For over 50 years, family-owned Custom Concrete has been a leading supplier of concrete contractor services throughout Central Indiana. Its success stems from focusing on family values and doing things right – including choosing the best concrete reinforcement.
If you work in the construction industry in central Indiana you know Custom Concrete. It was founded in 1969 as a custom home framing/cast-in-place foundation contractor by a hardworking couple, Joe and Betty Carr, and has grown into a 250-person concrete contracting team, still steadfastly focused on the Carr family’s principles of trust, integrity, pride and faith.
The network of related businesses now covers Central Indiana, Ohio and even Kentucky, while handling most services related to residential and commercial projects, from mid-rise residential footings, basement walls, industrial slabs and fulfillment center foundations. Many Custom Concrete employees have been there for over 10 years, with two who recently celebrated their 35 years with the business.
Custom Concrete’s mindset has always been focused on delivering high-quality services using the best tools available. They use rebar and welded wire mesh as the primary reinforcement because specifiers did not offer alternative options.
It wasn’t until the fall of 2016 that rethinking the concept of reinforcement came to fruition since they found themselves in a difficult position. “We were working on a large-scale project, with three buildings of 100,000-square-foot each. With winter quickly approaching, we needed to save work days” says Casey Harvey, Director of Operations for Custom Concrete.
Structural Sales co-owner Scott Smith knew Custom Concrete well and happened to be in the right place at the right time to present the benefits of an alternative concrete reinforcement. “I met the founder of their business, Joe Carr, back in 1990,” says Smith. “There aren’t many who could measure up to him. I became good friends with the owner and family.”
Smith was and still is the regional distribution partner for an American business called Helix Steel that offered a solution called Helix Micro Rebar. The one-inch twisted steel reinforcement is added in cement mixers at batch plants and easily poured into place. The twisted shape acts similarly to a screw that keeps wood together, which results in a solution that substantially reduces cracks.
After speaking with Smith, Harvey was willing to give the innovative idea a chance, “We spoke with Helix Steel’s engineers and their explanations were excellent,” says Harvey. “Fortunately, this project also had contractors who were receptive enough to consider using an alternative.”
That first project for Custom Concrete resulted in 90% less rebar in the footings and 98% less rebar in the slabs. Custom Concrete was pleased with the results and couldn’t wait to make it a standard material for their operations, with Harvey saying, “After we saw the time savings on that one job we were sold.”
Helix Micro Rebar now benefits projects that Custom Concrete takes on, including slabs on grade, footings, walls and even slabs on deck.
“A huge selling point for me when it comes to Helix Micro Rebar is the safety,” continues Harvey. “It’s a huge risk mitigation issue. You don’t have to move as much rebar around. It’s not a housekeeping issue. It’s not a material handling issue, and you don’t have to expose your people to strains and scrapes.”
Harvey often thinks about jobsite safety as well as all of the time the company saves by not tying rebar. The results are not uncommon; Many of Helix Steel’s customers frequently experience days or even weeks saved because of choosing it.
Even Smith, who also owns his own concrete company, experiences the benefits of Helix Micro Rebar. “We figure that the amount of Helix Micro Rebar we use saves us from hiring two additional full-time employees,” Smith says. “The guys we have now who use Helix Micro Rebar love working with it. If we do a job without it they always ask, ‘Why can’t we get Helix on this job?’”
Another key benefit of Helix Micro Rebar is that there is also no guessing when it comes to how the product should be applied. Helix Steel’s in-house engineers ensure that their customers, like Custom Concrete, are experiencing all of the benefits possible with Helix Micro Rebar. Harvey explains, “I reach out to their engineers on a regular basis. Then other times they reach out to me for my opinion on things and bounce ideas off of each other. The Helix Steel engineers have even visited our office to do a lunch and learn. It’s so important that the industry better understands alternative options to traditional reinforcement.”
