Masonry Magazine May 1973 Page. 33
Name Robert S. Holt
to Head PCM Division
Robert S. Holt has been named president and general manager of PCM Division of Koehring, Port Washington, Wis., according to Raymond E. Burton, vice president of operations for Koehring's General Construction Equipment Group, Milwaukee, Wis. Holt most recently was general manager of Koehring's Master Division-HOLT Dart operations in Denver, Colo. He had been with Master Consolidated, Dayton, Ohio, as controller when that firm was acquired by Koehring in 1967. Holt holds B.S. and M.B.A. degrees in business-finance from Indiana University.
PCM manufactures material handling and processing equipment for construction and industrial applications.
OSHA Issues Report on
Variances & Petitions
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has received 360 applications for variances from its standards, the Labor Department has announced. The agency also has received 164 petitions for modification or revocation of existing standards, or for issuance of new standards.
Temporary variances are granted to give applicants sufficient time to meet the requirements of the standard from which the variance is sought. Permanent variances are granted to permit employers to use whatever method they choose to substitute for those required in the federal standard if that method affords equal protection.
Fortex In New Location
Fortex Enterprises, sole agents for Fortex Industries, Inc., has moved its offices to 310 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. Miguel Jorba, president of the firm, said the new offices "are more conveniently located and geared to facilitate faster processing of orders and correspondence."
Cement Shortage Feared
Unless Prices Increase
A developing shortage of portland cement will cripple the nation's construction industry unless cement prices are permitted to rise to levels that justify industry investment required for new capacity.
This was the principal argument presented by Robert D. MacLean, president of the Portland Cement Association, Skokie, III., at a Price Commission hearing on the cement industry. MacLean and other industry leaders appeared before the Commission seeking adjustments in current price control guidelines.
MacLean said that the 1968-1970 base period profit years, perhaps equitable for other industries, tie cement manufacturers to their worst years in recent history. He said that in 1969 the industry's profit put it at the bottom of all industry.
Fire Resistance Manual
The 1973-74 edition of the Gypsum Association's Fire Resistance Manual has become the first industry document listing fire-rated assemblies to be referenced in the three major model codes: the BOCA Basic Building Code, the ICBO Uniform Building Code, and SBCC Southern Standard Building Code.
This edition of the manual has been expanded to 104 pages and provides fire test data for 240 wall, ceiling, column, beam and roof deck assemblies using gypsum boards and plasters.
Copies are available in bulk at 854 each plus postage from the Gypsum Association, 201 N. Wells St., Chicago, III. 60606. Single copies may be obtained at no charge.
GP's Sales Up. Net Down
General Portland Inc. has reported an increase in sales of 19 percent and a decrease of 33 percent in net income for the first quarter ended March 31. First-quarter consolidated sales for the Dallas-based firm were $47,643,000 compared to $39,900,000 a year earlier. Net income declined to $1,128,000, or $.17 per share, from $1,691,000, or $.25 per share, in 1972.
NCCMA Honors Clay Rice
Clay Rice (center) is pictured with the honor plaque he received from the Northern California Concrete Masonry Association. NCCMA president Ken Best is at the left, and Bob Angwin completes the picture. The occasion was the association's March meeting in Mill Valley, Calif. Rice, a 27-year veteran of the masonry business and a past-president of NCCMA, is currently president of Healdsburg Building Materials, Inc., distributor of masonry supplies and manufacturer of concrete products.
Dedicate S.F. Plaza
Chris O'Callaghan (left), business agent for Hodcarriers Local 36, and Patrick J. Canavan, business agent for Bricklayers Local 7, are pictured enjoying the dedication ceremonies at Hallidie Plaza in San Francisco. The new complex consists of a $2.5 million sunken plaza nearly two story levels below the street in the heart of the downtown business district. It was named in honor of Andrew S. Hallidie, inventor of the cable car in 1873. Virtually all of the plaza that meets the eye is of granite and brick put in place by San Francisco Local 7 bricklayers.
The English word "mason" is derived from the French and appears in two forms"machun" and "masson." From the latter comes the modern French form "macon," meaning cither "bricklayer" or "mason." "Masonry" is defined as the craft of building with stone.