Vermiculite Industry is 25 Years Old

Twenty-five years of trail-blazing achieve' ment by the vermiculite industry were reviewed at the 25th annual convention of the Vermiculite Institute of Chicago, held March I2-I7 at Chandler, Arizona.

Sharing the spotlight were reports of substantial sales gains in 1965, foreca3ts of further gains in 1966, and an address by J. Peter Grace, president of W. R. Grace & Co.

"The vermiculite industry has moved into a significant position in the national economy," Grace noted. "By any yardstick, the record over the past 25 years is extremely impressive, even in a growth economy like the United States.

toWe expect an even more dynamic fu' ture, because in our view the potential is tremendous. With our acquisition of the Zonolite Co. of Chicago, we hope that W. R. Grace & Co. can be a positive force in this growth."

J. G. Ordway, Jr. was elected president of the institute to succeed H. K. Sterrett' L. A. Barron was returned as managing director. D. J. Boone was elected treasurer, and J. B. Lyall, Jr. was named to the board of directors.

C. R. Babb, chairman of the concrete and roofing committee, told the delegates that

1965 set an all-time record in the number of bags of vermiculite concrete aggregate sold by the industry, and that the 1966 outlook is even better.

Sales of water-repellent vermiculite for insulating masonry walls were l5r/z Wr cent above 19@5 R. L. Upchurch, chairman of the insulation committeg stated.

E. L. Ostic, chairman of the build'up roofrng committee of the Asphalt Roofing Industry Bureau, said that a resolution passed opened a new market for materials, such as vermiculite concrete, that can be installed over structural roof decks to pro' vide slope for drainage. This resolution recommends that roo{ designs be sloped in order to eliminate conditions that result in standing water. From a design standpoint, tlrere are economies in constructing a dead level roof deck and providing drainage by the use of a fill or poured-in-place material, Ostic noted.

In summarizing the industry's past guarter-century, President Sterrett noted that vermiculite made possible the modern ooflyweight" skyscraper when a steel floor protected by vermiculite plaster less than one inch thick won a four-hour fire rating. This was the first test ever made of thin, lightweight fireproofing, a completely new concept in 1939. he said.

Among other important milestones. ver. miculite 'r.r'as the first liehtneieht to he included in ASA and AS'IrNI speiificarions as standard plastcr rggregale: 6rst liglrtneight to hc included in thc National Buildins Code; first acou-.tic plaster to be fire-tcstecl, and thc first Luilding material [o earn a five-hour fire rating Irom Urrderwritcrs' Laboratorics, Inc.. of Chicago. Stt'rrett dcr'la rr.d.

Anotht:r "Iirst" from l-ndern riters' is saving owrrers from 8y' to lOd p(,r sguarc foot in construc.tion costs. A. \\r. lJamlrrc,,.. chairman of the Jrlast,,r lrr,l firc-1,roofii11g committee" ,statcd.

Smoll Conlraclor Hurting

Despitc ther boom created br. the !'ietnam war, tht-. small and independent husiness contractor-builder appears to lre the "sick man" in the present econom\..

'l'his is irrdicalrrl irr err urrull:i: of a year-long field surlel' lrr thc \ational Fedt'ratiorr of Indept'rrdent I]usiness.

l'or all independent lnrsiness the ratio lrctwt'en new jobs crt'ated and jol,s dropped is 4, to 1. Howt'r'cr. among (.ontra(.torlrLrilders the ratio is I to 3.

Qucstions shorv that 3(r perct'nt of tht, lruildt:r-contractors rcl)ort nage and fringc bcnelit co-qts har-c forced a reduc.tion in payrolls, while 62 perr.ent rt'port a slolv- ing dou'n of bu,*iness a-q thc reason. Closely ,rllied to this cause is the difficulty o{ securing construction loans as both poten. tial propertv buyers and mortgage lenders are showing strong resi-stance to increasetl labor and interest costs.

'I'hc indt'pendent huilder-contra(.tors gencrallv report tr sulrstantial rest'rr.oi r of skillcd lalror available. indir.atins that manl n,,rkcrs irr Ilrc l,rrilrlirrg lraclrs ure reluctant to movc to arcas whcre rclor:ation and war projects are undcr wa1 Gt'ncrally. thc lot'al independent buildt-.rs do not partir:ipate in tht"se tax finanr:ed proj('cts as thc awards art u-.ually made to the lrig corporate r:ontra<'ting fi rms.