“As much as it’s benefiting projects, Helix Micro Rebar is still a learning curve,” Smith admits. “Engineers who are used to traditional reinforcing are often pleased to learn more about Helix Micro Rebar and its capabilities to perform as well or better than rebar or wire. And for a lot of years, there were bad experiences with fibers – it would look like you need to mow them when you’re done. Every time we expose a new customer to it, Helix Micro Rebar is gaining ground.”
Businesses like Custom Concrete continue to offer Helix Micro Rebar (which is not considered a fiber since its benefits are far greater) and experience the benefits firsthand, along with the support of distribution partners like Scott Smith. “Especially during this ongoing pandemic, there are severe shortages of rebar and wire mesh,” Smith says. “As a distributor of Helix Micro Rebar, I’ve never had to say no to someone because we don’t have it in stock. It’s always available with very little lead time.”
There really has never been a better time to rethink concrete construction. If you are a contractor, engineer, developer or precaster, consider the benefits of Helix Micro Rebar and submit your project to get in touch with our engineering team. If you are located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky or Florida please contact Scott Smith at Structural Sales, a regional distributor of Helix Steel.
Are you looking for quality concrete solutions? Connect with Custom Concrete at www.customconcrete.com or 317-896-2885.
The construction industry innovator is increasingly being known not only for its superior concrete reinforcement, but for its in-house team of professional engineers who support clients every step of the way.
No one expects to have full engineering support with every order of building supplies, but when engineers choose to specify Helix Micro Rebar, that is exactly what they receive. It’s an approach that has been established at the Michigan-based company since its inception almost 20 years ago.
By producing an exceptional product and following through with live engineering support during design and installation stages, Helix Steel is doing something that rarely ever happens in the construction industry: making the lives of engineers easier.
Helix Steel manufacturers Helix Micro Rebar, the leading alternative concrete reinforcement which has been proven to stop concrete cracks from forming in tens of thousands of structures. The one-inch (25-mm) piece of twisted steel is combined with thousands of others and mixed with concrete to provide a highly durable product, reducing cracks, timelines and expenses. The key is a patented twist in its design, which is nowhere else found in the concrete reinforcement industry, holding concrete together better than ever possible.
Helix Steel understands the complexities of design, and is committed to providing more than just a great product. Comprehensive support for its product comes from a team of project managers and in-house engineers, essentially an extension of a construction project’s engineering team.
“Engineers often come to us with a challenge, and they hear that Helix Micro Rebar can address it,” says TJ Lambert, Engineering Outreach Manager for Helix Steel. “Often, they’re right and we can make concrete better. Rarely do they immediately fully understand the level of support we provide them once they make the decision to specify Helix Micro Rebar.”
Helix Micro Rebar was made by engineers to solve a problem that has challenged the profession for generations: reducing concrete cracks. Although rebar and fiber try to accomplish this, neither work to their designed potential until after microcracks grow larger. It’s for that reason that fibers are not approved for replacement of structural reinforcement.
Helix Micro Rebar allows engineers to offer something to their customers that’s better, faster and more cost effective than anything else: an alternative that can cut costs and improve quality.
Whether it is designing, testing, dosing, stamping or consulting, Helix Steel’s team can take on tasks that would otherwise take up the time of a project’s engineering department.
Our engineers work on everything from simple slab-on-grade applications (many dosage rates are readily available) to complex pours requiring different dosages being poured simultaneously. We have supported engineers with a concrete bridge deck in Missouri, a concrete slab for an electric vehicle plant in Ohio and have calculated dosage rates for an ICF home in California – 40,000 structures in all.
Helix Micro Rebar has the credible design approvals that engineers need to save time and reduce liability concerns. It can be used:
Helix Steel’s online specification tool even gives engineers access to online calculations and tables to easily specify Helix Micro Rebar in your designs.
Our project managers coordinate plans at every level, including general contractors, developers, owners, ready-mixers and even pump truck operators, all to ensure a completely smooth pour process. It’s not uncommon for Helix Steel’s team to be on site for the first pour day to support the operations.
Engineers have questions, which is why Helix Steel’s engineering team is eager to help:
Helix Steel provides guidance for these questions and many more so that you can be comfortable in your decision, in accordance with industry reports and building codes.
