May 2020
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Concrete Industry Management eNews
CIM receives award for Outstanding Contribution to Industry from ACI
The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program is pleased to announce it has been recognized by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) for outstanding contribution and dedication to the concrete industry. On March 10, 2020, ACI announced that it has awarded CIM with the Henry C. Turner Medal for notable achievements in, or service to, the concrete industry. "W e are extremely pleased that ACI has recognized CIM with the prestigious Turner award," said Eugene P. Martineau, Executive Director of the National Steering Committee for CIM. "ACI plays such an important role in the advancement of the concrete industry. For ACI to recognize the CIM program, whose mission is to develop future leaders of the concrete industry, is a true honor."
Click here to view a list of all ACI awardees. 
CIM Program Releases Annual Report
The CIM program is pleased to announce the release of the 2018-2019 annual report. Compiled by the NSC, the report was distributed recently at World of Concrete.

Highlights of this year's CIM annual report include:
  • Committee Reports (Education, Marketing, Recruitment, Auction, Finance)
  • Institutional reports from all CIM programs
  • MBA program update
  • Profiles of CIM students, graduates and faculty

"The CIM annual report is a testament to the dedication and effort of the CIM program leaders, faculty and students," said Brian Gallagher, chairman of the CIM Marketing Committee. "The quality and amount of activity completed by the CIM faculty and students is very impressive." For more information about the CIM program and to view the annual report,  click here.
CIM sets records at 2020 Auction at World of Concrete
The National Steering Committee (NSC) for CIM set a new record, raising more than $1.2 million in gross revenue at its annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

“The 2020 World of Concrete Auction was our best ever,” commented Ben Robuck, CIM Auction Committee Chairman. “This year’s auction was a tremendous success, both in terms of the value of donated items and the number of attendees at the Auction. The results are indicative of the high value the concrete industry places on the CIM program.”

The 2020 CIM Auction featured a Mack® Granite ® Boost-A-Load mixer donated by Mack Trucks, Inc. and equipped with a McNeilus® FLEX Controls™ Bridgemaster® mixer. Other big ticket items included an S-485 laser screed donated by Somero Enterprises, Inc., a Load and Go Ready Mix Truck Wash® system donated by Shumaker Industries, a 2020 ROXOR off road vehicle donated by Mahindra Automotive North America and a HiPer VR base/rover with data collector software donated by Topcon Positioning Systems.
 
Read more about the auction here .  
CIM MBA student receives ACI scholarship
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation recently announced its 2020-2021 fellowship and scholarship recipients. We are pleased to note that Daniel Peabody, a student of the CIM Executive MBA program, was awarded the Schwing America Scholarship . All Scholarship recipients receive a $5,000 educational stipend.

