Six Midwesterners Elected To AEM Board

Glen Tellock, president of Manitowoc Crane Group in Manitowoc, Wis., was elected first vice chairman of the Milwaukee-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

A number of Midwesterners were elected to serve on the board of directors, including William Gehl, chairman and chief executive officer of West Bend, Wis.-based Gehl Co.; Michael Haberman, president of New Philadelphia, Ohio-based Gradall Co.; and Scott Jenkins, vice president of construction in industrial and mining sales of Detroit-based MTU Detroit Diesel Inc.

Also elected were Richard Kleine, vice president of off-highway business for Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins Inc.; W.A. (Lex) Taylor III, president of Louisville, Mo.-based Taylor Machine Works Inc.; and Robert Vermeer, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Pella, Iowa-based Vermeer Manufacturing Co.

Firestone Gives Again To Roofing Foundation

Indianapolis-based Firestone Building Products Co. recently donated $5,000 to the Lawrence, Kan.-based Midwest Roofing Contractors Association Foundation.

Including this year's contribution, Firestone has donated $60,000 to the MRCA Foundation for scholarships since 1995.

The foundation was created in 1987 to support education and recognize individuals dedicated to pursuing a career in construction.

Cement Consumption Intensity Expected to Soften

Only marginal gains are expected in cement consumption, according to a forecast from the Skokie-based Portland Cement Association.

The PCA's fall forecast projected cement consumption to finish 2006 with an increase of just 0.6 percent. An even more modest growth rate of 0.3 percent is expected in 2007. More robust trends are expected to return in 2008 when consumption is projected to increase by 2.7 percent.

The flattening of the market is the combined result of the decline in the housing industry and softer overall economic conditions, according to PCA economist Ed Sullivan.

"In recent years the U.S. and the cement industry have experienced unprecedented growth," he said. "However, construction activity is starting to soften and this will create an adverse impact on cement consumption."

The PCA does not expect the sharp decline in housing to continue at the current rate, he added.

Baer to Lead Sheet Metal Contractors

The Board of Directors of the Chicagoland Sheet Metal Contractors Association has elected Jack Baer, an employee of Broadview-based Air Comfort Corp., as its president.

He replaces Bill Niehoff Jr., who resigned from the CSMCA Board and as chairman of the Chicagoland Sheet Metal Industry Fund Board of Trustees.

Jim Cesak, president of Crestwood-based Tal-Mar Custom Metal, replaces Baer as the Association's new vice president, with John Comforte, president and CEO of Chicago-based Climatemp Inc., taking on the office of secretary-treasurer. The CSMCA Board will fill Comforte's vacancy on the board later this year.

The CSMIF Board of Trustees voted to fill its chairman vacancy with David Osterman, an employee of Crestwood-based Builders Heating Inc. Elaina Towns, sales and marketing manager of Schiller Park-based R.B. Hayward Co., will serve as vice chairperson.

Safety Engineers to Celebrate Century Anniversary in Chicago

The Des Plaines-based American Society of Safety Engineers' Board of Directors has voted unanimously to hold its 100th year anniversary celebration in Chicago at the McCormick Place Convention Center in June 2011.

ASSE is the oldest and largest safety organization and represents more than 30,000 safety, health and environmental practitioners committed to protecting people, property and the environment.