In addition to education, Helix Steel works closely with the PCA, assists in upgrading building codes and improves the industry through action in ACI sub-committees.
“As an engineer, we are always looking for ways to innovate without risk, and to explore improvements without making a large time investment. Helix Micro Rebar was invented to address this challenge.”
Luke Pinkerton, Helix Steel’s Chief Technology Officer
We understand engineers, since we are engineers too, and how immediately embracing something new can be difficult. We are confident that once you make the decision once, you will specify Helix Micro Rebar again…and again…and again. Many of our clients are repeat customers who use our product once, then get hooked on its benefits and the convenience of our support team.
We’re not just a single person sitting in an office waiting for the phone to ring; We’re a complete engineering network of two professional engineers and three additional engineers.
For almost 20 years we have completed more than 400 million square feet of projects in 40,000 structures using a manufactured-in-America product, allowing engineers from around the world to innovate and provide their clients with something that’s 100% proven with real-world applications. Hear more from Helix Steel’s many success stories and testimonials.
We know that for many engineers, changing something as familiar as rebar can be a big step to take. That’s why Helix Steel’s team is here, dedicated to ensuring not only are you fully educated on our product and processes, but to be with you every step of the way.
Whether you are an engineer, general contractor, developer, ready-mix operator or owner, you are welcome to inquire further about Helix Micro Rebar and how this product – and our team’s support for it – will transform your project into something that thousands of engineers around the world already know and love.
Contact Helix Steel and discover more about the better way to build with concrete.
Construction industry leaders are under intense pressure to deliver precision, speed, excellence and sustainability all in one easily delivered package. Fortunately, there’s a concrete reinforcement that checks all of the right boxes, while doing it all at an affordable cost.
Helix Steel’s concrete reinforcement is Helix Micro Rebar, and is quickly being embraced by North America’s leading architects and engineers who understand that this tiny rebar replacement provides superior value for themselves and their colleagues at a fraction of the cost.
Each piece of Helix Micro Rebar is only one-inch (25-mm) long, and made from 100% steel. Its patented twisted design forms with concrete to create a strong and durable material, keeping concrete together like a screw in wood.
Because of this, specifying Helix Micro Rebar in structural plans has become much more common. To help share what other engineers have already discovered, we have compiled this list of reasons why you should be insisting on this micro reinforcement for your next project.
Engineers need to set aside time to contemplate the inefficiencies of the products that they choose to work with. In the concrete reinforcement field alone, engineers need to consider that rebar will corrode, fibers will not stop cracks, and the reduced lifespan of structures caused by these issues.
Removing the headaches from unnecessary challenges is important to focus on the work that matters. Helix Micro Rebar is coated to ensure long-lasting durability, and its twisted design stops cracks before they even start forming.
You already know that concrete has very high compressive strength, but low tensile strength. Unfortunately, the rebar and fibers many engineers choose to keep things together do not do their job the way it needs to be done. Helix Micro Rebar is designed with a twist, and mixed throughout every inch of concrete to receive 100% coverage consistently, greatly increasing concrete’s modulus of rupture.
Here is a performance chart comparing rebar, fiber and Helix Micro Rebar.
Although all-steel Helix Micro Rebar is small like a fiber, that’s where the similarities end.
Plastic is 10x softer than concrete, allowing concrete to crack before tension allows it to stop cracks from growing larger. Steel is 6x stiffer than concrete, helping to resist cracks from forming.
There are also steel fibers, which are often sold as straight rods with hooks on each end, allowing the tensile strength of concrete to pull it apart before enacting their crack-stopping power.
Fiber also leaves engineers with many questions regarding product support, proper dosages, structural integrity, testing methodology, field validation techniques and efficiencies.
The International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) has published ESR 3949 that allows engineers, architects and builders to easily implement Helix Micro Rebar in residential slabs, foundations, footings, walls and pavements. The report was originally published in September 2020 and was updated in February 2021 with the following highlights:
Whether your objective is to control cracks or prevent structural failure – or perhaps both – Helix Micro Rebar’s patented twisted design takes both concerns into account. For building environments that are more likely to experience either of these potential issues, a concrete reinforcement must be chosen that suits all reliability concerns.
