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Joey and Paul interview Ben Lentine at Concrete Works 2024 in this conversation. They discuss the show's atmosphere, the importance of networking, and the exciting developments in the concrete industry, particularly the collaboration among different stakeholders. Ben shares his experiences at the event, including the driver championship and the overall energy of the venue, highlighting the significance of teamwork and communication in advancing the industry.
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What is Add Ten Gallons Concrete Podcast?
Welcome to the Add 10 Gallons Concrete Podcast, where show hosts Paul Fendley and Joey Bell discuss everything related to the concrete industry. Join us as we explore topics ranging from concrete production and materials to construction, quality control, academia, equipment, manufacturing, industry shows, conventions, and other key issues pertinent to the concrete industry.
Alright. Welcome back. Concrete Works 2024. We get to sit with the brightest star. I mean, are you the brightest young star at Concrete Works?
Speaker 1:Is can we call you that, Ben Lintoni?
Speaker 2:Maybe. I mean, I might just be. I'm not sure. That's just
Speaker 1:your I don't just mean the reflection off your head
Speaker 2:either. I mean, you know Come on, man.
Speaker 1:Insane. I'm sorry. The Jaguars lost this morning. I really shouldn't be giving you a hard time. I'm really sorry.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know, I woke up early to watch the Jags game, you know, kicked off at 7:30 in London and, got destroyed by the Bears. You know, not a good good way to start the morning.
Speaker 1:Well, we got to watch college football together last night, which was great. Or no. Yeah. You came toward the end of the games. We're watching the lead thrasher and all those guys, and the college slate was crazy.
Speaker 2:There were some really good games yesterday. Did, Tennessee pull it out?
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's, in overtime, we let we messed up just less enough than Florida, to pull out a win.
Speaker 1:Nobody won the game. Nobody won the game. It was very it
Speaker 3:was, like, sloppy start to finish overtime. They missed a field goal.
Speaker 1:I it was it was just
Speaker 3:bad football all around.
Speaker 1:I had a good time. It it's quite a lot of my Tennessee friends freak out a little bit. But part of that was because earlier in the day, Alabama got me a heart attack. So, yeah. So thanks helping I mean, Ben here.
Speaker 1:Appreciate even those with Heidelberg. He, helped us set up our booth and everything. That was that was great, man. I really appreciated that.
Speaker 2:Yep. It was a challenge. You know, I learned how to put how to help put up this, thing they got behind us, and, you know, we all worked as a team and got
Speaker 1:it done. Yeah. None of us had ever seen it before.
Speaker 2:I mean,
Speaker 1:it was a brand new booth for all of us, and, and you helped out. So, so far, what do
Speaker 2:you think about the show? Well, you know, this is my first concrete works. I actually came out here a little bit early. I went to the, PCA conference. They they they had a fall conference, and it's normally in conjunction with with Concrete Works.
Speaker 2:So I came out early and spent a couple days doing that. Now I'm at Concrete Works, and, you know, it's awesome. I there there's a lot of good seminars. There's a lot of people to meet. I mean, it's a it's a great spot to meet so many influential people in the industry so quickly.
Speaker 2:So, I think it's a good opportunity for for anybody if they're interested coming out to to anything like this.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I appreciate the folks that you've introduced us to. Sure. Yeah. It was great making those connections has been really nice.
Speaker 1:I hope that, some of the people that we've introduced to you as well turn out to be good relationships for you in the future. Sure. And that's what all these things are about, right, is advancing Yep. The industry. And this one seems to be doing a a dang good job.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think they were saying that this is the most attended concrete works at about 1300 attendees. So Wow. Very, very popular out out here in Denver. You know, it's a great spot.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful venue. This resort that that we're at is absolutely incredible. So
Speaker 1:This resort's Yeah. Crazy. Mhmm. We were walking through it when we first got here. It actually remind the resort itself, for whatever reason, reminded me of, like, walking through a Vegas, like one of the nice Vegas casinos.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. It actually had that like, inner has an energy to it. Sure. And the show has a good energy to it. It's not like ACI or ASTM, no offense, but things it there's an energy here in the show just kinda interesting.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:It'd be it's a good intro show. Like, if you haven't been to World of Concrete, if you hadn't been to some of these other, like, major conferences that we go to, Like, ACI is it could probably be a little intimidating, especially for somebody, like, especially, like somebody from the field because it's full of academics and super, super, super smart people. Mhmm. This is a lot more laid back. Like we've said before, truck drivers everywhere.
