A Runner-up for the “2017 Subcontractor of the Year” Award

The Conco Companies are proud to report that Conco Pumping was recently honored as a runner-up for the 2017 Subcontractor of the Year Award from the American Subcontractors Association of Southern California.  The awards are designed to recognize the various achievements and contributions the recipients have made in the construction industry.  The ASA is a highly respected organization that embodies ethical & equitable business practices, quality construction, a safe and healthy work environment, and integrity & membership diversity.  This year’s winners were honored at the November ASA’s Awards Banquet.   

Order a Concrete Pump from the Experts

If you need the services of a concrete boom pump, did you know you can order it from one of the area’s leading commercial concrete contractors?  On The Conco Companies’ website, we provide comprehensive instructions on what you need to know and what we need to know to ensure you get the best pump for your job.  Some of the facts we need include the scope of the job and the particulars of the jobsite where the pump will be used.  In turn, we let you know what to expect from us including the fact that all of our pump operators are ACPA certified as well as the terms of their work conditions.    

Concrete Pumps Available Along the West Coast

The Conco Companies have owned and operated one of the largest concrete pumping companies in the United States for over 40 years.  To remain a leader, we continue to invest in new concrete pumps to provide customers one of the most modern, state-of-the-art operations on the West Coast.   

What is a Concrete Pump?

A concrete pump is a machine which transfers mixed concrete (i.e. in liquid form) through pipes via a pumping action. Previously, when concrete was needed on a jobsite the materials were mixed onsite and transported via wheelbarrow or bucket. As you can imagine, this method became very tiresome and expensive for large-scale projects such as high-rises. Thankfully, in 1927 Max Giese and Fritz Hull designed a solution which pumps concrete through pipes from a single concrete source (this design was improved upon in 1957 with dual hydraulic cylinders and remains the standard design today).

Types of Concrete Pumps

There are two main types of concrete pumps: boom pumps and transport pumps.  A boom pump is a concrete pump with a remote-controlled “boom” arm attached and a line pump is a concrete pump that is attached to a vehicle. The principle difference between these two types of concrete pumps comes down to the additional appendage equipment attached to the pump and volume. Boom pumps can pump at higher volumes than transport pumps and are typically used for larger projects. Other concrete pump variations include:

• Mobile concrete pump (truck mounted mobile)
• Stationary pump
• Truck mounted static pump
• Truck mixer concrete pump

Outside of the increased convenience of having concrete pumped to the worksite, concrete pumps offer a number of additional benefits over manual methods. First and foremost, concrete pumps allow for a steady and precise flow of material creating a smooth finish. These tools also help to save time, reduce worker fatigue, and improve the quality of the concrete.

The Conco Companies are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the complete concrete package for the Levi’s Stadium along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Give Your Project the Best Start

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your project’s success is to provide it with a great start.  When you bring in an experienced commercial concrete contractor early-on, they are able to oversee your project from start to finish and resolve problems before they ever become an issue. 

A seasoned concrete contractor provides your project the benefit of the experience they have gained through the construction of many diverse structures.  Their large portfolio gives the contractor an innate understanding of the unique advantages and disadvantages of a process.  Also when they are there from the start, they can work with engineers and owners to deal with constructability issues before any actual construction gets underway.

It may be advantageous for you to work with a commercial concrete contractor that has the capability to deliver multiple concrete services.  By hiring a company with the ability to jointly manage rebar and concrete, it allows decisions to be based on the best end results.  The contractor is able to anticipate and quickly respond to any problems with formwork, shotcrete or rebar by shuffling crews to accommodate scheduling. 

Another money saving idea is to check with the company to see if they offer Design/Build, turnkey, or G.C. services.  Generally your project can be less costly to build if you eliminate the need for an architect or other contractors.  Furthermore, by reducing the layers of communication required when working with other professionals, it can produce a better outcome as all services are committed, coordinated and scheduled accordingly to achieve the best results.

