:In a landmark moment in the history of ABC, President George W. Bush spoke before an assembly of more than 600 ABC members and their families during the association's 2005 Legislative Conference in June.

Gary Roden of Dallas-based AGUIRREcorporation introduces President Bush. The president addressed representatives of ABC's 23,000 member firms at its National Legislative Conference in early June at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.

After an introduction by Gary Roden, ABC 2005 National Chairman and executive vice president and chief operating officer of Dallas-based AGUIRREcorporation, President Bush expressed his gratitude for ABC's ongoing support for his administration, thanking ABC 2005 Immediate Past Chair Carole Bionda, ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel and the association's board of directors.

In his address, Bush called on Congress to pass critical association health plan legislation. Bush also expressed his support for ensuring that the repeal of the death tax becomes permanent, for reforming Social Security and for keeping recently passed tax relief in place.

"I understand that health care is an issue for small businesses, most new jobs are created by small businesses and it makes sense to have good economic policy that helps small businesses," said President Bush. "And so one of the things we've got to do is be wise about how small businesses deal with health insurance."

The president promoted the viability of firms working together, pooling their risk with similar businesses to provide affordable, quality health care for their employees. "Congress ought to allow small businesses to join together so they can buy insurance at the same discount that big businesses get to do for the same health care coverage," he said.

In addition, the president urged Congress to extend the repeal of the death tax beyond its scheduled re-enactment in 2011, and asked lawmakers to banish the tax forever, for the sake of small businesses.

"I am really honored to be here. I appreciate ABC, I appreciate your leadership, I appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit. I appreciate the fact that you are hiring people and making your communities better," Bush said.

"We are thrilled that President Bush addressed our legislative conference today to discuss the issues so very important to our 23,000 member firms nationwide," Roden said. "The president's legislative agenda addresses many of our industry's current needs, including legislation advancing AHPs, making the death tax permanent, and ensuring that recently passed tax relief stays in place," he added.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) was among the featured speakers at the conference.

NRMCA to Offer Pervious Concrete Certification Program

Responding to industry demand and the rising popularity of pervious concrete, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association recently announced plans to certify pervious concrete craftsmen.

In making the announcement, the NRMCA said that pervious concrete has rapidly become a material of choice for the construction of parking lot pavements because of the increased importance of sustainable construction and the recognition of pervious pavements as a best management practice for stormwater management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the NRMCA, the demand has developed quickly and the cement and concrete industries have not yet developed a national set of standards or guidelines for training craftsmen to place and finish the material. Though pervious concrete is a portland cement-based product and is transported to the jobsite in a ready-mix truck, the NRMCA says the physical properties of the material demand a set of guidelines for construction different than those used for conventional concrete.

Members of the concrete industry met in October 2004 to establish the outline for the craftsman text and are still deliberating on the core requirements for the certification program. The final documentation is expected soon, with certification to begin in the fall.

It is anticipated that the program will be administered at the local level through state associations in conjunction with NRMCA's Research, Engineering and Standards and Educational Activities committees. The costs associated with developing the craftsman examination that will serve as a basis for the pervious certification program have been underwritten by the RMC Research Foundation.

Demolition Association Changes Name, Names new Officers

To more accurately reflect the dynamics and nature of the demolition industry today, the trade organization that represents U.S. and Canadian companies involved in the demolition process has chosen a new name and logo. The new National Demolition Association - formerly the National Association of Demolition Contractors - officially announced the changes recently at its annual convention in Las Vegas.

"We believe the new identity was needed to communicate the evolution of our industry," said Michael R. Taylor, executive director of the association.

The National Demolition Association recently elected new executive officers to serve for the 2005-2006 term and named six new members to its board of directors. Among them is Paul Conway, vice president of Houston-based DEMCO Industrial, who will chair the education committee.