Speaker 3:They're kind of the main focus of, of the of the event here. And the show isn't, like, too big to be overwhelming. Like, we have a it's a decent sized exhibit hall, but it's not like a giant convention center pole. This is, like, one semi large room. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And, there's plenty of other stuff to do here at the at the Gaylord. It's like Nashville. I stayed I stayed at the Nashville one, handful of months ago. Mhmm. And the same thing just like Paul said.
Speaker 3:It's gone it's kinda like being a big hotel in Vegas because everything's in here. Yep. Once you get here, you don't really have to go anywhere if you don't want to. Everything's in here that you'd ever need.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And, just to touch on the, driver championship, that that was yesterday morning. I I was out there for a few hours and watched the drivers compete in different challenges. And, you know, one of the one of the coolest ones in my opinion was they put a, you know, they they had a ready mixed truck set set up with its chute fully extended, and they would put a basketball inside the chute, and the driver would have to aim the chute to go inside the basketball hoop. I thought it was pretty interesting.
Speaker 2:And there's there's also, like, a golf challenge or and and then there was one it was like a hockey challenge. You had to hit a hit a hockey puck into a net with using the the chute of the truck. That's pretty cool. And then they had, like, there was, like, a tight spaces challenge. They had to drive through, like, a very, very narrow space to see if they could, they they wouldn't knock over the tennis balls and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So super, super cool. Very, very talented drivers. It's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's you know, we I think the drivers in this industry kinda get, a bad raver or short you know, bad rep. But this event, I mean, they're really showcasing these guys and really making them feel, you know, special and showing off their talents.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know, there's drivers from all around the country here. So many different companies, you know, men and women. I think there was, like, a 111 drivers, I think, competing. It was something like that.
Speaker 2:And then, tonight is actually the, reception to see which driver won. They're gonna announce him and his family or or her and and and her family to, you know, just give them their, awards and stuff like that. So it's a good time. Yep. You
Speaker 3:don't have to we might have to go to the banquet next time. We come back we come back here to Concrete Works. Probably need to make an effort when you go to that banquet because that's what everybody is saying. They said all kinds of great things about the banquet.
Speaker 2:That's what I've heard, so I'm excited to check that out.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's cool. So you're based in Allen. For those that don't remember when you were on the show previously, you're based in Allentown, PA
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Working with Heidelberg. Yep. What have you seen at this show that's got you excited about the future of cement concrete?
Speaker 2:I think there's been a lot of collaboration between different, different entities in the in the industry, whether it's the material producers, whether it's the, you know, the the cement producers, the concrete producers, or even the concrete finishers. They've tried to make it more so of a collaborative effort between all of them to make sure that, you know, the rollout of new materials in the future goes a little bit more smoothly. Everyone's on the same page. They're trying to build the trust back up between all those units. And, you know, I think it's pretty exciting because I've sat in a lot of different, meetings, and that was a theme of of at least a few of them.
Speaker 2:So, I think that's some something great that I've learned here.
Speaker 1:It's interesting you just said that because we had Justin Lazenby here on the podcast here at the show, and that was literally exactly what he said about Mhmm. Rolling out the next future of changing of cements. And Mhmm. He's like, he's he's gonna be working together, collaborating, communication. Yep.
Speaker 1:A. He's like, I think we're gonna be fine.
Speaker 2:Yep. Exactly. Yeah. It's been nice to to be able to talk to some of the concrete finishers and hear, you know, firsthand about, you know, what exactly they're experiencing, how, you know, this could be rolled out better for them in the future, and just making sure everybody's on the same page, whether it's the cement producer, the concrete producer, and the, contractor, and even the owner owner of of these projects. Everybody's gotta be involved, and I think that's something of a takeaway that, we can, take from this.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I gotta I gotta use your credit, though, man. Like, you've been essentially at trade conventions Monday to Monday. Yeah. Like, that is brutal.
Speaker 1:Why would you even sign up
Speaker 2:for that? You know, I am extremely exhausted. I'm actually I don't know if you guys could see this, but I got my Red Bull right here. Yeah. That's, like, my 4th of the week, and I try not to drink those very often.
Speaker 2:But, you know, for something like this, it's necessary and it's worth it because, you know, it's early mornings and late nights every all day, every every day of the week. So, you know, but it's a good time. Like I said, I mean, I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else, and I've definitely learned a lot and met a lot of new new people here. So it's been awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, the show is great. We're really happy that you came on our show within the show. Sure. Yep. At 10 gallons, and, hopefully, we can have you on again for another full length episode here.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, man. Thank
Speaker 1:you. Awesome. Thanks for being here. Yep.