$3.00
Published Nationally ®
Western Edition
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” September 8, 2012 • Vol. VIII • No. 18 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Facility Construction Helps Add Jobs NOW
Morooka Opens Track Carrier Plant i n U.S. ...14
Competition Honor s Indust ry Members...44
With five to 25 employees working on the job for the new facility, the company fielded Caterpillar 966, 14 and 140 graders, Caterpillar 623 paddle wheel scrapers, Caterpillar 330 excavators, and a Caterpillar 573 compactor as well as John Deere 710 backhoes and a Cedar Rapids asphalt paver.
By Mary Reed CEG CORRESPONDENT
Alex Lyon & Son Holds Sale in Fort Wor th...56
Table of Contents ..............4 Off-Road Trucks Section19-25
Nicknamed The City of Promise, Sparks, Nev., looks forward to the promise of more jobs when the NOW Foods facility currently under construction becomes fully operational next year. NOW Foods had been operating a distribution facility in the city for eight years when its latest plant was announced in 2011, a time the state's jobless rate was approaching 13 percent. The new facility will handle manufacture and distribution of the company’s nutritional supplements, personal care, health food, and other products. The contract for the Washoe County design/build project was awarded to Reno, Nev., based United Construction Company. Describing the facility as “a significant investment in the community,” Craig A. Willcut, president and CEO of United Construction Company, went on to say that “This project delivery method is based on trust and col-
Repaving Project Reveals Old Tracks By Timm Collins STATESMAN JOURNAL
SALEM, Ore. (AP) A street repaving project has revealed a piece of Salem history. Construction crews working on a downtown repaving project along State Street uncovered a section of train tracks believed to have been used by the Oregon Electric Railway. “Our standard procedure is to pave over old tracks,” said Brian Vinson of Salem Public Works. “If we need to remove old tracks, then we have to get the OK from the state.” Vinson said the city is working with the Oregon State Historical
see FACILITY page 18
see TRACKS page 32
Materials Prices Post Rare Year-Over-Year Dip
Paving Section ...........39-47 Auction Section ..........50-57 Business Calendar............54 Advertisers Index ............58
The cost of key construction materials dropped for the third consecutive month in July, pushing down year-over-year prices for the first time since 2009, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released Aug. 14 by the Associated General Contractors of America. However, association officials warned that recent spikes in diesel fuel and
steel prices may drive up the cost of construction again, and they urged lawmakers to invest in needed infrastructure projects promptly while prices remain low. “This price decline may be the last, given the large jumps in diesel fuel and steel prices that have occurred or been announced since the Labor Department collected this producer price
data in mid-July,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “If economic growth accelerates, we are likely to see an end to discounted prices for construction activity.” The producer price index for inputs to construction — covering materials that go into every type of project, plus items consumed by see PRICES page 32