HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-11-26 Euless ArticlesNov. 13, 2013, 6:00 a.m. EST
U.S. Concrete's Central California Operations
Receive American Concrete Institute Award for
Work on Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall
Creative Concrete Strategies Employed to Address Unique Elliptical Shape
EULESS, Texas, Nov 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Central Concrete
Supply Co., Inc., a business unit of U.S. Concrete, Inc., and the leader in delivering low-CO2
concrete to the San Francisco Bay Area, announced that it received the Northern California &
Western Nevada Chapter American Concrete Institute (ACI) Award for Outstanding
Construction, Structural Category, at an ACI event held last night. This award recognized the
work performed by Central Concrete and concrete contractor Joseph J. Albanese, Inc., along
with general contractor Turner Construction Company and various design team members, for
Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall.
Team members for the Stanford University Bing Concert Hall included:
Ready Mix Supplier: Central Concrete Supply Co., Inc.
Concrete Contractor: Joseph J. Albanese, Inc.
General Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Structural Engineer: Degenkolb Engineers
Civil Engineer: Wilsey Ham
Architect: Ennead Architects
The Northern California & Western Nevada Chapter ACI Awards Ceremony and Dinner were
held in Pleasanton, Calif. Awards Chair Rich Vance, Lehigh Southwest Cement Co., hosted the
event. Accepting the award on behalf of Central Concrete was Dave Perry, vice president of
sales and marketing. Speakers included Dave Perry, Central Concrete Supply Co., Inc.; Stephen
Coates, Turner Construction Company; and Chris Zynda, Joseph J. Albanese, Inc.
Stanford's Bing Concert Hall, which opened on January 11, 2013, has won numerous awards for
its distinct design. The hall's unique ovoid form evolved from discussions with acoustician Yasu
Toyota. One of the key objectives was to accommodate unamplified musical performances. To
achieve that goal, Ennead Architects designed a tilted oval ceiling canopy suspended 47 feet
above the centrally located stage, creating a lower reverberation and richer, fuller sound. In
addition, concrete "sails," with their convex shapes dispersing the sound, enable the audience to
hear sounds coming from more than one direction.
Central Concrete supplied 7,500 cubic yards of concrete for the project, and the low-CO2 mixes
selected reduced the overall carbon footprint for the construction project by just over one million
pounds. "Central was honored to supply our low-CO2 concrete for this landmark project and to
work with such a strong team of technical designers and contractors," said Jeff Davis, vice
president and general manager, Central Concrete. "Audience members will be impressed by the
remarkable use of concrete in the Bing Concert Hall, in particular the stationary concrete walls
that look like billowing sails."
"Due to the Stanford Bing Concert Hall's architecture and acoustic requirements, concrete was
the only solution for its main structural features," said Stephen T. Coates, P.E. Turner
Construction Company. "The aggressive schedule and sophisticated architecture required
impeccable quality control. Joseph J. Albanese, Inc. and Central Concrete rose to the challenge at
every step of the way."
Stanford Bing Concert Hall's elliptical shell shape, along with its intricate secondary structural
system that supports the sails and cloud acoustical panels, presented one-of-a-kind challenges for
concrete contractor Joseph J. Albanese, Inc. To create the 12-inch thick concrete hall enclosure,
with its round radius, Joseph J. Albanese, Inc. developed a single-sided curved forming system
with a PVC clip screed rail using a process called wet-mix shotcrete. This process allowed the
concrete contractor to meet the tight 1/8 inch in 10 feet tolerance. In fact, scans of the project
revealed that the building was within 1/2 inch of location off GPS.
"Designers and builders, often marvel at the project's complexity and ask, 'how did they do
that?'," said Chris Zynda, shotcrete manager, Joseph J. Albanese, Inc. "We addressed the difficult
requirements with a team effort, led by our superintendent and foreman. Our forming and
shotcrete crews -- including finishers, laborers, and ACI-certified nozzlemen -- each brought
high degrees of qualifications and experience when constructing the Bing Concert Hall."
