Last week’s groundbreaking ceremony for Foxconn Technology Group’s new manufacturing facility in Mount Pleasant, WI officially marked the start of construction, however County Materials Corporation has already been hard at work manufacturing and delivering reinforced concrete pipe that is being used to build a storm water management system on the 2.2 million sq. ft. campus. In total, County Materials will manufacture and deliver more than five and a half miles of concrete pipe from three of the company’s Wisconsin-based manufacturing plants including, Rib Falls, Green Bay and Madison.  The Rib Falls facility distributed the first four truckloads during the week of June 11^th, 2018.

On June 22^nd, 2018 Governor Scott Walker visited County Materials’ Marathon, WI headquarters to recognize the company for its involvement in the project. “County Materials right here in North Central Wisconsin creates high-quality concrete and construction products that will be used to build Foxconn’s state-of-the-art manufacturing campus. I thank County Materials for participating in this historic project,” said Governor Walker.

“We take pride in being a Wisconsin-based supplier and family-owned company selected as the supplier of reinforced concrete pipe and precast products for the massive Foxconn development” said County Materials president, Tim Sonnentag. “Because of the project’s scale and schedule, several of our Wisconsin facilities will be manufacturing and delivering pipe throughout this year. Our team is working very hard and partnering with Hoffman Construction to ensure we meet project deadlines.”

County Materials employs a team of nearly 1,500 people in more than 40 locations and six states. Its products are utilized in infrastructure, transportation construction, commercial, agricultural, municipal and residential building and landscaping projects of all sizes. In addition to concrete pipe and precast products, other regional product divisions include ready mix and aggregates, hollowcore, prestress bridge girders, and numerous masonry and landscape lines.

County Materials is proud to be a Major Sponsor of this year’s Warbird Rendezvous at Central Wisconsin Airport. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, which provides Central Wisconsin veterans with the trip of a lifetime to visit Washington D.C. Last year’s event sent six veterans on an honor flight to see the memorials built in their honor. This year’s event will take place at the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, WI on July 25^th, 2018 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public with funds raised through generous sponsors, sales of Warbird Rendezvous merchandise during the event and meal donations. All proceeds will go to the Never Forgotten Honor Flight. The Warbird Rendezvous at CWA is a fly-in for military and vintage aircraft. This year, Central Wisconsin Aviation anticipates support from an F-16 unit out of Duluth, MN, C-47 planes that will fly from the EEAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, and T-6 Texans.

This July 4^th, County Materials thanks all those who served and are currently serving our nation in the armed forces.

To learn more about this event and how you can help support it, visit: https://www.facebook.com/warbirdrendezvous

Customers in Northern Wisconsin can call County Materials Corporation’s Central Dispatch at 715-845-2100 for your Ready-mix needs.

County Materials Corporation is building a new ready-mix plant in Rhinelander, WI, that is expected to open in late August. The new plant is part of improvements County Materials planned following its acquisition of the ready-mix division of Musson Brothers, Inc. in Rhinelander, Wis. in December 2017. Along with County Materials’ existing locations in Tomahawk and Hazelhurst, Wis., the Rhinelander plant positions the company to better serve customers in Northern Wisconsin, including Rhinelander, Eagle River, Sugar Camp, Three Lakes, Laona and Crandon.

When the Rhinelander plant is complete, County Materials will supply integrally colored ready-mix, fiber reinforcement, self-consolidating concrete, flowable fill, lightweight concrete, decorative stamping supplies and small amounts of readily available concrete block, decorative masonry and landscape units. County Materials currently serves Northern Wisconsin with reinforced concrete pipe and precast structures, and our full line of masonry and landscaping products.

County Materials is committed to providing ready-mix customers with the highest quality products and services that meet industry standards and exceed expectations. County Materials is a family-owned, American-based manufacturing company and leading source for concrete construction and landscape products. Headquartered in Marathon, WI, the company was founded in 1946 and has grown into a diversified organization that supplies products for growing communities.