Professional engineers in laboratory testing use impartial measurements to provide accurate data on Helix Micro Rebar’s effectiveness. Tests include peak strength, strength after a small crack develops, testing after large cracks develop, tension and bending test and much more. All must be taken into account when developing a superior concrete reinforcement.
Although plastic fibers are marketed for temperature and shrinkage crack protection, they are designed not to work until large cracks have already formed, which we feel defeats the purpose of concrete reinforcement. Fiber reinforcement is tested with a 3.5 mm crack, because that width will provide fiber the best results. Helix Micro Rebar can be tested at any crack width – and even no crack at all – because it is designed to stop cracks before they even start.
Although rebar has been a mainstay in the construction industry for generations, and is currently winning the popularity contest, upon closer inspection rebar has many faults. Helix Micro Rebar not only has the better individually coated exterior look, but it has the science to back it up.
Using a product that is not as well known, but is a far superior alternative may be the best decision an engineer has ever made. Helix Micro Rebar has over 20 years of experience and tens of thousands of projects completed without a single failure. Although with a decade of success, Helix Steel is leading industry efforts at ACI to create more sustainable and economical concrete structures.
Helix Micro Rebar allows for more efficient designs, a smaller carbon footprint, and as a 100% steel product it is fully recyclable. It is the common-sense environmentally sensitive approach to the challenges faced by engineers when dealing with concrete reinforcement.
For example, in the Helen Devos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, using Helix Micro Rebar reduced the project’s carbon footprint by 63 tons while also expediting construction by 10 days.
If you’re a design professional who cares about sustainability, who wants a better end product for your client, and who cares about using the best, we ask that you consider Helix Micro Rebar.
We have broken down the basics of Helix Micro Rebar, including testing methodologies, value for engineers and their clients, and real-life examples.
Download “The Engineering Insiders’ Guide to Helix Micro Rebar” to learn more about Helix Micro Rebar’s value for engineers and their clients.
As you now know, forward-thinking engineers and architects specify Helix Micro Rebar. Our online specification tool gives you access to online calculations and tables to easily specify Helix® Micro Rebar™ in your designs.
For many applications, such as precast and ICF, Helix Steel can provide you with pre-approved dosage tables to ensure consistent and smooth design and construction processes.
You are welcome to provide your specs for our engineering team to show you how Helix Micro Rebar reinforcement can benefit your project. We will work with you to add greater value into your project, which you can pass onto your clients and other key stakeholders. We will do the work for you!
Helix Steel’s President & Chief Technology Officer, Luke Pinkerton, hosts regular webinars that pertain to certain subjects on the future of concrete reinforcement. Every webinar attendee will receive an official Certificate of Completion.
Register for our Helix Micro Rebar webinar here!
Helix Steel sponsors a one-hour course through Ron Blank & Associates entitled Alternative Concrete Reinforcement Materials, which focuses on how performance-based building codes are developed.
Design professionals learn how alternative allowances help keep the door open for innovation in the marketplace. Innovation in terms of structural and another area, such as fire, where performance-based design and alternative methods are routinely used.
We will also examine how that alternative process of code allowance is incorporated, while focusing on the subject of concrete reinforcement; and lastly, it is our hope that you will grasp a better understanding of the process for your next project.
Are you interested in a Lunch & Learn specifically designed for engineers like you? Learn how you can provide your clients with better value and performance with alternative materials. Attend and we will send attendees a digital gift card. Register online right now for our next session.
You are always welcome to discuss your project, our product or any other topic, comment or concern live with our American team here at Helix Steel. Call us at 1-734-322-2114 or email sales@helixsteel.com.
Helix Micro Rebar helps to prevent concrete cracks before they start, while also helping ready-mix producers operate more efficiently than ever before.
If you’ve worked with synthetic fibers, you know that headaches, frustrations and lost time are fairly normal in the batching and pouring processes. Helix Steel is here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be this way – there’s an alternative that’s proven to deliver superior results in every way.