Emphasizing further the importance that Joseph J. Albanese, Inc. placed on teamwork
throughout the difficult build, CEO and President John Albanese, stated, "I'm proud of the way
our team rose to the challenge presented by the Bing Concert Hall and confronted it head on.
That mentality has been the foundation of our company's success for more than 58 years."
About Central Concrete
Central Concrete Supply Co., Inc., a business unit of U.S. Concrete, Inc., has been serving the
San Francisco Bay Area for more than 60 years. The company is recognized for engineering
higher-performing concrete than traditional concrete while significantly lowering carbon
footprints with its low-C02 mixes.
Unlike traditional concrete, Central Concrete's standard mixes deliver 50% or greater cement
replacement materials, thereby significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the project under
construction. Central Concrete is recognized for supplying its low-CO2 mixes to numerous San
Francisco Bay Area signature projects, including the Cathedral of Christ the Light Church,
Oakland; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco (world's greenest museum); NASA
Ames Sustainability Base, Mountain View (greenest federal building in the U.S.); David and
Lucile Packard Foundation, Los Altos (largest net-zero private office building in Calif.); the San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission headquarters (San Francisco's greenest office building);
the new Santa Clara San Francisco 49ers stadium; and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
With 12 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Concrete offers multiple points of
service to meet the diverse operational needs of its customers. For more information, visit
www.centralconcrete.com.
About U.S. Concrete
U.S. Concrete services the construction industry in several major markets in the United States
through its two business segments: ready-mixed concrete and aggregate products. The Company
has 105 fixed and 10 portable ready-mixed concrete plants and seven producing aggregates
facilities. During 2012, U.S. Concrete produced approximately 4.8 million cubic yards of ready-
mixed concrete and approximately 3.3 million tons of aggregates. For more information about
U.S. Concrete, visit www.us-concrete.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains various forward-looking statements and information that are based on
management's belief, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to
management. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
The Company disclaims any obligation to update these statements and cautions you not to rely
unduly on them. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements
regarding: the stability of the business; ready-mix backlog; ability to maintain our cost structure
and the improvements achieved during our restructuring; ability to maximize liquidity, monitor
fixed costs, manage variable costs, control capital spending and monitor working capital usage;
and the adequacy of current liquidity. Although U.S. Concrete believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that those
expectations will prove to have been correct. Such statements are subject to certain risks,
uncertainties and assumptions, including, among other matters: general and regional economic
conditions; the level of activity in the construction industry; the ability of U.S. Concrete to
complete acquisitions and to effectively integrate the operations of acquired companies;
development of adequate management infrastructure; departure of key personnel; access to labor;
union disruption; competitive factors; government regulations; exposure to environmental and
other liabilities; the cyclical and seasonal nature of U.S. Concrete's business; adverse weather
conditions; the availability and pricing of raw materials; the availability of refinancing
alternatives; and general risks related to the industry and markets in which U.S. Concrete
operates. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove
incorrect, actual results or outcomes may vary materially from those expected. These risks, as
well as others, are discussed in greater detail in U.S. Concrete's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including U.S. Concrete's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2012 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
CONTACT: Company Contacts:
Andrew Pinkerton
Marketing Communications, U.S. Concrete
apinkerton@us-concrete.com
817-835-2621
Anne Banta
Marketing and Communications, Central Concrete
anne@banta.org
office: 831-293-8008
mobile: 650-400-9673
The City of Euless Wants to Enforce
Towing Regulations, So Towers Are
Threatening to Sue
By Amy Silverstein Fri., Nov. 15 2013 at 8:00 AM
Amy Silverstein
For a moment, it seemed that one small suburb in north Texas was prepared to take on
the tow truck industry. It was less of a crackdown and more of an "education campaign,"
according to Euless Police Department Lieutenant E.J. Starnes. The police were
concerned that apartment complexes had made it too easy for tow truck companies to
come in and take residents' cars away.
