The PCI Difference

When you work with Mid-States Concrete, you are working with a PCI Certified Plant and PCI Certified Erector.

Why is this important? PCI Certification is more than audits and documentation. It is based on comprehensive expertise. For more than 50 years, PCI has set the standards and developed the knowledge for the design and construction of precast concrete structures, according to PCI.

PCI's Plant Certification Program ensures that the plant has developed and documented in-depth, in-house quality systems based on time-tested, national industry standards. Once a year, the plant undergoes two unannounced audits, in accordance with the standards published in PCI's quality-control manuals.

PCI's Certified Erector program complements the Plant Certification program. It calls for precast components to be erected to the exacting standards expected by owners, developers, architects, and contractors. Each crew of a PCI Certified Erector is audited twice each year.

The PCI Certification program was developed and is updated by a team representing all industry stakeholders. It is backed by PCI's network of committees, research and development, education, codes and standard initiatives, and integrated programs and relations throughout the industry, according to PCI.

Contact Mid-States early in the design phase, and we can provide input on architectural options, efficient sizes and shapes, value-engineering options, connection systems and more - all achieved with quality precast concrete. Plus, using quality products leads to more efficient field operations, which can prevent schedule delays. Quality control ensures that pieces are properly identified and delivered and fit together properly.

By maintaining our PCI Certification, we ensure that our precast concrete components are manufactured and installed according to stringent industry standards.

A Lesson Learned

Help push the car out of the mud? Easy, I thought.

The photo to the left says otherwise.

On Easter Sunday, my family and I gathered at my parents’ house. With about ten cars, parking was tight, so we utilized some of the grassy areas near the driveway.

After a dinner of salad, ham, ribs, corn, green beans, baked potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, potato salad (I’m just now realizing what a potato-heavy meal this was) and three desserts to choose from, we all wanted nothing more than to head home, slip into some sweatpants, and fall into a food-induced sleep.

We began our good-byes and car after car filled with people, pulled off the grass and into the drive, and headed home.

There were just a few of us left when it came time to pull the Mustang into the drive and return it to its garage parking space. With 20+ people coming for dinner, the garage had been cleared of vehicles, cleaned up nicely and set with several banquet tables and folding chairs. The pink tablecloths were a nice touch, very Spring-like.

My dad got behind the wheel of the Mustang and hit the gas. Wheels spinning, the car wasn't moving.

My grandpa, two brothers and I made our way out into the grass, lining up at the rear of the car. It was awfully wet. I guess it did rain on Saturday night. I had to kick-off my flip flops to avoid slipping. How embarrassing would it have been to slip and bounce my face off the trunk of the car?

With four of us pushing, you’d think it would be a pretty easy job, right? It was. It took us only a couple minutes to get the car out of the mud.

But I learned a valuable lesson that night. When pushing a car out of the mud, you never line up behind a wheel. My Easter ended with me covered head-to-toe in mud, my family all around me laughing. How was your Easter?

Discover High Performance Precast

Precast concrete is a high performance material that integrates easily with other systems and inherently provides the versatility, efficiency and resiliency needed to meet the multi-hazard requirements and long-term demands of high performance structures.

Choosing precast concrete during the design build process can provide a multitude of architectural, construction and design benefits. Whether you are designing commercial structures, residential structures, parking garages or another type of structure, consider precast concrete as your building material of choice.

Versatility
Precast concrete provides excellent versatility in aesthetics, structural design, and use. Precast concrete provides a number of architectural benefits. It comes in almost any color, form, and texture, and can also be veneered or embedded with natural materials. It can also be utilized as the primary structural system saving material, time, and money. Precast concrete can also provide greater open spans by reducing the number of interior columns thereby increasing flexibility in the use of the floor space.

Efficiency
Precast concrete provides efficiency in use of materials, construction, and operation. Precast concrete is the fastest building system available and minimizes negative effects at the project site. Precast also provides a very thermally efficient and almost maintenance free envelope that helps reduce overall life-cycle costs. Precast concrete has been used in a variety of projects focused on sustainable design due in part to its efficiency benefits.

Resiliency
Precast inherently provides a high level of resiliency which protects against multiple hazards such as fire, severe storms, explosions, and even earthquakes. Precast also does not contain any VOCs or provide a food source for mold which helps maintain a healthy indoor environment. It is also a great sound insulator and can help maintain more uniform indoor temperatures thereby improving occupant comfort.

