Sierra Wall II – The forefront of highway sound wall technology

MIDLAND, Va. – In 1980, Smith-Midland Corporation pioneered the use of precast concrete highway sound walls in the United States. Sierra Wall, the first one-piece precast concrete column and panel system, quickly became the gold standard in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Now Smith-Midland and its licensing subsidiary Easi-Set Worldwide are proud to introduce the Sierra Wall II, which features a fully integrated, one-piece, pre-stressed extended column and sound panel. The inclusion of the foundation portion of the column, which extends up to 24 feet or more into the earth, sets Sierra Wall II apart from its competition. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials guidelines, this patented design eliminates the need for costly heavy-steel reinforcing cages around the pre-stressed foundation portion of the column.

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Smith-Midland Corporation receives NPCA award for Camp Lejeune project

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation was awarded an honorable mention in the 2011 NPCA Creative Use of Precast competition for its' work on the Camp Lejeune Marine Base Mock Afghan Village.

Project: Military Infantry Immersion Training Village, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Location: U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Project Size: 326 panels totaling 20,840 square feet.

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Smith-Midland Awarded 2009 ABC Excellence in Construction Award for Falls Church Office Building

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation was recently awarded the 2009 Annual Metropolitan Washington Excellence in Construction Award for Specialty Concrete (under $10 Million) for their work on the 3120 Fairview Park Drive office building in Falls Church, Virginia. The Metro Washington and Virginia Chapters of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) awards recognize the very best construction teams in the region. The awards were announced September 9th at the Marriott Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi, Maryland.

Smith-Midland was chosen to fabricate and install architectural precast concrete panels for the construction of the 8-story office building. The contract was worth $1.3 million.

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Smith-Midland Receives Award from American Concrete Institute for Work on University of Maryland Research Park Building

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation® was recently honored by the National Capital Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) as a winner in their 2011 Concrete Awards Competition. Smith-Midland was recognized for their involvement in the construction of the 120,000 square-foot M Square II Office building located within the University of Maryland’s 124-acre M Square Research Park in College Park.

Smith-Midland provided 38,000 square feet (333 individual pieces) of architectural precast panels for the M Square II building, which was designed to match the existing M Square I building, which Smith-Midland provided the panels for two years ago. The building’s design is a three-dimensional representation of the research activities that will occur inside. The scientific process is depicted as a "pristine cube" being pierced by an angled wall, with the collision symbolizing the "spark of ideas" that occurs during scientific endeavors. The cube feature was incorporated into the precast concrete panels produced by Smith-Midland.

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Smith-Midland Receives Specialty Concrete Award

Associated Builders and Contractors Selects Highways for Life for Regional Award

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation® was recently selected as a winner by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Metropolitan Washington in its annual awards program.

This is the second major industry award won by Smith-Midland for its involvement in the Virginia Department of Transportation's Highways for LIFE project.

Smith-Midland supplied the pre-stressed concrete pavement slab panels which replaced concrete pavement along 1,000 linear feet of west bound I-66 in all four lanes near Route 50 in Fairfax County.

Matthew Smith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, has accepted the award on behalf of the company at the 29th Annual Excellence in Construction Awards banquet at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner last night.

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Smith-Midland Receives Prestigious Award

Precast Concrete Institute Selects Company's Virginia Tech Basketball Facility Project For Special Recognition

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation® was recently named a winner in the 2010 Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) design awards program in the category of best stadiums, arenas and sports facilities.

The award-winning project was the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. It was selected as one of 30 winners out of 140 entries.

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Smith-Midland Named Winner of Prestigious ACI Concrete Award

Company Recognized by National Capital Chapter for Role in I-66
Highwaysfor LIFE Project

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation has been named winner of the 2010 National Capital Chapter American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete Award in the category of heavy construction.

The company’s involvement in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Highways for LIFE project on I-66 was selected for the annual recognition. Smith-Midland supplied the pre-stressed concrete pavement slab panels which replaced concrete pavement along 1,000 linear feet of westbound I-66 in all four lanes and a portion of the ramp to Route 50 in Fairfax County.

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Smith-Midland Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Company Reaches Half-Century Mark Posting Its Most Profitable Year Ever

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation® will celebrate 50 years as an innovative developer and producer of a wide variety of precast concrete products with festivities for the community, investors, customers and employees later this month. Founded in 1960 by David G. Smith as the Smith-Cattleguard Co., the company began when its founder build the first concrete cattleguard for his father-in-law, who was tired of having to open and close the gate. The business started out as supplemental income to the family's 95-acre farm.

Half a century later, the company is now producing a wide array of precast concrete products that have been featured at high-profile events including more than one Presidential Inauguration.

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Smith-Midland To Produce Custom Precast Concrete Manholes For Metrorail Expansion to Dulles Airport

Company To Support Phase 1 Of Project By Delivering 117 Units Worth More Than $800,000

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation was awarded an $800,000 contract in January to produce 117 custom precast concrete electrical manholes as part of the expansion of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport.

"Twenty-eight of the manholes will measure 16 feet by 8 feet and will be made from a custom-made form," said Matthew Smith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Smith-Midland. "The form was designed around Dominion Power specifications and was produced by our welders at our Midland plant."

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Smith-Midland to Build Soundwall Along Intercounty Connector in Montgomery County

$7.8 Million Contract is Largest in Company's 50-Year History

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation has been awarded a contract to construct a precast concrete soundwall along the new Intercounty Connector in Montgomery County, Md.

Worth more than $7.8 million, it is the largest contract in the company's 50-year history. The project includes 607,000 square feet of noise barrier panels that will stretch east of MD97 to just west of US29, between Rockville and Silver Spring. The project began in late 2009 and is expected to be completed in January 2011.

“The installation of a precast concrete soundwall along the Intercounty Connector will improve the quality of life for those living nearby, reducing the noise generated by traffic along a major thoroughfare,” said Matthew Smith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Smith-Midland. “The soundwall combines the unmatched strength and durability of precast concrete with the aesthetic benefit of a variety of finishes resulting in effective sound reduction, security, attractiveness and versatility all at an economical price.”

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Smith-Midland Awarded Contract for I-66 Highways for LIFE Project

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation of Midland, Virginia was recently awarded the contract to supply the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Pavement Slab panels for the VDOT Highways for LIFE Project on Interstate 66 in Fairfax County, Virginia. The value of the contract, which is a Lane Construction Corporation project, is valued at $1 million.

Smith-Midland will supply 52,020 square feet of precast/prestressed concrete slabs (306 pieces) with a light broom finish to support the VDOT pavement-rehabilitation project. The prestressed slabs will be post-tensioned together at the site after they are placed on the sub-grade. The project began in August with completion scheduled for November 2009.

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Smith-Midland Partners with Local College to Make Employees “Partners in Success”

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation is looking within its own community to help it become a better, bigger, stronger and more profitable company. As they implement a lean approach to the process of manufacturing precast concrete, they are looking to their employees to take the initiative to address and correct problems they encounter throughout the manufacturing process. To be successful in this new approach, Smith-Midland turned to the Lord Fairfax Community College customized training program to help empower their employees to become their “partners in success.”

According to Chris Kemp, Director of Continuous Improvement for Smith-Midland, the company is undergoing what can best be described as a “lean” transformation. “The transformation will focus on the three main factors that production managers fear most: poor quality, increase in production costs, and an increase in lead time. It will be a shift from the traditional manufacturing system to a model that emulates the Toyota Production System.”

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