The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
When you think of a wall built from insulated concrete forms (ICFs), you may picture a linear design. This is understandable. The majority of ICF walls are just that. The idea of a curved ICF design may seem a bit counter-intuitive, at least at first. However, ICF radius forms are readily available. Some contractors fashion curved walls from straight ICF forms as well.
ICF radius walls are increasingly common in both residential and commercial construction. Expanding use of curved ICFs will further expand the ICF market.
Curved ICF walls give architects and designers tremendous design freedom. It’s possible to devote oneself to aesthetics without making sacrifices elsewhere. ICF radius construction delivers the same safety, durability and energy savings that linear ICF walls do. ICF walls protect against high winds, wildfires and earth tremors. They are a key component in the quest for net-zero energy performance.
Radius blocks deliver the advantages of EPS foam to curved wall designs. The closed-cell foam has a high R-value per inch, generally about R4. It is a stable, durable foam with no off-gassing. It is very resistant to moisture, mold and rot. The material contains a flame retardant, and the smoke is non-toxic. EPS foam is recyclable.
Major manufacturers offer ICF radius forms from tighter to more gradual. Fox Blocks offers pre-formed radius blocks that are 16 inches long. They accommodate a six-inch concrete core. These special-order blocks come in a variety of arc radii, including five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 feet. BuildBlock ICFs also offers customized radius blocks. Learn more from their BuildRadius video. LogixICF includes directions for creating radius walls in their installation guide.
For more gradual curves, it is possible to fashion radius forms from straight ones. Here’s a nine-minute how-to video.
Public awareness of the advantages of ICFs is still expanding. Many residential and commercial have already enjoyed them for more than a decade. Here’s a mix of earlier and more recent projects that make prominent use of curved ICF walls.
In the early days curved designs were most prominent in ICF pool construction. They remain popular due to speedier construction compared to pour-in-place. Lightweight components are easy to assemble. Avoid the use of heavy construction equipment. Opt for custom designs and varied finishing options.
The continuous insulation inherent in ICF construction is also perfect for pools. Energy savings of up to 60 percent accrue. Thanks to the insulating capacity and thermal mass, ICFs better maintain water temperatures. This can even extend the pool season. Imagine the weeks and months of added fun that will accumulate in coming years. Finally, longevity and reduced maintenance costs bring peace-of-mind, year after year.
Extreme weather resistance is a prime calling card of ICF construction. Consider the striking images of ICF homes still standing in the aftermath of major hurricane strikes. Tuscan Place is a 5,000+ sq-ft home featuring ICFs and windows rated to 160 mph. Foam sprayed on the underside of the roof decking complements the energy-efficiency of the ICF construction. Dual Trane heat pumps complete the quest for low energy costs.
A multi-story ICF home outside of Tupac, AZ, won an ICF Builder Award in the Large Residential category. The 3452 sqft home is in southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains at an elevation of 4500 feet. There’s more than 6700 sqft of ICF walls, including five radius walls. These curved walls featured radii of four, five, 9.5, 20 and 45 feet. The site was 25 miles off the main highway, and the last seven miles was dirt, so ship-flat ICFs were an advantage. The final leg of the journey was quarter-mile-long drive with a 200-ft elevation change.
An inventor’s ICF home in Leverett, MA, includes many curved walls fashioned from linear ICF blocks. The net-zero, multi-story residence incorporates passive solar and partially earth-faced north-side walls. Thanks to ICF construction, there’s “lots of mass for thermal heating and cooling.” The ICF Builder Award winner also benefits from solar and geothermal energy systems. The homeowner said of his decision to use ICFs, “I can say with 100% confidence that it was the right choice for our dream home. After 30 years in home construction, I will never go back to conventional built.”
ICF construction is very straightforward. So much so that some contractors choose it when R values are not even a concern. Energy savings is not a consideration with retaining walls. ICF retaining walls do deliver labor-saving installation and structural integrity. ICF radius blocks offer quick and precise retaining wall installation.
Design freedom is key in major commercial projects as well. Architects have long expressed their creativity in church design, for example. St. Mary’s Church in Carmel, IN, is a perfect example. Curved ICF walls simultaneously deliver aesthetics, durability, longevity and energy savings.
The Pennsylvania Aggregate and Concrete Association (PACA) maintains the SpecifyConcrete.org website. For more information, or for help with an upcoming project, please contact us.
February 22, 2024
Proficient carbon calculations are increasingly important as “Buy Clean” legislation proliferates. New York and Colorado are among the states that now require carbon calcs for public projects. An estimated 40% of emissions are from the built environment. According to one estimate, the planet’s total building floor area will double by 2060. This makes the concrete industry a key player in the quest for net-zero emissions products and projects.
February 15, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) notes that cement production is “so carbon intensive that even though cement makes up less than 15% of concrete by weight, it accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.” The use of fossil fuels to fire cement kilns is a key source of these carbon emissions.
February 08, 2024
In the quest for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, everyone has a role to play. In the concrete industry, this includes everyone from manufacturers to contractors, and from trade associations to governments. Here is a review of some of the major initiatives impacting concrete’s sustainability.
February 01, 2024
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) requires high-temperature calcination of limestone. It is possible to use various emissions-reducing pozzolans in concrete. Fly ash comes from coal-fired power plants. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) comes from steel mills. Another SCM is metakaolin derived from kaolin.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.