Tag: Byler Materials Group

The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association of Harrisburg has trained nearly 1,600 concrete finishers through its Certified Concrete Finishers courses. 

These finishers now meet the requirements for PennDOT projects that started in or after April of this year. Additionally, there are 179 Pennsylvania finishers who currently hold the ACI finisher certification in the state.  

The association, which is a voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel and cement industry, conducted 80 courses across the state over the past two years, 

Since 2019, the concrete finishers completed either the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) or American Concrete Institute (ACI) certification programs, making Pennsylvania first in the nation with finishers who have received the lifetime NRMCA certification, according to the association.  

  “An equally important, if not the most important, aspect of this initiative has been its role in providing meaningful workforce development to those individuals in construction across the state,” said Jim Casilio, PACA’s director of technical services.  

“The NRMCA certification requires a hands-on segment that has shown time and time again to be a unique opportunity for senior finishers to help instruct, mentor and train those newcomers,” he said. “Bringing together the experienced and the new in an educational setting away from an active project site was a fantastic, unexpected program outcome.” 

 The success of this program is due in large part to the PACA member companies that hosted an NRMCA class or brought the training opportunity to their customers and company personnel. 

 Among the companies participating were: Conewago Ready Mix, Hanover; Pennsy Supply Inc., a CRH company, Harrisburg; Union Quarries Inc., Carlisle; Kinsley Construction, York; and Byler Materials Group, Colebrook, Lebanon County. 

The goal of the certification course, which includes classroom and practical, hands-on work, is to help improve the resilience and extend the service life of concrete and work to eliminate mistakes in the finishing process that can result in costly repairs or reconstruction.