PCA Government Affairs
PCA, CalPortland and CEMEX Earn 2020 ENERGY STAR® Awards
PCA is proud to announce that it has received the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its outstanding collaboration with the ENERGY STAR program and promotion of ENERGY STAR tools.
In addition, both CalPortland and CEMEX won the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for their commitment, leadership and contributions to superior energy efficiency. CalPortland has won the award for 16 consecutive years.
CARES Act Information
This afternoon the Treasury Department released information related to their implementation of the CARES Act. The information can be found on the CARES Act page, hosted on Treasury’s website. A few of the updates are below:
ASSISTANCE FOR AMERICAN WORKERS AND FAMILIES
In the weeks immediately after the passage of the CARES Act, Americans will see fast and direct relief in the form of Economic Impact Payments. For more information, CLICK HERE.
ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $349 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses.
Small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations, Veterans organizations, and Tribal businesses described in the Small Business Act, as well as individuals who are self-employed or are independent contractors, are eligible if they also meet program size standards.
- For a top-line overview of the program CLICK HERE
- If you’re a lender, more information can be found HERE
- If you’re a borrower, more information can be found HERE
- The application for borrowers can be found HERE
PRESERVING JOBS FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY
The CARES Act assists eligible businesses looking for payroll support to keep Americans working. For more information, CLICK HERE.
As information becomes available, we will continue to send it out to you and we ask that you share with the businesses in your network.
For more information please contact Sean O’Neill at soneill@cement.org or 703-321-6792.
PCA Communications
Social Media Webinar
PCA is providing a social media webinar to help compliment updates during this ever-changing situation with COVID-19, your company’s business activities, as well as how members can intensify engagement with the Shaped by Concrete campaign.
The Thursday Webinar, scheduled for 11:00 AM CDT is designed for marketing and communications professionals with the responsibility to support their company’s messaging and the industry’s business-to-business, consumer outreach and advocacy communications. Additionally, a recording of this session will be available via Webcast early next week. For those specifically interested in supporting the Shaped by Concrete campaign, there will be many opportunities to engage with and support the campaign in the future. However, there is much that you can do via social media in the near term.
What: Social Media Webinar
When: Thursday, April 2, 11 A.M-12 P.M CST.
Where: https://apco.zoom.com/j/872071630; ID 872 071 630
Thursday’s session, we will cover:
- The differences and strategies for approaching each social platform
- Social content best practices
- How to maximize your impact on each platform
- How to engage with and support the Shaped by Concrete campaign on social media
- Q&A
About the Presenter:
Dan Smith is an Associate Director specializing in digital and public affairs at APCO Worldwide. Based in Washington, Mr. Smith helps create tailored digital campaigns across mobile, email and social media platforms to reach influencers, improve brand perception and amplify traditional media efforts for a diverse clientele.
The Economic Endgame … Recession Resilience; Responding to Stimulus; Rebounding Stronger Webinar
Our Shaped by Concrete integrated Public Relations agency, APCO will be hosting a Webinar in partnership with Oxford Analytica on Thursday morning from 9:00-10:00 AM EDT. Though this event is not focused on the Cement and Concrete industry, PCA members may find value regarding the topics, covering the 2020 business outlook, insights from the frontlines of the corporate response around the world, and the long-term considerations for positioning businesses in the wake of the pandemic.
PCA members are invited to attend. For more information, and RSVP here.
For further information contact Nick Ferrari nferrari@cement.org or 908.902.3415.
PCA Research & Technology
Absorption of CO2 by Concrete
PCA’s work on quantifying the adsorption of CO2 by concrete continues. The most recent results indicate more than 344 million metric tonnes of CO2 will be adsorbed by concrete produced in the US from 1990 to 2018 over that concrete’s service life. In 2018, the most recent year for which complete data is available, concrete produced in the US will adsorb about 12.1 million metric tonnes of CO2 over its service life.
For more information on these ongoing efforts, contact Paul Tennis at ptennis@cement.org or 803-493-5441; and Louis Baer at lbaer@cement.org or 314-922-8041.
PCA Market Development
PCA Guest Lectures Adapting to COVID-19
During March, PCA guest lectures were given virtually at three different Universities:
- University of Idaho - a presentation for a Pavement Design and Evaluation class on designing cement-based pavements was recorded during their Spring Break and played back for them once classes resumed.Watch the webinar here.
- Portland State University- speaking to a Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures class on cement and concrete technology.
- Washington State University - live, interactive webinars were given to a Construction Materials class on the properties of hardened concrete, and a Pavement Design class on concrete pavements and testing.
By utilizing in-person, recorded, and remote methods, these presentations were able to reach an initial audience of close to 120 students and professors. Both the interactive webinars were recorded and, along with the recorded presentation, will be offered by the respective Universities to students who were unable to attend or might want to review the material again later.
For additional information, please contact Greg Halsted ghalsted@cement.org or 360-920-5119.