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Tuesday, 24 July 2007 00:00
When the ribbon is cut, it will fall to a floor of concrete. When visitors tour the $20 million facility, First Wausau Tower at First and Scott streets, they will tread on the material that serves as the backbone to it all.
About 8,000 total cubic yards of locally produced high-strength concrete, from County Materials, form each of the 11 stories, as well as the I-shaped sheer wall that runs up the core of the building. That’s more than the 6,000 cubic yards that County Materials supplied to the McCleary Bridge on 17th Street, and is enough to fill the infield at Athletic Park to a height of 26 feet.
“We had to anticipate with each lift; and pour, lift, strip and jump (to the next floor),” said Dan Carl, who oversaw the concrete pours for Miron Construction, one of the building’s initial tenants. “We always tried to stay two floors ahead of the steel work going on behind us. So we needed trucks there about every 10-15 minutes, and County Materials was able to do that.”
Some 80 percent of the building’s space has been leased, and its first tenants already have moved in. With its adjustable, open concept, window views are available to most of those inside. While those who happened to pass the construction site were able to check on the progress of the project with their own eyes, Miron Construction kept a visual record with a Webcam trained on the site at http://mironconst.oxblue.com/cam1/.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569.
Monday, 23 July 2007 00:00
DeKALB – As the Illinois Department of Transportation improves its tollway, contractors have chosen County Materials’ reinforced concrete box culverts to lie at the heart of it all.
The project at Interstate 88 and Peace Road will entail adding liner-loop ramps and expanding two automatic toll plazas to two lanes. This included making the toll plazas I-PASS-ready, which meant placing 5 miles of fiber-optic cable and fiber-optic toll-collection equipment. Other features of this roadwork include widening of crossroad approach pavement, erosion and sedimentation control, and building ramp infields and detention ponds.
To those ends, Rockford Blacktop Construction Company, out of Loves Park, is installing 306 box culverts from County Materials, each 12 feet wide by 5 feet high and 6 feet long. These precast structures will help divert water through and around the project.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569.
Monday, 02 July 2007 00:00
ASHWAUBENON – A local retail center garnered national acclaim when the Village at Bay Park retail center became a National Winner in the 2006 Excellence in Construction Award released recently by Associated Builders and Contractors.
County Materials, which has locations in Green Bay and Appleton, provided more than 40,000 units of concrete masonry to the five-building, 90,000-square-foot facility. Of the total, 31,400 units of block serve as the facility’s backbone, while 10,270 pieces of splitface masonry comprise the façade.
Masonry, in a custom red, comprises the majority of the bumped-out anchor spaces at either end of the buildings. This gives the buildings the traditional look of a high-texture brick. Single courses of a sandy-hued custom brown serve as accents through the field of red block. The same color trims the top of the facility.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007 00:00
MINNEAPOLIS – Some local companies have collaborated on an interesting answer to the 
question of where to put a retention pond when there’s no room on site; go underground.
That’s what Veit Companies did with more than 1,500 linear feet of gasketed concrete pipe from County Materials in Roberts, Wis. Veit is constructing a network of 672 linear feet of 96-inch diameter pipe that will aid in redirection and filtration of stormwater runoff for American Iron on Pacific Street. In addition to the pipe, County Materials’ Roberts facility is supplying numerous sizes of precast manhole units.
“It’s going good,” said Eric Antil, who is overseeing the project for Veit. “We worked with them (County Materials) on customizing all the different sizes.”
The 96-inch pipe will hold 1.2 feet of standing water at any given time, helping solid sediment settle out. After the water passes through an extensive filtration system, 24-inch pipe will carry it into the Mississippi River, which borders the site. About 600 linear feet of 36-inch pipe will help step down from the 96-inch to the 24-inch pipe.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Thursday, 07 June 2007 00:00
Young architects will get a helping hand in their aspirations thanks to a $1,000 donation by County Materials to the Wisconsin Architects Foundation in early May. The gift was presented in a special breakfast prior to the American Institute of Architects’ annual state convention held May 16-17 at Monona Terrace in Madison.
