Thin brick with precast wall panels

Clay product-faced precast concrete gives architects the flexibility to combine the pleasing visual appearance of traditional clay products with the strength, versatility, and economy of precast concrete. Among the types of materials that can be embedded in the precast is thin brick. Thin brick can cover the entire exposed panel surface or only part of the concrete face, creating accents.

The brick appearance is created by using a brick form liner to hold the thin brick in place while the concrete is cast. The embedded thin brick, once cleaned, will give the final appearance of a traditionally laid, full brick wall.

Mid-States has provided precast for many projects requiring thin brick, like Glenview Village Hall in Glenview, Illinois, pictured above. This was an addition to the existing Glenview Police Department, so thin brick was used to match the existing building.

If you are interested in thin brick for your next project, contact us today.

Project Designer Kristen Heiser Down 50 Pounds

The Heiser household has lost more than 100 pounds since March.

Kristen Heiser, a project designer who has been with Mid-States since Jan. 2007, joined Weight Watchers on March 16, 2017. Her husband, Jake, joined a few weeks earlier. After watching her husband participate in Weight Watchers, Heiser said it just made sense for the two of them to do it together for meal planning, exercise, and support purposes.

Through Weight Watchers, the two have learned to make better choices about food, and the family – including the couple’s five-year-old son Kyle and Border Collie Mix Bella – now take a walk together every night before or after dinner. Plus, Heiser walks about 1.2 miles on her lunch break every day.

“We spend more family time together now, going on walks,” Heiser said.

As of August 14, Heiser had lost 50 pounds and is down two clothing sizes. Her husband is down 51 pounds. The two wear Fitbits and compete with others in a step challenge. They recently gave their son a Fitbit as an early birthday present because he wanted to compete, too.

Kyle has become curious about food choices as well, comparing two foods against each other, and asking his parents about the points associated with foods.  The couple try to teach Kyle about making better choices and balancing the good with the bad.

To change their food choices, the family has changed the way they look at food. For example, when it comes to eating out, the value meals the family used to order had more points in one meal than they should have all day. Clearly, they no longer eat out this way.

And where the family had previously relied on processed or prepackaged foods for meals, the Heisers have gotten pretty good at buying fresh and using seasonings to get the flavors they like.

Heiser has also tried to cut out sweets, but she loves to bake. So, she allows herself one piece and then brings the rest to work, where she knows everyone else will enjoy it. She has also cut her pop consumption and drinks mostly water now. What Heiser loves is that she can have as many fruits and veggies as she wants and they are zero points but fill her up.

Heiser can see the weight loss in her face and feel it in her legs. She also had to tighten the wristband of her Fitbit, though it had never really occurred to her that you could lose weight in your wrists. And the health benefits have been great, too. Heiser finds that she has more energy now. She added that ever since she got pregnant with Kyle, she has experienced some sort of health issue. Moving has helped with that.

“I want to be active with Kyle,” Heiser said. “I don’t want to be the mom who sits on the sidelines. I want to play with him.”

Although Heiser has made great progress, her goal is to lose another 40 to 70 pounds. Where does this goal come from? Well, if she loses another 40 pounds, she will be under 200 pounds. If she loses another 70 pounds, it will put her close to her high school weight.

Heiser weighs herself every day and logs it into her Fitbit. She weighs in weekly with the Weight Watchers app. And Heiser has learned that if you have one bad day, you don’t give up.  Every day is a new day to get back on track and continue making better choices. With that kind of attitude, Heiser is sure to meet her goal.

“Once I lose the weight, I plan to keep it off, not just go back to the ways things were, but maintain this new lifestyle,” Heiser said.

Therapy Dog Cheers Up Kids, Seniors

It was on a visit with his grandma at an assisted living facility that Matt Keith first encountered therapy dogs.

After that visit, Keith, a project lead at Mid-States, who has been with the company since Feb. 2015, decided to learn more about therapy dogs. He already had a one-and-a-half-year-old black lab, Fenway, who he adopted from the Freeport Humane Society. A calm dog, most of Fenway’s initial training was done at home, by Keith.

When it came to therapy dog training, much of the training was actually handler training. Keith went through weeks of training, a mix of fundamental, basic dog, and therapy dog training. It also educated Keith on how to pick up on cues from Fenway, to familiarize with hospital equipment, role-playing for the hospital environment and coaching on safe dog handling in health care facilities.

Keith began taking Fenway, now seven-years-old, on visits to hospitals in 2014. He has visited several area hospitals; Willow Park Senior Center, where his grandma resided; and Provena Nursing Home, where his grandma moved after Willow Park. The two made visits about once per quarter through 2016.

Most of Keith’s visits were with seniors in assisted living or nursing homes, some with special needs. His visits with children were often with children with special needs, or children being treated for cancer.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Keith said. “It tears at your heartstrings.”

But, he added, the fact that these visits can brighten the days of those going through a tough time is especially humbling.

On these visits, Keith and Fenway visited with as many people as possible. While the kids love to hug and hang on to Fenway, the seniors love to just let Fenway sit with them while they pet and talk to him.

As much as those in the hospitals and other facilities love to visit with Fenway, it can be a little bit stressful for Keith as the handler.

“You are providing for these people and that makes you feel good, but you are also responsible for the dog,” he said.

In addition to Fenway, Keith also has a two-year-old German shepherd name Shea at home.  Though Shea doesn’t quite have the temperament of a therapy dog – she is still a puppy after all – Keith would like to get Fenway back into area hospitals and facilities in the near future.

Learning to See the World Differently

When you are the parent of a child with special needs, sometimes you just need to learn to see the world a little differently.

At least that’s what Mid-States Concrete Accounting Manager Bob MacDougall has learned. MacDougall, who has been with Mid-States since April 2017, is the father to three wonderful children - Madden, Grayson, and Bowen - two of which have special needs.

