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T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C O N S T R U C T I O N E X E C U T I V E S

US DevelopersJournal

Fall 2009 www.usdevelopersjournal.com

american concrete construction inc.

Pouring ExPEriEncE and Enthusiasm in to EvEry Job

Pouring Experience and Enthusiasm in to Every JobBy Tiffany Nichols

American Concrete Construction Inc. founder Scott Niemitalo was involved in the concrete industry for 10 years when he decided to sell his interests in other concrete endeavors and found his own company in Trinity, North Carolina, in 2000. He came to North Carolina in the late 1980s due to the struggling economy in other parts of the country, and he has found the Tar Heel State a profitable base for designing and installing industrial concrete floors.

Initially, American Concrete Construction (ACC) specialized in the construction of Industrial Concrete Floors, super flat floors (used for robotic equipment and wire-guided forklifts), shake hardened floors (with iron aggregate introduced at the surface of the floor for ultimate durability), floors

with post-tension reinforcement, fiber-reinforced concrete floors, and various other specialty floors. As Niemitalo moved forward with his business, he realized that clients were looking for one contractor to supply all concrete needs on projects, so he expanded his business to include footing and foundation work. This expansion in services led to an increase in demand, and Niemitalo soon added tilt-up wall panels to the list of services available from his 50-strong team. Now, ACC prides itself on being a turnkey operation, providing convenience and quality construction for clients throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

Flooring Clients with InnovationLaser screed technology has been a contributing factor

A-G-E Corporation

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American Concrete Construction Inc.

in the success of ACC, allowing Niemitalo and his team to provide extremely flat and level floors. The laser-guided equipment is capable of leveling concrete slabs to extreme high tolerances. Such technology is particularly useful when creating floors for television studios, where imperfections could cause equipment to be misaligned. ACC is a two-time winner of Face Construction Technologies, Inc.’s “Golden Trowel Award” given each year at “The World of Concrete” exhibition in Las Vegas, Nev. Another product that has been particularly useful to ACC is the use of fly ash in concrete, which is a cement substitute that is mixed with other cement to reduce the use of toxic material and natural resources. On some projects, ACC earns LEED points for using fly ash in their work, and they have made efforts to make their

business greener (such as the use of water-based curing compounds in lieu of resin-based ones). American Concrete Construction is currently working on a number of fascinating projects. The company has been hired to construct a warehouse project in Strasburg, Virginia, for Solaris Paper Company. The facility is 406,000 square feet with tilt-up wall panels and exterior paving. The challenging part of the project for ACC is the intricate tilt-wall paneling involved in the construction. In order to lay the initial floor slabs, Niemitalo had a crew of about 20 people on site. He utilized a separate crew of about 20 more people to install the tilt-up wall panels.

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“When we first started, the job took 12 to 15 people, for the footing and foundation work,” Niemitalo explains. “We only subcontract our tying of rebar … and the fine grading of stone base before we pour the floors. Other than that, we did it all ourselves.” Such a large job is a huge undertaking for the company, but ACC prides itself on its ability to oversee every detail in order to guarantee quality craftsmanship. And ACC is proud to have a workforce skilled in its field, training the majority of its employees “in-house.”

Another major project the company recently completed was a 250,000-square foot “Joint-Free” floor slab in Eastaboga, Alabama, for Kronospan, a European company involved with wood products. Acting as a subcontractor for Twintec, the

largest European industrial floor contractor, ACC produced a unique product: joint-free steel fiber-reinforced floor slabs, designed for maximum durability. The construction technique is particularly advantageous for clients with heavy abrasive wear and tear on floors. In addition to its specialty jobs, ACC completes several million square feet of concrete flatwork per year throughout the eastern U.S., from Pennsylvania to Alabama.

Building a FoundationAmerican Concrete Construction is a member of a number of trade organizations, the most prominent of which being the American Concrete Institute (ACI). The ACI is the most prominent and respected organization in the concrete


Niagra Ventures located in Claremont, NC - 48,000 sf Tilt Warehouse



construction industry, as it writes a number of specifications, design documents and guidelines regarding concrete construction, and Niemitalo serves on two committees with the ACI: the 302 Construction of Floors Committee and the 360 Design of Slabs on Grade Committee. Niemitalo’s position on the committees enables him to have a hand in writing construction guidelines that will affect his own business, as well as other businesses in his industry. He is also a proud member of the Associated General Contractors of The Carolinas (AGC); both the AGC and ACI allow him to connect with his colleagues in the concrete contracting field. Niemitalo has plans for ACC to expand in the future nationally, as well as internationally. The state of the



Established : 2000 ACC Inc. Members : 50

President : Scott Niemitalo

COMPANY AT A GLANCE

weakened economy has slowed business for some, but ACC has managed to thrive on the business it has received from its local clients, as well as Twintec. The concrete flooring business has become a more durable and environmentally sound model, making the prospects for ACC’s future bright and promising.▪


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