The WAF, established in 1953, aims to raise awareness of architecture through funding of architectural education. County Materials has helped the WAF provide scholarships to architecture students and grants for programs. The WAF has awarded more than $325,000 in scholarships to architecture students around the state, established a School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and restored the Joseph J. Stoner House in Madison, a National Landmark that also is the headquarters for the WAF and the AIA’s Wisconsin branch office.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569
Friday, 01 June 2007 00:00
Soon the sound of hammers and power tools will fall silent, giving way to the shuffle of curious visitors who will be touring the Wausau Area Builders Association Parade of Homes.
The annual showcase, which will be held June 5-10, is a Super Bowl of sorts for area homebuilders, as well as local manufacturers such as County Materials, who will be represented at 25 of this year’s 26 homes in the tour. County Materials, with locations in Wausau, Weston and Marathon, is a leading supplier of concrete masonry construction and landscaping products in the Midwest, and has been actively involved with the Wausau Parade of Homes for many years.
“It’s the smartest marketing thing we’ve done,” said Scott Ohrmundt of John Ohrmundt Construction in Wausau. “We sell five or six houses a year off the Parade.”
The Ohrmundts have two entries this year, both in Kronenwetter; a condominium (No. 13 on the tour) and a house on Seville Road (No. 12) that features County Stone® Old World Tumbled veneer in a decorative pattern on the garage gable, as well as framing around the garage door and living-room window. The light-colored concrete units provide the aesthetics of hand-cut stone at a lower cost, and complement the brick that comprises the façade.
The tour of each abode begins outside, so driveways such as the one on Green Vistas Drive (No. 16) will stand out. Vistas at Greenwood Hills, the builder, used tumbled Vintage Lexington Stone® pavers for the driveway. This flows into steps of Fairbrooke™ Paving Stones and walkways of Lexington. Both styles of concrete pavers are manufactured by County Materials and comprise a patio of more than 1,000 square feet in back. County Materials also supplied Cultured Stone® manufactured stone veneer for the piers and bumpouts across the front of the 5,000-square-foot home.
Cultured Stone brings a natural element to some of the homes, such as No. 20, on Miles Lane in Ringle. Joey Ninneman, of Joey D. Ninneman Construction Inc., covered the front of the 2,800-square-foot home in a darker blend of the stone’s color, which mixes well with the hue of the home’s wooden accents.
“We knew it would be sitting in the woods, so we wanted a rustic elegance,” Ninneman said. “The Cultured Stone matched the colors around the home.”
One of the most innovative uses of concrete on the tour won’t even be readily visible. Tim Koch, of Tim Koch Builders LLC in Weston, used 1,225 square feet of County Materials’ Hollowcore Roof & Floor Systems as a floor for a garage in his Parade Home on Evergreen Road. This provides additional, and affordable space beneath the garage, which measures 35 feet square, to be used as a workshop.
“It has hydroponic, in-floor heating, too,” said Koch, who also incorporated geothermal heating into the structure. “These days, people are really looking for alternative sources of heating and cooling.”
Prospective home owners will find classic style with budget-friendly appeal in Heritage Collection® Designer Concrete Brick, which adorns Reedy Builders’ entry – No. 14 – on Lexington Court in Wausau. The beautiful concrete brick from County Materials enhances the façade of the 2,500-square-foot home that includes Cultured Stone on the top half.
“We get 3,000 to 4,000 people coming through,” Chris Reedy said. “It means a lot for our exposure. This is my community; this is where I live, this is where I’m from.”
For more information on the Parade of Homes, visit www.wausauareabuilders.com.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569
Friday, 01 June 2007 00:00
Architects from around Wisconsin got to exercise their creativity at the 76th annual AIA Wisconsin Convention & Expo on May 16-17 in Madison. Three designers, and County Materials, came away winners.