Students in Wausau East High School’s new Carpentry and Residential Construction and Advanced Manufacturing classes are getting the most out of their education with the help of concrete product donations from County Materials Corporation. After both Wausau West and Wausau East High Schools opened new career and technical facilities last year, the schools were looking for ways students could learn construction skills and become more involved in the district and community. Wausau East students partnered with Creative Design of Aniwa WI, along with the Wausau Builders Association and County Materials Corporation to construct baseball dugouts at their school.

Students from Wausau East began building two dugouts last spring and have plans to build two more during the 2018-19 school year. County Materials has donated ready-mix, concrete masonry units, mortar and other materials necessary to make these projects a possibility. Students designed the plans for the dugouts and worked alongside professional masons from Creative Design to learn hands-on skills that the construction industry values. The first two dugouts will be finished in the fall.

County Materials is a strong supporter of construction skills training offered by high schools, technical trades courses, and community organizations where the company has locations. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, 70 percent of construction companies across the country are having difficulty finding qualified workers. County Materials is dedicated to closing the skills gap by giving students the opportunity to have hands-on experience in the construction and manufacturing industries. County Materials works with school districts to educate students that construction and manufacturing offers high demand and good paying career options, and students can take advantage of hands-on learning opportunities like this to get valuable skills training and join the industry right out of high school.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker held a press conference at County Materials Corporation’s Head Quarters Facility in Marathon, Wis. on June 22^nd, 2018. Governor Walker thanked County Materials for its involvement in the Foxconn Technology Group’s new manufacturing facility in Mount Pleasant, WI. Several County Materials pipe manufacturing facilities will manufacture and deliver concrete pipe and precast structures to build storm water management systems on the Foxconn Technology Group’s 22-million-square-foot manufacturing facility. County Materials Corporation was one of 28 Wisconsin-based companies announced as a supplier for Foxconn Technology Group.

Concrete pipe is a preferred industry choice for storm water management because of its exceptional durability, long lifespan, and high performance. County Materials’ pipe and precast components will be a fundamental part of Foxconn’s framework for utilities and infrastructure.

“We take pride in being a Wisconsin based supplier and family owned company specified for this historic project,” said County Materials president, Tim Sonnentag. “Our commitment to continuous improvement, technological advancements and trusted responsiveness has led to County Materials playing a pivotal role in the growth and development of our nation’s infrastructure.”

County Materials employs a team of nearly 1,500 people in more than 40 locations and six states. Its products are utilized in infrastructure, transportation construction, commercial, agricultural, municipal and residential building and landscaping projects of all sizes. In addition to concrete pipe and precast products, other regional product divisions include ready mix and aggregates, hollowcore, prestress bridge girders, and numerous masonry and landscape lines.

Professional engineers and aspiring construction management students are gaining valuable industry knowledge during plant tours hosted at County Materials Corporation’s precast and prestress manufacturing facility in Roberts, WI. In the months of March and April 2018, County Materials hosted tours for engineers from the City of Woodbury, and from Bolton & Menk and WSB and Associates.  Additionally, 42 students from the University of Wisconsin Stout’s Building and Construction Management program visited the facility on two occasions.

During the engineers’ tour, County Materials demonstrated the advantages of T-Lock lined concrete pipe, and how to perform welding and field maintenance.  T-Lock lined concrete pipe incorporates a PVC inner liner during the manufacturing process. Set into the concrete prior to curing, the liner and pipe perform as a single product to resist both exterior loads and corrosion from storm water. Many engineers in the region are unaware that maintenance and repairs for high density polypropylene (HDPE) stud lined pipe, an alternative to T-Lock, is costlier and can often take longer to accomplish because HDPE certified welders are hard to come by in Minnesota. Often, contractors must hire certified welders from outside of the state.

The student tour focused on the manufacturing process of reinforced concrete pipe and how products manufactured at County Materials’ Roberts facility are used in communities across the country. “This tour was an opportunity to show future graduates what the precast concrete industry is all about and how it positively impacts our communities through the variety of products, services and jobs we offer,” reflected Carlos Villarreal, Location Manager in Roberts, WI.