To view all the ACI Foundation Fellowship and Scholarship recipients, click here.
Experiencing the concrete industry beyond the classroom
One of the many benefits of the CIM program is that students get an expanded view of the concrete industry by traveling to conferences and association meetings affording them the time to network and expand their knowledge outside the classroom. In the past few months, students from our CIM programs attended the National Precast Concrete Association’s (NPCA) The Precast Show in Fort Worth, Texas (March 5-7) and CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, Nevada (March 10-14). 
CIM University News
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Chico State CIM featured in Graniterock newsletter series
Chico State’s CIM program is the focus of a three-part series of articles in Rock.Paper.Scissors., a newsletter by California-based construction materials and contracting company, Graniterock. The March edition featured part one in a series of articles that look at Chico State's concrete industry management program. The first article “How one California university is shaping concrete industry’s future” shows how the 14-year-old program works and the people building it from the ground up. Part two of the series will highlight students preparing for a career in concrete and part three will feature a CIM graduate carving out his career at Graniterock. Click here to read the first article. 
Ataie Named Associate Professor
Feraidon Ataie, Ph.D. has recently been named Associate Professor. Dr. Ataie received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Kobul University in Afghanistan and later earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Kansas State University. At Kansas State, Dr. Ataie continued his research on concrete materials as a post-doctoral research associate. He started his first semester with the CIM Program at Chico State in the fall of 2014. Congratulations Dr. Ataie!
Chico State CIM program holds Virtual Spring Career Fair
Given the the current situation in which all Chico State students are finishing their spring semester online, the Concrete Industry Management program hosted a Spring Virtual Career Fair on April 22 and 23 via Zoom. The goal is to connect patrons and partners with current students seeking internships for the upcoming summer as well as full-time employment following graduation in May. 
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MTSU holds Spring Interview Day
To give more options and accommodate more employers, the Spring Interview Day was split into halves this semester. The morning accommodated 16 employers to meet with students about internships in speed interviewing rounds. These companies talked with 44 students resulting in a total of 348 9-minute interviews! Since then, employers have made fifteen offers to students, some are still working through details and seven students have committed to summer work due to the event. In the afternoon, some companies stayed, and a few new companies moved in to connect with seniors regarding career positions. This new portion of the day saw an increase over the year prior with 29 seniors interviewing 65 times with 13 companies. The employers all commented on what great quality the candidates were. This format of event really helps some students shine and the ability for students to learn and talk with up to nine companies in a couple hours allows for companies to really sell their opportunities, culture, projects or geography to entice the students.  
MTSU Classes and Socials Go Virtual
With COVID-19, all MTSU has gone virtual. Courses are using online platforms to record lectures, host online Q&A sessions, and deliver class materials and assessment. MTSU has also hosted two socials in an online format in an attempt to connect employers with students for future opportunities. Brasfield & Gorrie, General Contractor out of Birmingham, AL spoke live via Zoom to 44 current students. Lithko Contracting sent a presentation including videos on opportunities with their company to share with students. Overall students seem okay moving to an online format, the comments have mostly been challenges in capstone courses as well as balancing online time for courses and work.  
CIM Patrons' Spring Meeting and Jim Speakman Memorial Golf Tournament
Due to COVID-19, the annual MTSU CIM Jim Speakman Memorial Golf Tournament has been postponed until the fall. The date in September is yet to be determined. 
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NJIT Students Attend and Compete at The Precast Show
On March 4-7, 2020, four NJIT CIM students attended The Precast Show hosted by National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) in Fort Worth, Texas. Mohamed Abdelrahman, Mohamed Hassan, Louay Serour, and Nikolaos Benyamin went to the convention to network with industry leaders and learn more about the precast industry. These students also competed and finished in first place in the second annual NPCA Student Design Competition. One of our students, Mohamed Hassan, also competed in the Project Precast competition and finished in second place. Congrats to these students for all their hard work!
NJIT's Kelly O'Brien Receives 2020 Weatherton Award at World of Concrete
To highlight CIM’s success in developing young industry professionals, in 2015, World of Concrete established the Weatherton Award, established to honor Bob Weatherton and his many contributions to the concrete industry. Each year during World of Concrete, students from the CIM program are invited to present information on their industry-based internships, applied research participation and conclusions from capstone class work. Again this year, the presentations were judged by a panel of industry professionals.

The award, along with a $2,500 scholarship, was presented to New Jersey Institute of Technology student Kelly O'Brien on Feb. 5 at CIM’s National Steering Committee meeting.   Congratulations Kelly!
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Texas State CIM Submits ATMAE Self-Study Report
The CIM program at Texas State has submitted its accreditation self-study report to the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). To be accredited, a program must demonstrate the program's plans, goals and objectives for students to be successful in the industry once they graduate. The self-study report is a qualitative assessment of the strengths and limitations of the program, including the achievement of program and institutional objectives. Texas State is the first CIM program to apply for ATMAE accreditation and we hope for a successful result this fall when the ATMAE board meets to accredit new programs.
Texas State Welcomes New Recruiter to Staff
The Texas State University CIM program recently welcomed Recruiter and Marketing Coordinator Christina Luna to our staff. Christina joined our program on March 23. Specializing in communication and strategic planning, our goal is to have Christina create an effective recruitment and marketing strategy that will increase student awareness and student enrollment in the CIM program. Welcome Christina!