The Conco Companies have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  Conco’s concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development along with public works projects and highways.  Our four regional offices serve California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. 

Ultra-High Performance Concrete Used to Build Bridge in Iowa

Even though ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been commercially available in the U.S. since 2000 it was primarily studied by industry researchers and organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration.  The FHA’s research involved the study of UHPC in highway infrastructure as well as the viability of using it for bridge applications such as precast, prestressed girders and precast waffle panels for bridge decks.  They also looked at using it as a jointing material between precast concrete deck panels and girders and between the flanges of adjacent girders.

Now Buchanan County, Iowa has just opened a new bridge that was constructed with a new UHPC that was developed in South Korea.  To build the 52-foot long Hawkeye UHPC Bridge, the Buchanan County Secondary Roads Department used the UPHC mix containing short strands of steel that engineers say makes it up to eight times stronger than traditional mixes.  The steel used in the UHPC is a waste product from the tire manufacturing industry.

According to Byung-Suk Kim, an engineer with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, he states that, “structures like the new bridge may endure for 200 years, and is almost maintenance-free.”  In contrast, a bridge constructed with a traditional concrete mix typically lasts about 50 years and need repairs as soon as 15 to 20 years. 

  

Brent Phares, director of the Bridge Engineering Center at Iowa State University, says that the reason the UPHC is so durable is that the new concrete mix is dense and fluids are not able to penetrate the surface.  Thereby, it will not deteriorate like traditional concrete structures.  One caveat that Brian Keirleber, an engineer with Buchanan County, noted was that the project involved a steep learning curve due to the new technology.   

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. and got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as one of the top concrete contractors in the region. Our offices serve California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.

Conco’s Broad Experience in Hospital Projects

VA Mental Health & Research Building

The Conco Companies have been in business for almost 60 years and during that time we have had the opportunity to provide concrete services for all types of commercial, educational, healthcare and public works projects as well as parking structures.   A few of the larger healthcare projects we have been involved with over the last several years include the John Muir Medical Center, the VA Mental Health & Research Facility in Seattle, and Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco.  

    

The 400,000 square-foot Phase IV Expansion and Remodeling Project at John Muir Medical Center at the Walnut Creek Campus added a new, five-story tower, underground loading dock and a Central Utility Plant.  The new tower is a steel-braced frame with concrete slab over metal deck. In the main lobby, there is a cast in place concrete water feature rotunda. The project also included several gardens with architectural concrete at various roof levels. 

At the new VA Mental Health & Research (MH&R) building under construction in Seattle, WA, Conco is providing all of the concrete pumping, formwork and place and finish services as well as the reinforcement.  Since the project is on an extremely tight timeline, our unique ability to supply both the rebar and formwork eliminates the need for coordination between several different suppliers and enables the work to move forward in an organized manner.  Conco’s shotcrete services will be used for nonstructural site walls. 

Another one of Conco’s projects was the Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco that is one of the country’s largest skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities serving seniors and adults with disabilities.  The 150-year old facility was expanded and extensively renovated over a 10-year plan that entailed 500,000 sq. ft. of new construction and 150,000 sq. ft. of renovations.  Care was taken to remain true to the historical components of the origin hospital and retain the natural environment of the 62-acre campus. 

Please contact us to learn more about Conco’s entire portfolio and how we can help your next project. 

 

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have four regional offices to serve Southern and Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.

From a Critical Bridge Solution to an Expanded Airport

Bay Bridge Repair

The Conco Companies’ range of concrete services for commercial, educational, industrial, healthcare, public work projects and parking structures is vast.  Our services are well-known and trusted throughout the Western United States and we have a reputation for consistently meeting deadlines and staying on budget.  Many of our projects have lasting effects the surrounding communities such as when we assisted with a permanent fix to the Bay Bridge and worked on the expansion to the Mineta Airport.  