County Materials frequently hosts tours for students, community representatives and industry professionals at the company’s production facilities to increase awareness about concrete product manufacturing and the advantages of using concrete products in the construction industry.

Angel De Jesus, PE, Technical Resource Engineer at County Materials Corporation’s Astatula FL, pipe manufacturing facility, presented engineering fundamentals and the importance of specifying rigid pipe over flexible pipe at a technical presentation for industry engineers. The June 6^th event was hosted by the Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the East Central Florida Chapter of the Environmental & Water Resources Institute.

De Jesus emphasized the importance of storm water pipeline systems in infrastructure for communities, and the performance expectations those communities deserve. His focus was on the difference between rigid and flexible conduits, such as reinforced concrete pipe versus polypropylene pipe, and the significant negative economic implications that are created when flexible conduits collapse or a washed away.

De Jesus is a professional engineer registered in the state of Florida since 1994. His specialty is in pipe materials manufacturing, design and installation. He is also a specialist in the practice of post installation assessment of pipelines. De Jesus provides technical resources and services for contractors and state engineering firms and assists in conducting construction engineer inspections of storm water pipelines.

For more information on the difference between reinforced concrete pipe and polypropylene pipe download our RCP vs Polypropylene Know the Facts tech-sheet.

County Materials Corporation recently hosted two plant tours with a total of 25 staff members from the City of Madison Engineering Department in attendance. The tours took place at County Materials’ concrete pipe manufacturing facility in Madison WI, giving engineers valuable knowledge of the production processes and quality control testing for reinforced concrete pipe they specify for storm water management systems in their city.

The tour began with a short presentation about County Materials’ more than 70-year history, followed by a safety demonstration. Before entering the plant, the engineers were given a detailed description of the ASTM C76 specifications that County Materials’ reinforced concrete pipe meets. In addition to concrete pipe manufacturing, the engineers also saw testing processes for compression strength and absorption.

“Hosting tours of this type helps educate those making the decisions in infrastructure projects about the extreme quality control and testing we due prior to shipping to a site,” said County Materials Technical Resource Engineer, Brian Kolden, P.E. “Understanding the details that go into making reinforced concrete pipe, and the strict strength tests it can endure, demonstrates why RCP is an inherently strong material, and a better choice for our communities than alternative materials such as pipe made with polypropylene.”

County Materials is a leading supplier of reinforced concrete pipe, and a supporting member of industry associations, including the American Concrete Pipe Association. The company was recently named as an RCP supplier for the large-scale Foxconn Technology Group project in Mount Pleasant, WI.

County Materials Corporation is pleased to congratulate all of the architects, masons and suppliers who were recognized during the 2018 Wisconsin Masonry Alliance Excellence in Masonry Awards ceremony. The event, held on May 10^th, 2018, at Monona Terrace, in Madison, WI, named project winners based on exemplary design, inspiring material usage, and quality construction. Two winning projects were supplied by County Materials.

St. Francis Civic Center, designed by Bray Architects, was recognized in the Best of Concrete Masonry Category. The civic center is clad in Heritage Collection™ Designer Concrete Brick in Tuscany Villa Blend and County Stone® Masonry Units in Sage. Concrete masonry was an easy choice for the center, which houses the community’s police and fire departments, historical society, city administration, common council chambers and a municipal court room. Concrete masonry offers the building high resistance to fire, rot and weather, all at an affordable cost.

County Materials also supplied construction materials for The Keystone apartment complex, designed by Engberg Anderson Architects, which won in the Best of Clay Masonry Category.

The Wisconsin Masonry Alliance is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of masonry construction throughout the state. The Excellence in Masonry Awards is one of the many efforts of the Wisconsin Masonry Alliance to present and recognize the sustainability, structural strength and aesthetic benefits masonry can offer Wisconsin. County Materials is proud to be recognized as a supplier for two of this year’s exceptional projects.

