The National Steering Committee (NSC) for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program is a business intensive program. It awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The group announced they raised more than $1.150 million in gross revenue at its annual auction. This successful auction took place during the World of Concrete on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
“This year’s auction was a tremendous success, both in terms of the value of donated items and the Auction participants,” commented Ben Robuck, CIM Auction Committee Chairman. “The results are indicative of the high value the concrete industry places on the CIM program.”
Features and highlights
The 2021 CIM Auction featured a 2021 Mack Granite donated by Mack Trucks. The truck also came equipped with a McNeilus FLEX Controls Bridgemaster mixer. Other big-ticket items included a Line Dragon donated by Somero Enterprises, Inc. And, Shumaker Industries donated a Load and Go Ready Mix Truck Wash system. Additionally, there was a COMMANDbatch System donated by Command Alkon.
“In addition to the above-mentioned big-ticket items, we were pleased to have donations from industry leaders like CEMEX, LaFargeHolcim, Lehigh Hanson, Inc., Argos Cement, St. Marys Cement, Inc., Roanoke Cement Company, GCC, Martin Marietta as well as admixture donations from CHRYSO, Inc., Master Builders Solutions, Sika USA, Euclid Chemical, GCP Applied Technologies and CarbonCure Technologies, Inc.,” said CIM Marketing Committee Chairman Brian Gallagher.
“Once again, we had incredible support from the World of Concrete show management, Informa and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers,” said Gallagher. “We thank the many companies such as Mack Trucks, McNeilus, Somero Enterprises, Inc., Shumaker Industries, Command Alkon, Volvo Construction Equipment Con-Tech, Beck Industrial, Multiquip, Inc., Allen Engineering and the numerous companies that donated items to the Auction to make it a complete success.”
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the Ritchie Bros conducted the entire auction using its Auctioneer’s Timed Auction System. This is an online-only, timed auction. Bidding opened on Monday, June 7 and closed Wednesday, June 9.
In addition to the live auction, there was also a silent auction. This year, CIM had record proceeds from the silent auction. Auction items included cement, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, safety equipment, screeds, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, iPads and laptop computers, sports travel packages and golf and vacation travel packages.
About CIM
Receiving tremendous support from the concrete industry, the CIM program was the first of its kind in United States – a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The need for such a program was recognized through the RMC 2000 movement in 1994 and was then put into action by the Tennessee concrete industry. The end-result was a partnership between both the concrete industry and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to develop the CIM program, implementing it with its first two students in 1996, and producing its first graduates in 2000.
Since its humble beginning, the CIM program has expanded. Now, in addition to MTSU, it is available at California State University, Chico, Texas State University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and beginning fall of 2021, South Dakota State University. Today, there are more than 475 students pursuing degrees in Concrete Industry Management. Additionally, hundreds of CIM graduates are now working in the concrete industry.
The goal of CIM
The goal of the program is to produce broadly educated, articulate graduates grounded in basic construction management. The program aims to create students who are knowledgeable of concrete technology and techniques and are able to manage people and systems as well as promote products or services related to the concrete industry. It entails a broad range of courses, from English and history to science and also mathematics. A series of required business courses such as finance, marketing, management and business law are also taken throughout the length of the program.
The concrete-specific courses teach the fundamentals of both concrete and its properties. It also teaches testing, concrete construction and more. All of these courses provide much more than what is simply in the text. They emphasize problem-solving, quality assurance and customer satisfaction. They utilize both practical case studies and an internship. This ensures the student obtains real-world experience essential to starting a successful career. Additional opportunities include both on-campus socials and other events providing industry networking and professional development.
The CIM program also continues to provide future leaders for the concrete industry. To learn more about the program, you can also visit www.concretedegree.com.
