Attendees of the 2007 NAHB Concrete Technologies Tour in Minneapolis earlier this month came away with a different perspective of the concrete industry.  The three-day event featured tours of cement-based manufacturing facilities and demonstrations of various building materials presented by industry giants. 

Tour highlights included:

• Molin Concrete Products demonstrated techniques for designing and manufacturing precast/prestressed concrete products.
• Schwing America showcased its international pumper trucks assembly process.
• Becker Architectural Concrete demonstrated its decorative concrete process, including the use of colors, textures and molds.
• Cemstone illustrated the benefits of a ready-mix plant, providing a host of aggregate options to give manufacturers a tailored product unique to their needs.
• Holcim, a leading supplier of cement and aggregates, took attendees to the dock where cement barges are emptied and transferred to trucks for delivery.
• Anchor Block gave a presentation on modern concepts for concrete masonry units and how units are formed, dried and inspected.

Concrete homeowners Gary and Jan Sotebeer were highlights of the event. Speaking from the site of their 5,000 square foot home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the Sotebeers so passionately praised concrete’s advantages, such as no mold growth in walls, quietness and structural integrity in an unsolicited testimonial that the couple’s enthusiasm clearly left attendees speechless. “Everything about this home is so superior to a stick-built house that I simply can’t say enough about it,” Sotebeer, an advertising and marketing executive told the group. “If you build these kinds of homes, you are sitting on a gold mine.”

The 2008 Concrete Technologies Tour will be held in Charlotte, N.C.  For more information on the tour, visit: www.nahb.org/concretetour.

Thank you to the 2007 Concrete Technologies Tour Sponsors:

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