Photo provided by: Bray Architects

Building a career in the construction industry will be more attractive and available to more students than ever at Fond du Lac High School when the new Construction Career Academy opens its doors this fall. Dozens of local businesses, including County Materials Corporation are making the 6,000 sq. ft., $1.5 million facility a reality. County Materials will be donating 9,000 concrete masonry units for the academy’s construction.

With more than $450,000 of community donations in place, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Construction Career Academy took place on April 18^th with an anticipated completion date in November of 2018. The school’s trades program has already grown from 44 students last year to 78 this year. With the new facility, the school’s goal is to attract 400 of their 2,200 students to the architecture, construction or engineering trades that will be offered.

The need for this program is possibly higher than ever with the manufacturing and construction industry facing an ever-widening skills gap that is causing a large labor shortage across the United States. According to SkillsUSA there are 600,000 skilled jobs, such as construction, manufacturing and technician positions, that are currently going unfilled. The same report found that 83% of companies are reporting a moderate to serious shortage of skilled workers. The Fond du Lac High School’s program will offer insight into all phases of construction including job shadowing and site visits. These opportunities will give students many of the experiences and skills needed for the fulfilling and well-paying jobs available in manufacturing and construction.

County Materials is dedicated to supporting local high schools, technical college trades courses, and other community organizations where the company has locations. The company is helping close the skills gap by teaching students about the many competitive wage and high demand careers available in the manufacturing and construction industry.

We congratulate Ezequiel Araujo, Plant Laborer 2, out of Roberts, Wis., who was selected to receive the 2018 first quarter Leadership Award.

Ezequiel is the first of four team members in 2018 who will be recognized with a framed certificate, signed and presented by company president Tim Sonnentag during an on-site social hosted by the company. Our organization extends our warmest congratulations for receiving this prestigious and deserving award.

Ezequiel was selected by the Leadership Team to be recognized for his exemplary achievements and efforts in one or more of our company’s five Leadership Commitments: Teamwork, Motivation, Leadership, Accountability and Integrity.

“Ezequiel has one of the best attitudes in the plant. He is one of the first guys to get involved with a job and one of the last to leave a project when it’s over,” said Kiel Voeltz, Prestress Production Manager, and Ezequiel’s immediate supervisor.

“I have two families. One is in my home, the other is in the hollowcore home. When facing problems, we work together. I want to keep working here until my last day.”

Looking to build a career in manufacturing? Visit www.workatcounty.com to see openings in your area.

Every year the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce hosts the Business Day at the Capitol, which provides local companies the opportunity to meet with their legislators and discuss issues facing their industry. On April 18, 2018 more than 800 business leaders gathered in Saint Paul, MN for a day of education and networking.

County Materials Corporation was represented by Carlos Villarreal, Location Manager for the Roberts, Wis. precast and prestress manufacturing facility. Villarreal met with several state representatives and a state senator and used this time to discuss the significant lifecycle and installation differences between plastic pipe and concrete pipe, and how these differences may impact a community’s infrastructure and storm water management systems. Currently, the concrete pipe industry is educating engineers and local decision makers about the efforts of plastic pipe producers at the national level to create “open competition” laws that would require engineers to include plastic pipe in every storm water project bidding process. Villarreal also explained how concrete pipe manufacturing contributes to many local jobs and businesses in the construction industry.

“To my surprise, some legislators were already fully aware and informed that plastic pipe and concrete pipe are not equal, and that installation is completely different,” stated Villarreal. “Some other legislators were not aware of these issues, which is why it is important to continue promoting the industry. It is in the best interest of the state and local communities to support the concrete pipe industry.”

County Materials frequently hosts plant tours for industry leaders and decision makers to demonstrate the concrete pipe manufacturing process and the strength testing that takes place before pipe leaves a facility.

The responsibility for maintaining the integrity of our communities’ infrastructure and the long-term fiscal well-being of our public-sector should rest in the hands of design engineers, not local politicians or procurement officials. As a member of the American Concrete Pipe Association, County Materials joins with other concrete pipe manufacturers who are challenging current legislation that may negatively impact the ability of qualified design engineers to choose the right storm water pipe based on which materials comply with required specifications. Learn more by reading the article below, authored by Branimir Kovac, Vice President at Thompson Pipe Group.

