February proved to be an eventful month for Neuvokas starting on day one.

February 1^st -- ASBDC Capitol Hill Showcase:

We were honored to represent Michigan’s Small Business Development Center at the annual ASBDC reception on Capitol Hill. Neuvokas was one of ten companies selected to showcase the valuable efforts of SBDCs across the country. Our VP of Engineering, Matt Kero, attended the event along with senators, members of the House of Representatives, staffers, and SBDC employees. “This was a great opportunity for us,” said Mr. Kero. “It’s nice to be able to directly share our rebar solution with some of the folks making the infrastructure decisions in this country.” Arcadio Ramirez, Neuvokas’ SBDC consultant said he was encouraged by the interest show by Michigan’s Senator Debbie Stabenow. Overall, the trip to Washington DC was a success. Thank you ASBDC for having us!

Matt Kero with Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow

CEO Erik Kiilunen wasn’t able to make it to DC, however, Matt and Arcadio made sure he wasn’t left out.

February 1^st through 4^th -- World of Concrete 2016:

While Erik's cut-out visited monuments in DC, CEO Erik Kiilunen himself headed to Vegas to attend World of Concrete 2016. WOC 2016 took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and featured hundreds of booths highlighting the latest innovations in the concrete and masonry industries. Neuvokas hung out at the KodiKlip booth, where a GatorBar grid tied with KodiKlip was displayed.

“World of Concrete 2016 exceeded expectations across the board. This signature event for the concrete industry drew 60,110 registered professionals, up from 55,779 in 2015, and featured more than 1,532 companies exhibiting across more than 743,889 net square feet of space, an increase of more than 67,000 net square feet from 2015. This was the largest World of Concrete in seven years.” (According to World of Concrete 2016 Results.)

February 11^th -- Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce Spark Plug Awards:

Neuvokas attended the annual Keweenaw Community Spark Plug Awards Dinner for 2015. This award ceremony recognizes local companies for their achievements and contribution to the local economy. Neuvokas received a Spark Plug award in the Innovation/Transformation category.

CEO Erik Kiilunen amongst the winners. Photo courtesy of http://www.keweenaw.org.

Thank you Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce! Also, congratulations to all of the other winners. The full write up from The Daily Mining Gazette can be found here.

Featured GatorBar Project Case Study- Richey Road Development Project Phase III:

All of the events aside, we are excited to share with you our featured project case study from February. Northwinds Construction of Houston, Texas used GatorBar in Phase III of their Richey Road Development Project. The rebar was placed on Monday 2/15 and the concrete was poured on Friday 2/19. Here are some quick stats:

• Concrete slab reinforced with #3 GatorBar, 8,500 total square feet
• 8 hours to set up rebar with a 4 man crew (32 total hours)
• Estimated 50% time savings (per Bahena Steel crew leader, Roberto Billa) using GatorBar and KodiKlip vs. steel rebar and wire ties
• Rodbusters appreciated the lightweight rebar, lifting a 20’x20’ grid was no problem for 2 guys

GatorBar set up and ready for concrete. View full Project Gallery here.

A 50% timesavings on their first job using GatorBar? Imagine how quickly they'll be setting up jobs in the future after they get the hang of the whole process! Time is money, and Norhtwinds and Bahena Steel just saved a bunch of both.