A police spokesman sent an email to apartment managers, asking them to come to a
meeting to learn about local towing laws. "Please forward this to all of the other
managers and do your best to get full attendance," the email said. The police would
even provide free lunch.
News of the meeting did not go over well with the towing industry, which promptly
threatened to sue the city.
James Mosser, a Dallas-based attorney who represents tow truck companies, sent the
city a letter on November 8.
"You have ignored my telephone calls and have not returned my telephone calls,"
Mosser wrote to Euless City Attorney Wayne Olson before getting to the meat of the
matter:
Any attempted enforcement of the Euless city ordinance Sec. 90-93. and Sec. 90-96,
will be met with legal action, because it is a violation of federal law. Each of the
following ordinances are in violation of 49 U.S.C. 14501. You should know this. Your
staff should know this. You should inform the City of this fact. You should return your
telephone calls....Your staff has no idea what I am talking about. So again please call
me. As I have told your staff and the City of Euless if you do not discontinue your
unlawful enforcement of the above reference ordinances I will seek injunctive relief,
sanctions, and monetary damages.
Reached by telephone, Mosser accuses Euless of violating federal laws regulating
interstate commerce. "One of the issues is that when property managers get threatened
by the city, they put towing on hold," Mosser says. He says he threatened the lawsuit
after a client of his, Excalibur Towing, called him and said that a wrecker driver had
been getting hassled by Euless Police Department officers, though Lieutenant Starnes
says he has no record of that.
The police department, Mosser adds, is trying "to intimidate the apartment complexes
so they won't hire the towing companies."
All of this of course suggests that there's a pretty cozy relationship between apartment
complexes and tow truck companies, an issue we've written about a lot. Mosser more or
less denies that his client gives kickbacks to landlords, but adds: "If I did know, I
wouldn't tell you."
The whole Euless towing fight was triggered by -- what else -- an angry apartment
resident. James Barr had been living at the Westdale Hills apartment community for
less than three weeks when he got a warning sticker from Metro Parking Solutions.
There was nothing wrong with the way he was parked. The tow truck company actually
just had an issue with the mechanics of Barr's car. More specifically, his inspection
sticker was out of date. Barr forgot about the notice until he woke up early on October
25 and found that his car was missing.
He paid $473 at a lot 10 miles away to get the car back, and then he got some legal
advice from Pat Johnson, the former tow truck company owner who now blogs about
predatory towing. Johnson described Barr's case on his website, and both men got in
contact with Lieutenant Starnes.
It turned out, Metro had violated a few local rules: Tow trucks in Euless aren't supposed
to take a car to a lot that's more than three miles away. Also, someone from the actual
Westdale apartment complex was supposed to sign the tow slip before Metro took
action.
"These towing laws change. And they are very confusing and they are extensive.
There's just a lot to learn," says Kathy Riggins, an administrative assistant at Westdale
Asset Management.
After hearing the complaints, it occurred to Starnes that other apartment complexes
might not be following the rules, which have been in place since 2012. So he scheduled
that informational tow law meeting. "We need to inform our apartment complexes, 'Hey,
this is what the ordinance says, make sure that y'all are in compliance with our
ordinance.'"
On Thursday, city officials were still figuring out what to do about Mosser's legal threat,
and the meeting was canceled. The Euless Police Department still plans to enforce the
ordinance until they are ordered otherwise from the City Attorney's office, Starnes says.
Meanwhile, Metro Parking Solutions was supposed to send a $473 refund to Barr, but
that check appears to have vanished.
"The money was left at the office where he lived," says Scott Gorby, the General
Manager at Metro Parking Solutions. The Westdale leasing office says they can't
comment on that. Barr says he's still out $473.
"I haven't gotten anything back," Barr tells Unfair Park in an email. "The battle is just
beginning."
