Command Alkon-Batch Control Software
- Euclid Chemical Company Training, Admixture, and Fibers
- Holcim 10 Loads of Cement
- InfernoThem Water Heater
- Somero Laser Screed
- Color Admixture Measuring Colormaster™ System
from BASF Construction Chemicals
- ENR Full Page Ad
- Putzmeister America Portable Grout and Concrete Pump
- Schwing America, Inc. Mechanical Ball Valve Pump
Other items available through the silent or live auctions include concrete saws, drills, mixers, formwork, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, NASCAR Tickets, Indy 500 Tickets, Dallas Cowboy Tickets, sports travel packages, golf school packages, and vacation travel packages.
Those interested in making a donation should contact Wally Johnson at 713.499.6229 or wjohnson@us-concrete.com; Janice Tucciarone at 216-839-7016 or janice.tucciarone@basf.com; or Brian Gallagher at 410-850-7000 or bgallagher@structural.net.
To learn more, or to donate, an item visit: www.concretedegree.com/auction
Long-Range Plan For CIM Programs Being Developed
The CIM Long-Range Planning Committee, facilitated by Mike Shydlowski, recently developed a draft outline for a Long-Range Plan to support the growth and development of the CIM Programs. The initial draft plan is broken into six goals that support the vision and mission of CIM. The draft goals are as follows:
1. Identify the emerging market needs for CIM graduates nationally, regionally and possibly in Latin America, and ensure the network of institutions is sufficient to meet those needs. This will be accomplished through market research, development of a recruitment plan.
2. Build the brand value of the CIM program within the entire concrete industry and take steps to protect the CIM brand. This will be accomplished by defining CIM’s brand promise, standardizing the curriculum, gaining better representation from non-ready mix supporters, recruitment of new board members, determining the need for accreditation, tracking the career path of CIM graduates, ensuring the longevity of CIM professors/instructors as well as development of career placement services.
3. Determine the scope and outreach of the CIM Program. This will be accomplished by evaluating the need for a CIM Executive Master’s Degree Program as well as other continuing education programs, and then based on the identified need, development of such programs.
4. Use the CIM university network to conduct national research on a multi-region basis. This will be accomplished by identifying opportunities to collaborate on research projects and grants.
5. Create a process to determine the appropriate disbursement of NSC funds to support the CIM program. This will be accomplished by determining the money needed for a NSC contingency fund as well as the criteria as to how NSC funds should be dispersed and establish the necessary guidelines.
6. Determine the long-term viability, need and role of the National Steering Committee and a corresponding leadership succession plan. This will be accomplished by defining the roles and responsibilities and terms of office for the Executive Committee, Directors, National Steering Committee and an Executive Director.
The Long-Range Planning Committee will be sending out a semi-final draft of the Long-Range Plan to the NSC Board and Steering Committee for review. The Committee anticipates submitting the Plan for ballot at the January Meeting at the World of Concrete.
CIM Represented at NRMCA's Fall Conference and Expo
Students and faculty of the Concrete Industry Management Program at Arizona State University were on hand in late October at NRMCA's Fall Conference & Expo held in Phoenix. CIM Director Luke Snell, Program Coordinator Khara O'Connell and new faculty member Ed Weaver participated alongside their students in the education programs offered during the Conference. ASU CIM representatives also staffed the CIM Program booth during Expo hours, introducing the 500+ conference participants to the CIM programs available at all four institutions.