Helix Micro Rebar is a one-inch (25-mm) twisted piece of steel that is mixed with concrete at your batch plant to eliminate or reduce traditional reinforcement (rebar and mesh) required by building codes.
For two decades, Helix Micro Rebar has been used in tens of thousands of projects to increase concrete’s strength and durability, while offering those who use it a litany of other benefits for every stage of the construction process: engineers, general contractors, developers, precasters and ICF builders.
We’ve spoken with our ready-mix customers and have created this ‘Top Five’ list of reasons you will want to learn more about Helix Micro Rebar.
If you want to improve your concrete’s workability (i.e. how readily the concrete can be mixed, placed, consolidated and finished) you have to think outside of ‘fiber’.
Helix Micro Rebar may be small, but it’s no fiber. It is 400 stronger and 8x stiffer than concrete, and 300% stronger and 7x times stiffer than polyethylene, allowing shorter lengths (only one inch) and smaller dosages. This ensures that the concrete is easier to mix and finish than plastic fibers, and even steel fibers.
What does that mean for you? Significant time savings. Your drivers can’t control the traffic to get to the jobsite, but Helix Micro Rebar can save precious minutes in delivering a load to where it needs to go, and getting back faster than ever possible.
Why operate at the mercy of rebar, when your project’s entire schedule can be expedited with a delivery of Helix Micro Rebar in as little as a couple of weeks? Rebar can take as long as six weeks, and even short delays can lead to expensive and time-consuming issues down the road.
Faster delivery times from superior workability can reduce labor costs, and allow you to do more concrete deliveries in a day than ever before. What could your business do with an extra 20% of your crew waiting for work? Customers report savings of approximately one day per 10,000 square feet where Helix Micro Rebar is used in place of rebar or mesh.
Helix Micro Rebar has a 20-year history of being used in a wide range of applications, from concrete slabs and foundations to tunnel linings and overpasses. It is the only code-approved alternative to rebar, and has been certified by the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) and Uniform Evaluation Service (IAPMO-ES).
Ready-mix producers can generate thousands of extra dollars on every load of concrete by choosing Helix Micro Rebar. Helix Steel offers ready mix producers significant pricing discounts through our reseller program.
This is just the beginning when it comes to understanding the benefits that changing a concrete reinforcement can make for your business. Take the next step and learn more about how Helix Micro Rebar can make your crews, equipment and business run better.
Speak with one of our in-house engineers or project specialists to learn more about using Helix Micro Rebar at your batch plant, or read this testimonial from a ready-mix producer in Minnesota about how they chose to innovate their reinforcement.
AVR Inc. uses an innovative American-made concrete reinforcement to deliver superior concrete products for its customers in the Minneapolis metro area.
For 20 years Helix Steel has been reinventing concrete reinforcement, and it is finding success around the world. Five years ago, ready-mix supplier AVR Inc. discovered the game-changing concrete reinforcement and hasn’t looked back.
AVR Inc. had its humble beginnings in 1925, when the founders moved to Minnesota to work on a 120-acre farm. With determination and innovation, the fledgling company expanded into a gravel supplier, then a road construction company. That grew into a ready-mix company followed by many acquisitions resulting in the regional powerhouse that is AVR Inc.
Today, with more than 800 acres of aggregate pits and 100+ concrete trucks, AVR offers the ‘Twin Cities’ metro area a wide range of construction solutions, from concrete contracting to concrete pumping to read-mix concrete delivery. With innovation at its core, AVR had used fiber reinforcement in the past since it was a faster and safer alternative to rebar, but the workability of macrofibers was a constant frustration.
Time is of the essence for concrete delivery operations, and plants were spending far too much time troubleshooting the consistency of concrete with polyethylene fibers. Contractors were sick of it as well, so AVR sought out other solutions.
“We found out about Helix Micro Rebar in 2014,” said Josh Edwards, P.E., Vice President – Engineering & Aggregates for AVR. “We spoke with a member of the Minnesota Concrete Council who recommended it, so we thought we would give it a shot.”