U.S. Concrete Prices $200 Million of Senior Secured Notes Due
2018
November 19, 2013 18:30 | Source: U.S. Concrete
EULESS, Texas, Nov. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Concrete, Inc. (Nasdaq:USCR)
(the "Company" or "U.S. Concrete") announced today that it has priced an offering of $200
million aggregate principal amount of its 8.500% senior secured notes due 2018 (the "Notes") at
an issue price of 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes. The Notes will mature
on December 1, 2018, unless redeemed in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The
Notes were offered to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain non-U.S. persons pursuant to
Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offering of the Notes is expected to close on
November 22, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Notes will be senior secured obligations of the Company and will be guaranteed on a senior
secured basis by the existing and future subsidiaries of the Company that guarantee obligations
under its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Facility") or that
guarantee certain other indebtedness of the Company or certain of its subsidiaries. The Notes
and the guarantees will be secured by a first-priority lien on certain of the Company's and the
subsidiary guarantors' assets and by a second-priority lien on the Company's and the subsidiary
guarantors' assets that secure the Revolving Facility on a first-priority basis. The assets which
secure the Notes on a first-priority basis will secure the Revolving Facility on a second-priority
basis.
U.S. Concrete intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay all of the outstanding
borrowings under the Revolving Facility, to redeem or otherwise retire all of its outstanding
9.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2015, and for general corporate purposes. The Company has
sent a conditional notice of optional redemption to the Trustee for its outstanding 9.50% Senior
Secured Notes due 2015. The redemption is subject to certain conditions, including the
consummation of this offering or another financing that provides net proceeds sufficient to
redeem the 9.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2015 in full. If the conditions are not satisfied,
then the notice of optional redemption will be rescinded.
The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and
may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or
an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor
shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state
or jurisdiction.
About U.S. Concrete, Inc.
U.S. Concrete services the construction industry in several major markets in the United States
through its two business segments: ready-mixed concrete and aggregate products. As of the
date of this press release, the Company has 105 fixed and 10 portable ready-mixed concrete
plants and seven producing aggregates facilities. During 2012, these plant facilities produced
approximately 4.8 million cubic yards of ready-mixed concrete and 3.3 million tons of
aggregates. For more information on U.S. Concrete, visit www.us-concrete.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains various forward-looking statements and information that are based
on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available
to management. These are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the
date of this press release. U.S. Concrete disclaims any obligation to update these statements
and cautions you not to rely unduly on them. Although U.S. Concrete believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no
assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. These forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially, including the possibility that the offering of the Notes will not close or the redemption
of the 9.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2015 will not be redeemed or that the anticipated
benefits from such activities, events, developments or transactions cannot be fully realized or
the possibility that costs or difficulties related thereto will be greater than expected. Should one
or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual
results may vary materially from those expected. Additional risks affecting U.S. Concrete are
discussed in greater detail in U.S. Concrete's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission; including U.S. Concrete's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2012 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended
September 30, 2013.
Matt Brown, SVP & CFO
U.S. Concrete, Inc.
817-835-4105
Teen killed attempting to cross Euless
highway
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
ramirez@star-telegram.com
A 15-year-old Bedford teen died from injuries he suffered Tuesday evening when he was hit by a
vehicle as he attempted to cross a Euless highway, Euless police said Wednesday.
The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office identified the boy as Amari Darby of Bedford
who died at 10:19 p.m. Tuesday at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.
The incident was reported at 6:10 p. m. Tuesday in the 3000 block of W. Euless Boulevard in
Euless.
A witness said Darby, who turned 15 on Saturday, ran onto the highway when he was hit by a
vehicle in the westbound lanes of the highway. The motorist stopped after hitting the teen.
Darby was taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital H-E-B in Bedford then taken by
helicopter to the Fort Worth hospital.
No charges are pending against the driver, Euless police said Tuesday.
Darby was in the eighth grade at Central Junior High School in Bedford where he played all
sports, said Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district spokeswoman Judy Ramos on Wednesday in an
email.
