Steel-Bridge Group Reorganizes, Plans to Grow Market

The Chicago-based National Steel Bridge Alliance has announced a reorganization that balances its mission between marketing activities to promote the use of steel bridges, legislative activities and technical support for bridge designers, owners, and fabricators.

Under the reorganization, the NSBA will continue its regional activities and will also integrate its technical activities into the Steel Solutions Center of the American Institute of Steel Construction, of which the NSBA is a division. The Steel Solutions Center is a source for technical information and conceptual solutions for the steel construction industry.

“During the past six years, the NSBA has spent an increasing amount of its resources on legislative action,” adds Jack Klimp, chairman of the NSBA executive committee and general manager of Cianbro Fabrication and Coating Corp. in Pittsfield, Maine.

Database Identifies Green Building Products

The Alexandria, Va.-based Construction Specifications Institute recently unveiled GreenFormat, a Web-based database of green-product information. The resource is accessible at www.greenformat.com.

GreenFormat provides a standardized framework for identifying the sustainable properties of building products. The free service reportedly offers an unbiased approach to evaluating green-product information. Results are downloadable.

LEED requirements are among the standards referenced within GreenFormat’s search to help searchers achieve their green project goals.

CSI is offering manufacturers a free one-year subscription of product listings on GreenFormat for a limited time.

To enter products into the database, building-product manufacturers complete an online questionnaire that collects sustainable information about their products. Sustainability claims are verified by relating questions to compliance with standards and certifications.

PCA Names Chicago Sustainable Leader

Chicago was named a sustainable leader by the Portland Cement Association, which named local leaders in eight cities who have enacted policies or completed projects that promote sustainable development through the use of concrete and other cement-based products.

Chicago was recognized as a leader in sustainability policy for supporting and incentivizing green economic development by implementing a number of programs including Green Alley Program, Chicago Green Homes and the Green Roof Grant Program.

Mayor Richard Daley and Sadhu Aufochs Johnston, chief environmental officer, were named as the recipients.

The seven other winners were outside the Midwest.

Indy’s Potts to Lead Road Building Group

Charles Potts, a Midwesterner, was recently elected chairman of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Potts is CEO of Indianapolis-based Heritage Construction & Materials.

Four others from the Midwest were elected to positions in ARTBA

• Senior Vice Chairman, Larry Tate, product manager, Caterpillar Inc., Decatur, Ill.;
• Central Region Vice Chairman, Ken Aldridge, CEO of Aldridge Electric, Libertyville, Ill.
• Vice Chairman At-Large, Larry Lair, vice president of Traffic Safety Systems Division, 3M, St. Paul, Minn.
• Vice Chairman At-Large, Jim Connell, group president, Energy Absorption Systems, Inc., Chicago.