It all started with MacDougall’s oldest son, Madden. When Madden was about two-and-a-half years old, MacDougall and his wife, Ereka, noticed some speech and development delays. With early intervention programs, the MacDougalls got Madden the help of both an occupational therapist and speech therapist. While Madden, now eight, still receives speech therapy, thrives on a schedule, and is extremely shy, he is doing quite well with the help the family has received.

While the family was caring for Madden’s needs, they had a second son, Grayson. When Grayson was about six- to eight-months old, the two noticed he was a quiet baby, but didn’t think much of it at the time. Grayson reached the toddler ages and still wasn’t really talking. Knowing kids develop differently and again, maybe Grayson was just a quiet kid, the couple weren’t completely alarmed, but did keep an eye on it. Then, when they noticed Grayson was extremely sensitive to loud noises and would seek out sensory stimulation though peripheral movement such as lining up his cars along the table and running past them while looking at them out of his peripheral, and watching go-cart races at the race track with his head turned and looking out his peripheral as well, the couple knew they needed to get him evaluated.

Unfortunately, Grayson’s signs of Autism were not recognized until it was too late for early intervention programs. However, he was evaluated in time to qualify for preschool programs at Simon Elementary School in Winnebago, Ill., the MacDougall’s hometown. Grayson began receiving speech and occupational therapies at Simon as well as at SwedishAmerican Pediatric Therapy. In addition to his therapy services, Grayson also has an Autism service dog named Jeb. Jeb is an 11-month-old black lab who is trained to help Grayson in times of sensory needs such as lapping, which is where Jeb will lay across Grayson’s legs to provide body pressure which helps Grayson regulate during emotionally difficult moments. All Grayson has to do is sit down and Jeb will come lay across his legs. Jeb also provides a service of safety in that Grayson can be tethered to Jeb while out in public and busy places. Jeb is trained to stay by Grayson’s parents’ side and serve as an anchor to keep Grayson from running off. Jeb has also helped Grayson in ways that the MacDougalls have noticed improvements in his speech, gained independence and self-regulation. Jeb will attend school with Grayson this fall to ensure his days run smoothly.

Both MacDougall and his wife have done a considerable amount of research into autism, learning to see the world through Grayson’s eyes, and are staunch advocates of autism awareness, though they are aiming for more than just awareness.

“It’s not just awareness,” MacDougall said. “You want to push the understanding.”

For example, at times, Grayson has a hard time regulating his emotions and the way his senses make his brain feel. So, if Grayson is having a tough time at the grocery store, to an outsider who isn’t familiar with Autism, it can just look like a kid having a tantrum and being a brat. But, for someone who understands Autism, they know Grayson is just having a hard time in that moment and might need some help from mom or dad with regulating his emotions.

“It took us a long time… to be able to recognize how to parent and when to parent to help him regulate and get him what he needs and to know when he’s just being a kid,” MacDougall said.

Parenting a child with Autism has its challenges, and it can be exhausting, but the MacDougalls still make time for advocacy through networking and attending fundraisers for Autism research and awareness. In fact, a friend of MacDougall’s wife recently started the non-profit The Superhero Center for Autism. The center will eventually feature a building in Rockford where kids with special needs can just “be safe, be empowered, be supported, and be themselves.” The center will offer groups, classes, outings, and a sensory gym.

A passion of MacDougall’s wife is focusing on the life skills elements for children with Autism and has made that her focus in raising two children with special needs.

“At the end of the day, we want Grayson, at the bare minimum, to do the basic essentials and find that niche out in society where he can go work,” MacDougall said. “… These kids are very detail-oriented, very thorough, you just have to know how to tap into that.”

So, what does any parent of a child with autism want others to know?

“Just be compassionate and try to understand what they’re going through,” MacDougall said.

Precast Improves Efficiency

Precast concrete structural and architectural systems help save cost in a variety of ways, from the design phases through construction and throughout the building's service life.

A precast concrete structural system can create the building’s entire framing system. This design approach can take several forms, including precast columns or load-bearing precast walls or hollowcore flooring. It provides a significant number of advantages, especially when panels are included to create the entire building envelope. As a result, this approach is becoming the format of choice for many construction teams.

Among the benefits that a precast concrete structural system can provide are:

High Quality
PCI-Certified precast concrete fabricators must undergo two unannounced annual inspections that review more than 120 production and quality-assurance processes. The tight control ensures components are produced with uniform consistency, finish, and size. This reduces site work required to achieve the final designer and owner approvals and ensures components need little field adjustment, speeding construction to complete the structure’s shell.

Safety
Plant casting keeps the site cleaner and eliminates trades from the construction zone, improving logistics and enhancing worker safety. The ability to provide a clean site is particularly vital on existing sites and in dense urban areas, where adjacent businesses can maintain near-normal activities.

Interior Design Flexibility
Precast concrete systems help buildings adapt to changing client needs. Precast spans can reach as much as 70 feet, providing unique opportunities for challenging interior requirements. Precast also provides high floor-loading capability with little added cost.

Green Design
Precast concrete offers a number of environmental benefits. It can be produced locally and creates no jobsite waste. Cement reducers such as fly ash and other admixtures also aid environmental friendliness. And its high durability gives it a total service life that outpaces designs using other building materials.

Tight Floor-To-Floor Heights
Precast concrete systems sometimes fit within alternative system depths but shouldn’t add more than approximately 8 inches to each floor level, creating an approximate 5% increase in exterior wall material. This slight addition is easily overcome by working with the precaster to make effective use of the overall floor-plan shape and using the benefits precast provides in repetition of component fabrication.

~ Information provided courtesy of PCI.