Counselors are at the school to work with students who need to talk to someone as they deal with
this tragedy, Ramos said.
Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763 Twitter: @mingoramirezjr
U.S. Concrete Announces Closing of $200 Million of Senior
Secured Notes Due 2018
November 22, 2013 16:15 | Source: U.S. Concrete
EULESS, Texas, Nov. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Concrete, Inc. (Nasdaq:USCR)
(the "Company" or "U.S. Concrete") announced today the closing of its offering of $200 million
aggregate principal amount of 8.500% senior secured notes due 2018 (the "Notes") at an issue
price of 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes. The Notes mature on December 1,
2018, unless redeemed in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The Notes were offered
to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under
the Securities Act.
The Notes are senior secured obligations of the Company and are guaranteed on a senior secured
basis by the existing and future subsidiaries of the Company that guarantee obligations under the
Company's senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Facility") or that
guarantee certain other indebtedness of the Company or certain of its subsidiaries. The Notes and
the guarantees are secured by a first-priority lien on certain of the Company's and the subsidiary
guarantors' assets and by a second-priority lien on the Company's and the subsidiary guarantors'
assets that secure the Revolving Facility on a first-priority basis. The assets which secure the
Notes on a first-priority basis secure the Revolving Facility on a second-priority basis.
U.S. Concrete used a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to repay all of the outstanding
borrowings under the Revolving Facility and to redeem all of its outstanding 9.50% Senior
Secured Notes due 2015. U.S. Concrete will use the remaining net proceeds from the offering for
general corporate purposes.
The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may
not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor
shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state
or jurisdiction.
About U.S. Concrete, Inc.
U.S. Concrete services the construction industry in several major markets in the United States
through its two business segments: ready-mixed concrete and aggregate products. As of the date
of this press release, the Company has 105 fixed and 10 portable ready-mixed concrete plants
and seven producing aggregates facilities. During 2012, these plant facilities produced
approximately 4.8 million cubic yards of ready-mixed concrete and 3.3 million tons of
aggregates. For more information on U.S. Concrete, visit www.us-concrete.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains various forward-looking statements and information that are based on
management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to
management. These are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the
date of this press release. U.S. Concrete disclaims any obligation to update these statements and
cautions you not to rely unduly on them. Although U.S. Concrete believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that those
expectations will prove to have been correct. These forward-looking statements are subject to
risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, or that the anticipated
benefits from such activities, events, developments or transactions cannot be fully realized or the
possibility that costs or difficulties related thereto will be greater than expected. Should one or
more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results
may vary materially from those expected. Additional risks affecting U.S. Concrete are discussed
in greater detail in U.S. Concrete's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
including U.S. Concrete's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012
and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2013.
Matt Brown, SVP & CFO
U.S. Concrete, Inc.
817-835-4105
Texa s Health H-E-B breaks ground on cancer
center
Posted Friday, Nov. 22, 2013
By Jim Fuquay
jfuquay@star-telegram.com
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital H-E-B broke ground Friday on a freestanding cancer
center, which is expected to open by next fall.
Partnering in the $6 million, 38,000-square-foot facility are Texas Oncology, a cancer physicians
group, and Cambridge Holdings, a real estate developer. The facility, to be named Texas Health
HEB Cancer Center, will be at the northeast corner of Hospital Parkway and Tibbets Drive,
south of the main hospital.
The hospital’s current Edwards Cancer Center opened in 1990 within the hospital, said Deborah
Paganelli, president of Texas Health H-E-B. That facility was built with heavy shielding to
accommodate the linear accelerators that deliver radiation treatments, which will slow its
conversion to other uses, she said.
All cancer care at the Edwards center will move to the new facility, as will services delivered at a
Texas Oncology office in a separate building on the hospital campus. Thirteen Texas Oncology
physicians will work out of the new center.
Texas Health H-E-B, which opened in 1973, has 276 beds, Paganelli said.
Jim Fuquay, 817-390-7552 Twitter: @jimfuquay