Is the Engineer's Right to Choose in Danger?

The plastic pipe industry has been engaging in a campaign aimed specifically at promoting so-called “open competition” in the process for procurement of water pipelines. For example, the PVC Pipe Association has lobbied the federal government to include so-called “open competition” language in any upcoming infrastructure legislation. A letter was sent to this effect to every member of Congress last year. The reasoning goes that such a move improves value for money, reduces the “monopoly” of traditional materials, etc. The claim is made that decision-makers try to preserve the status quo because they’re wary of change. The cure, this line of reasoning continues, is to throw open the bidding to other materials — in this case, plastic pipe. Claims have even been made that some decision-makers may be guilty of cronyism, simply including their friends in the bidding process to the exclusion of others.

A Trojan horse

So, what’s wrong with open competition? Are engineers conspiring to fool the American taxpayer by putting their collective thumbs on the scale and shut the plastic pipe industry out of the bidding equation? In fact, there are no “closed competition” laws. Materials used in infrastructure projects, like all products purchased by the public sector, are in almost all cases chosen in an open bidding process. However, the products that are included in the bid must comply with required specifications in order to be considered. These specifications, in the case of water pipelines, are defined by qualified engineers.

Plastic is much cheaper than precast concrete, but, of course, you wouldn’t want a highway overpass to be made of plastic. Standards and specifications protect those of us who will use the infrastructure as well as the dollars invested by taxpayers. The effort to convince lawmakers of the benefits of “open competition” is, in my view, a Trojan horse. The goal is to have plastic pipe included in every pipe bidding process, including drainage pipe, sewage pipe and other applications. Since purchasing officers or political entities may be responsible for evaluating all bids, plastic pipe has a reasonably good chance of winning a specific bid, as plastic pipe is often cheaper than the other options because overall life-cycle costs and future liabilities are not factored into the bid.

Where does the buck stop?

When things go wrong, the design engineer may be partly held responsible — even judged legally liable — for failures that result from bad material choices. And despite the claims of the plastic proponents, things can sometimes go badly wrong. I live in California in an area that was seriously damaged in last year’s wildfires. I remember reading reports from our fire departments of instances where vital water pressure was lost because of melted plastic water lines. Also, damage to plastic drainage pipes increased the risk of delaying first responder operations and public evacuation routes, as well as the likelihood of mudslides once the fires had abated and the rainy season began.

Local authorities — and the federal government — are subjected to regular procurement oversight, which is specifically designed to expose cronyism. The “open competition” legislation that lobbyists are pressing for, both at the federal and the state levels, is simply trying to address a problem that doesn’t exist. Instead, the goal of the lobbyists is to further the interests of the companies they represent: the manufacturers of PVC and HDPE/PP pipe.

Full disclosure

I’m an engineer and manager working for a company that manufactures pipe of many sorts: steel, concrete, reinforced polymer and fiberglass reinforced pipe. For many years, I’ve worked with pipe specifications and assisted local utilities and others in providing the right pipe for the right application, based on the appropriate engineering specification. I have no real problem with plastic pipe as such. I believe that there are applications where plastic pipe is probably the best option. However, I firmly believe that it’s the responsibility of the design engineer to choose the right pipe based on their own professional opinion, not the job of local politicians or procurement officials.

Congress has previously included a provision requiring “open competition” for culvert pipe in the 2005 surface transportation reauthorization, SAFETEAU-LU. This provision caused so much confusion that Congress reversed its decision in the next reauthorization bill, MAP-21. The 2012 MAP-21 law ensures that state engineers have the RIGHT TO CHOOSE the type of pipe material to be used for federally-funded culverts within their borders.

The opponents of “open competition” often cite life-cycle cost as an important consideration when choosing pipe. To my way of thinking, there’s nothing wrong with this. However, it’s important to bear in mind that plastic pipe, because it’s not a load-bearing structure, will incur additional installation cost and maintenance costs that far exceed those of rigid pipe materials that are structures in their own right. When these additional costs are included in the equation, the apparent procurement benefit of lower initial costs becomes less attractive. There are cases here in the U.S. of rigid concrete pipe systems that are more than 100 years old and still in service.

