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.
The project featured tilt-up concrete construction as well as pervious and roller compacted concrete pavements.
Conewago Enterprises
Lewisberry, PA
When the executives of Liberty Property Trust decided to build a distribution center on a piece of property that they owned in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, they knew just who to call—Hanover-based Conewago Enterprises, Inc., who had recently built the 705,000 sq. ft. building next door. “We have experience in tilt-up design, which is what they wanted for the project,” explains Don Smith, president of the design/build and general construction contractor.
The choice of contractor turned out to be a smart decision for Liberty Property Trust. Using four different concrete construction techniques, Conewago was able, not only to construct the distribution center that its client wanted, but also to make use of some valuable land that would have otherwise been unavailable because of water quality restrictions.
Liberty looks for ways to be environmentally friendly whenever we can. The advantages of using pervious were two-fold. It was the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint, and it helped with the coverage of pervious versus impervious coverage on the site.~ Troy Biggs, Director of Leasing and Land Development, Liberty Property Trust
~ Troy Biggs, Director of Leasing and Land Development, Liberty Property Trust
The building itself is a 550-foot by 1450-foot structure that rises about 45 feet at its peak. Work started in the fall of 2005, with Conewago laying the foundations in February 2006. The floor of the building was a traditional concrete floor slab, requiring about 17,000 cubic yards of concrete, and the walls were a tilt-up design that used 4,000 cubic yards. (The company brought in its own portable concrete plant to produce all the types of concrete needed for the job.)
For the parking areas, Conewago suggested that the owner consider roller compacted concrete as an alternative to asphalt. “We started using roller compacted three or four years ago,” says Smith. And when Liberty Property Trust wanted to expand their truck parking areas but were over the limit on how much land they could cover on the site, Conewago recommended another innovative product - pervious roller compacted concrete. “As long as they used pervious, the township would allow them to pave this additional area.”
“Liberty looks for ways to be environmentally friendly whenever we can,” adds Troy Briggs, director of leasing and development at Liberty.
“The advantages of using pervious were two-fold. It was the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint, and it helped with the coverage of pervious versus impervious coverage on the site.”
More Art Than Science
Placing pervious roller compacted concrete - or any type of roller compacted concrete - is a very different process than placing a slab, says Smith. “Roller compacted concrete has a low slump and we place it with a special machine paver that is similar to a black top paver,” he continues. “Then, we roll it with black top rollers. It doesn’t look anything like normal concrete when it goes down.” Conewago uses an ABG European style paver and Ingersoll Rand rollers for this work.
“We developed our own methods on how to put it down, mostly through trial and error,” he admits. “It has a lot to do with having the right moisture content and the timing has to be just perfect. If you have too much water in the mix, you can’t get on it with a roller; it won’t run through the paver correctly; if it’s too dry, you won’t get the strength. It’s more an art than a science.”
Concrete The Right Choice
Conewago completed the distribution center in September 2006. “Construction went very well, and I certainly think we’ll find a tenant for the building in the very near future,” comments Briggs. “From our perspective and what we’re seeing right now, we’re very happy with how the parking lot looks, and if the wear and tear is there, then we’ve hit a home run.
“And from a marketing perspective, I think the concrete is a great tool. If you think about asphalt, it can become soft with a bunch of tractor trailers sitting there under load. And, you have to reseal asphalt to keep it looking good. The concrete should hold up longer than asphalt and if it does, there are long term benefits, not only for Liberty, but for the customer. It will cut down on operating expenses to maintain the parking lot.”
“For heavy duty pavement sections, concrete is stronger and typically would require less depth,” adds Smith. “With the price of asphalt today, concrete is less expensive at the same depth, if it’s placed in an economical manner - and that means roller compacted concrete. It’s a very viable product, and the permeable roller compacted concrete has the added benefit of saving storm water and helping to improve water quality.”
Built into a hillside, ICF construction met the challenge of this project site.
Unique pattern and color make this pervious concrete pad stand out.
Pervious concrete was selected because it offered a life-cycle cost advantage over asphalt.
Pervious concrete allowed the addition to be built, while maintaining impervious cover limits.
The building features Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) construction.
RCC placement met pavement load requirements and need for quick construction turn-around.
Concrete was the answer for the severe rutting that the street was experiencing.
Project is one of only eight strong walls in the US, and the only one poured monolithically
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.