~ Information provided courtesy of PCI.

Training a Team of Leaders

What happens when you train an entire company to be leaders? That’s what Mid-States aims to find out.

The company currently has 10 people enrolled in leadership training based on John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, led by Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Preconstruction.  Olivotti is certified by Maxwell to teach the program.

John Maxwell is the top leadership expert in the world. He has written more than 70 books and spoken to millions of people on the subject of leadership and what it takes to become a great leader. One of the things Maxwell is known for saying is “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

The Mid-States group meets once each week and training lasts for 11 weeks. After the first introduction week, it covers two chapters of the book at each session. The goal is for everyone to not only understand what good leadership is, but also to empower them to become great leaders.

“The dream is to have every employee go through it,” Olivotti said.

Leadership skills are useful at work, home and in all aspects of life. Really, the course will help members of the Mid-States team develop not just into leaders, but the type of leaders people want to follow.

“We’re learning that the more we grow our people, the more fulfilled they are,” Olivotti said. “The better they are at home, the better they are at work. It’s contagious.”

The training offers a common language in which to discuss leadership. The laws help people identify deficiencies, discuss them and, ultimately, correct them, making for a more positive company culture.

Olivotti is a firm believer that people want leaders who believe in them and want to help them achieve their goals. This training program will help create that kind of leader here at Mid-States. Among some of Olivotti’s favorite chapters to study are: The Law of Respect, The Law of Picture (people do what people see) and The Law of Victory (leaders find a way for the team to win).

“Leadership is defined as influence,” Olivotti said. “Nothing more and nothing less. We want to give our people opportunities to influence people in a positive way.”

The training sessions also allow the team to get to know teammates they might not get to interact with on a day-to-day basis and incorporates plenty of participation. The group is very candid in discussions, leading to insightful, open, and productive dialogue.

Now, you can’t have a company full of leaders and no followers, so the course also teaches participants how to be better followers. Through the training, participants learn to understand what other leaders are trying to accomplish and help them understand what they need to do to support these leaders.

Some of us will lead at work. Some of us will lead at home. Some of us will lead our kid’s soccer team. The important thing is we all lead by example.

The Total Solution for the Structural Engineer

Structural engineers report no difficulty in learning to design with total precast concrete systems. They also benefit from the material’s ease of use and efficiency.

Lateral design flexibility: Combining architecture and structure provides efficiencies in many buildings’ lateral support systems. External elements, typically cladding-on-steel or concrete-framing systems, can become laterally stiff and resist wind and earthquake forces. Parallel efforts by the precast engineer can provide the structural engineer with specific input ahead of final construction document preparation, limiting shop-drawing review effort and redesign.

All-in-one components: Total precast concrete systems allow the architectural panels to serve structural functions, limiting the need to incorporate multiple materials and trades. For instance, spandrel panels support floor systems and windows while providing final exterior finishes. Or sill panels are used as grade beams, retain soil, support windows and provide the architectural exterior finish, avoiding complex cladding systems. Combining exterior spandrels into the structural system provides deeper elements, limiting deflections and the complexities of designing for relative movements between frame and cladding system. Precast cores support floor systems while providing secure and fire rated enclosures for elevators and stair functions.

Comprehensive drawing: A total precast concrete system ensures one-stop shopping for the core/shell design. One source can design and supply the entire system, generating a better coordinated set of drawings that allows construction to proceed more efficiently. It eliminates the added effort needed to coordinate various trades when using mixed systems controlled by different supplies.

Easy handling: Site construction moves smoothly because no special equipment or techniques are required to transport or lift combined structural and architectural components. These types of activities often can require additional structural review and exposure.

Concrete systems mean success. The benefits offered by total precast concrete systems accrue to the owner, architect, general contractor and structural engineer’s bottom lines – and ultimately benefit the end user. The system provides an efficient design, cost effectiveness and a strong, durable appearance that will maintain its image throughout a long service life.

Key Benefits:

• Speed to market

• Design flexibility

• Aesthetic versatility

• High quality

• Low maintenance

• Environmentally-friendly

• Strong engineering support

• Single-source supplier

-  Information courtesy of PCI.