The problem on the Bay Bridge was discovered when faulty anchor rods that secured the earthquake shock absorbers, known as shear keys, to the deck of the bridge snapped when tightened.  The 32 defective rods had secured the steel bridge deck that framed the concrete crossbeam support at the east end of the E2 pier.  As the failed rods were embedded in concrete and inaccessible, replacement was impossible.  The solution involved a complex series of steel saddles and post-tensioned jacket walls used to provide the required clamping force required to secure the bridge deck framing to the E2 crossbeam.  

Another significant project for Conco was to assist on the expansion and remodeling of the Mineta Airport in San Jose, CA.  Fueled by the fast job growth in nearby Silicon Valley, the Mineta Airport was not large enough to serve the community.  Our involvement in the 10-year plan was to help construct Terminal B, the largest phase of the project.  

Now considered to be one of the most technologically advanced airports in the country, the project received LEED Silver certification for environmentally sustainable design and construction. The airport’s website states that the design optimizes an “energy performance exceeding California Title 24 standards by 16%.”

The Conco Companies are the foremost supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. We have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.    We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Get Expert Pumping Services for Your Next Project

As leading commercial concrete contractors for close to 60 years, The Conco Companies deliver to each project a level of unsurpassed expertise.  Our vast scope of services allows us to offer clients concrete solutions that consistently meet deadlines and remain on budget.  Services include quality concrete design, formwork, reinforcement, finishing, shotcrete and construction hauling.  In addition Conco has owned and operated one of the largest concrete pumping companies in the United States for more than 40 years.

Take a look at our website to see some of the outstanding examples of our range of pumping services.  We are extremely proud of our accomplishment of breaking the world record for the largest continuous mat pour on the Wilshire Grand Center that is under construction in L.A.  The massive mat pour required a fleet of 208 trucks that each made 10 to 14 concrete drops for a total of 2,100 trips over the duration of the 18 ½ hour pour that created the nearly 20 foot thick mat foundation.  Additionally fifteen boom pumps, two high-pressure stationary pumps, two placing booms, and more than 2,500 feet of pipe operated throughout the pour to get the concrete to the foundation. 

Our portfolio also includes successfully dealing with challenging project requirements such as a small footprint with minimal lay-down area and a quick timeline.  We were tasked with a five-day form cycle that required constant communication and coordination with all trades on site. As such, Conco utilized a perimeter protection system and perimeter netting system to ensure the aggressive schedule was met without jeopardizing the workplace. 

Another example of our willingness to improve efficiency is when we helped to design and purchase two brand-new Schwing M36/31 concrete pumps. These remarkable pumps give us the ability to lift long tremmies into caissons without the need for a crane assist, and the compact roll and fold design of the boom does not interfere with typical drilling operations.

The Conco Companies are the foremost supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. We have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  Conco’s concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development along with public works projects.

Looking for the Best Team for Your Next Project?

As one of the foremost commercial concrete contractors in the nation, The Conco Companies have assembled a team made up of top professionals in the field as well as offering a full range of quality services.  We have a long history of delivering concrete services throughout the West Coast, and in the last several years, have broadened our geographic footprint to include Colorado and Nevada.  

One of the biggest benefits of using Conco’s high quality services is that we can act as a “one stop shop” with services that include some of the industry’s first choice for reliable formwork, rebar, shotcrete, place and finish and pumping services.  This means that a General Contractor can simply make one call and be assured they will get the most dependable, quality work all in one place. 

Conco’s holistic approach allows us to make decisions based on the best end result that provides efficiency and cost savings for our customers.  Right from the early stages of a project, the joint partnership between concrete and rebar allows us to identify ways to improve design.  Furthermore, our projects offer the advantage of being able to manage crane time between concrete and rebar tasks.  Also we can easily coordinate work schedules between the trades, which help to ensure our projects stay on budget and on time.   

With our abundant resources and professional team, we have the capability to handle any project regardless of size and have a proven record of success with difficult challenges and tight deadlines.   We encourage you to take a look at Conco’s website to learn more about our company and to become familiar with our broad range of services.  

At The Conco Companies, we are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  Our experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.