I firmly believe that design engineers must be allowed to exercise the expertise and experience they have so painstakingly acquired and serve their communities in the way they know best, by taking full responsibility for pipe material selection. By allowing political bias and commercial considerations to affect engineering decisions, we risk allowing high-priced lobbyists and other interests to endanger the integrity of our infrastructure and the long-term fiscal well-being of our public sector.

In this matter of pipeline material selection, this “open competition,” while sounding like an improvement, is in fact a chimera. Are we opening Pandora’s Box?

---Article by Branimir Kovac, Vice President, Thompson Pipe Group

County Materials Corporation hosted US Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA, 2^nd District) along with multiple industry leaders for a tour at the company’s Iowa City, IA pipe and precast manufacturing facility. Other attendees included Materials Engineer and Legislative Liaison from the Iowa Department of Transportation, Concrete Pipe Association of Iowa producer members, the ACPA Regional Engineer and the NUCA of Iowa Executive Director.

The tour was part of the Concrete Pipe Association of Iowa’s continued efforts to educate public leaders on the dangers of “open competition” legislation that would remove an engineer’s discretion and experience when selecting materials. In a 2017 letter to congress, the American Concrete Pipe Association stated their concern over materials preference legislation that, “under the guise of promoting ‘open competition’—seeks to legislate technical decisions related to pipes and other materials that should be made by licensed engineers and local communities.”

During the tour, County Materials provided a safety presentation and overview of the importance of concrete pipe and precast structures in building long-lasting and durable infrastructure. County Materials then demonstrated manufacturing of reinforced concrete pipe and a variety of precast structures produced by the Iowa City facility. County Materials is a leading manufacturer of concrete pipe in Iowa. The company has received recognition on several occasions for community involvement, most recently with a Gazette 2017 Business Excellence Award for the company’s efforts in emergency flood prevention in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Concrete pipe has a reputation as an inherently strong material for storm water management. Unlike plastic pipe, precast concrete pipe is a rigid construction material that is tested to withstand extremes. The Army Corps of Engineers suggests a design life of 70-100 years for concrete pipe, which is twice as long as other materials. The concrete pipe industry strongly advocates to state and national officials about the strength and longevity of reinforced concrete structures and about the important role they play in water management in American communities. County Materials further supports this industry-wide effort by frequently hosting tours for construction professionals and public leaders, as well as welcoming student tours to learn more about careers in manufacturing and construction industry.

County Materials Corporation is one of 28 Wisconsin-based companies recently named as a supplier for Foxconn Technology Group’s new 22-million-square-foot manufacturing facility planned for construction in Mount Pleasant, Wis.

County Materials pipe facilities in Wisconsin will manufacture and deliver concrete pipe and precast structures used to build storm water management systems on the project’s 787 acres of land. Hoffman Construction Co., of Black River Falls, has begun bringing in earth-moving equipment to prepare for excavation work and installation of the pipe and precast structures. A ceremonial ground breaking is expected in the next couple of months.

Concrete pipe is a preferred industry choice for storm water management because of its exceptional durability, long lifespan, and high performance. County Materials’ pipe and precast components will be a fundamental part of Foxconn’s framework for utilities and infrastructure.

“We take pride in being a Wisconsin based supplier and family owned company specified for this historic project,” says County Materials president, Tim Sonnentag. “Our commitment to continuous improvement, technological advancements and trusted responsiveness has led to County Materials playing a pivotal role in the growth and development of our nation’s infrastructure.”

County Materials has its headquarters in Marathon, Wis., and employs a team of nearly 1,500 people in more than 40 locations and six states. Its products are utilized in infrastructure, transportation construction, commercial, agricultural, municipal and residential building and landscaping projects of all sizes. In addition to concrete pipe and precast products, other regional product divisions include ready mix and aggregates, hollowcore, prestress bridge girders, and numerous masonry and landscape lines.