The American Institute of Architects show’s theme, “Palimpsest: Reclaim. Recycle. Renew.”, inspired a contest at County Materials’ booth. Of more than 150 booths, County Materials won a blue ribbon as the top display for the third straight year. Dozens of architects participated, and each was asked to form as many new words as possible, in 2 minutes, from the word “Palimpsest,” which is a parchment that has been erased in preparation for new writing.
Joe Sokal, of the Department of Administration/Division of State Facilities in Madison, took the top prize by forming 20 new words. Jennifer Cihasky of Becher Hoppe Associates Inc. of Wausau was second, and Matt Hildebrandt of Potter Lawson Inc. in Madison took third.
“County Materials’ personnel is always fabulous,” judges stated. “They always have uncluttered space, and their use of elements created interactive communication between booth personnel and folks who were visiting.”
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569
Friday, 25 May 2007 00:00
MADISON, Wis. (May 25, 2007) – Architects know style when they see it. And visitors to the American Institute of Architects’ Wisconsin branch office on Hamilton Street in Madison will see plenty of it between the building and its garden area.
County Materials, a longstanding associate member of AIA Wisconsin, donated 2,000 clay pavers to the Joseph J. Stoner House, which is home to the branch office of AIA Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Architects Foundation. The pavers comprise pathways connecting the historic house with outdoor garden areas.
The two-story Italianate structure was built in 1855 from indigenous sandstone. It was listed as a Madison landmark in 1973 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Madison Newspapers Inc. donated the house to the WAF in 1983. While the house fell into disrepair prior to this, one condition of the gift was for the WAF to move the house 100 feet and perform a historically sensitive reconstruction of it, which was finished in 1984.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Thursday, 12 April 2007 00:00
WOODBURY, Minn, (April 12, 2007) – Girders lead not just from one side of an expanse to another; in at least one case they’ve led to an award.
Associated General Contractors-Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Transportation have bestowed a Bridge Award in the $1.5 million to $8 million category for the Valley Creek Road bridge across I-494. County Materials supplied 32 of its 63M-model girders, each 121 feet long.
Aesthetically, the bridge includes a brick veneer and weathered limestone concrete form liner to replicate the look of the Woodbury City Hall complex nearby.
Progressive Contractors Inc. of St. Michael, and subcontractor Lunda Construction of Black River Falls, Wis., collaborated on the project, which included innovative A + B language and was completed within the 100-day time period specified in the contract.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Wednesday, 14 March 2007 00:00
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| Marawood Construction Services of Marshfield, and Lewis Construction of Schofield, poured more than 4,000 cubic yards of concrete from nearby County Materials for the exterior and interior surfaces of Mid-State Trucking Services. Mid-State won a Concrete Design Award from the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association for its 25,800-square-foot facility, on the south side of US 29 just west of Wausau. |
Stevens Point, Wis. (March 14, 2007) – Mid-State Trucking Services has rolled to honors from the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association. The WRMCA bestowed a 2006 Concrete Design Award on the Wausau company, which was nominated by County Materials, in January at SentryWorld in Stevens Point.
County Materials supplied nearly 4,000 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete for the 25,800-square-foot office-and-maintenance facility. It sits on a 3.5-acre lot along Highway 29 on the west side of Wausau. The 28th annual competition showcases the best uses of ready-mix concrete in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Just when Ben Vance of Marawood Construction Services and Steve Lewis of Lewis Construction thought they had figured out all the logistics needed to get hustling on the tight schedule required by the company, they made a startling discovery once work began on the site.
“We got out there and found we had to raise the whole site about 2 feet because of the location of the utilities,” Vance said. “We had two trench drains (inside), so it was critical to get the slope right.”
This was after 1,000 feet of footings and 750 feet of wall already had been poured.
But both Marawood, of Marshfield, and Lewis, of Schofield, finished under deadline. The building features seven triple-deep bays with in-floor heating and drains. It also includes 750 pieces of rebar and a 3,000-square-foot mezzanine that serves as the parts department.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
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