Edwards contacted the engineers at Helix Steel to learn more about the design of the product, and to determine exactly how the one-inch twisted steel design helps it to perform better than polyethylene or even steel fibers. Helix Micro Rebar was shown to increase fatigue resistance by up to 300% and the flexural strength of concrete by up to 33%. It also has a history of successful use in a wide range of structural applications.
“In theory it was going to be better; the engineering certainly made sense,” Edwards said. “The real advantages for us ended up being the consistency and workability we gained. We needed to fight with polyethylene fiber a lot. We don’t get that with Helix Micro Rebar.”
AVR now gives contractors a more workable mix that can do everything that macro fibers do and then some.
“When you’re pouring a warehouse slab, for example, you might be pouring 200 yards in an hour,” said Edwards. “The concrete has to have a good consistency to pour quickly….Any little benefit is a big cost and time saver.”
Contractors appreciate the reduced labor costs and safety issues compared to rebar or mesh, with every 10,000 sq. ft. of rebar replaced with Helix Micro Rebar saves them approximately one full day of construction.
Using Helix Micro Rebar also allows AVR’s customers to pour concrete slabs with extended joint spacing. The standard joint spacing is roughly 14–18 feet, but can be extended to as much as 100 feet with the innovative micro reinforcement. That often results in huge savings in labor for concrete cutting alone.
In the Twin Cities metro area, fibers are well known, but Helix Micro Rebar is being used in more and more structures, from office buildings and warehouses to bridges and condominiums.
With Helix Steel’s product on their side, the future continues to look bright for AVR. “AVR is committed to delivering consistent products and services for our customers,” said Edwards. “Anything that we put in our concrete we hope it gets us closer to fulfilling that.”
Learn more about AVR Inc. and its commitment to delivering on its promises in the Twin Cities metro area: visit www.avrconcrete.com or call 952-997-9100.Helix Steel offers valuable margin opportunities for ready mix producers, special ready-mix pricing and a ready-mix reseller program. Please contact our team to learn more.
This multifaceted construction contractor in Manitoba uses Helix Steel’s innovative concrete reinforcement in everything from ICF and slabs to sidewalks and driveways.
“I got the bug of seeing better ways to do things, and I wanted to build with something that made sense for myself and my customers,” explains Cody Campbell, owner of Cody Campbell Contracting, construction services business based in Carberry, Manitoba.
The Red Seal journeyman carpenter is a “huge concrete nerd”, and investigated faster installation options for concrete reinforcement that also made it better than the current standards. “I hated how engineers were jamming rebar into our ICF,” Campbell explains. “They were interfering with the flowability of the concrete and making my projects more complex than they needed to be.”
It was Campbell’s ICF supplier who first spoke with him about Helix Micro Rebar. Campbell did his research and found that fibers were not engineered for structural reinforcement, unlike Helix Steel’s product. He even contacted a couple of fiber companies to get more information, and they wouldn’t help with his questions.
Helix Micro Rebar made sense to Campbell in so many ways. He explains, “My easiest selling point is this: imagine we have a wall and every 16 inches there’s a piece of rebar. What we’re going to do is take the rebar away, and instead we’re going to put it everywhere – every square inch. If one fails, there would be a million other pieces. If you have reinforcement in every square inch, you’re winning.”
There are only a few trades in Campbell’s area of Manitoba, so he does it all, from foundations to toilet paper holders.
He has used Helix Micro Rebar in concrete for five years, and it has been a huge benefit for himself, his crew and his customers. “I don’t allow it to be an option on most jobs. It’s essential, especially if we’re pouring ICF walls.”
Campbell regularly uses the reinforcement in footings, slabs and has completed more than 6,800 linear feet of sidewalks. He even built his two-storey ICF home using Helix Micro Rebar, with just a few rebar details around windows and doors.
“Helix Micro Rebar gives us better ICF pours, no voids and better consolidation,” Campbell proudly explains. “We’ve torn apart ICF walls to see what it’s like inside, and core drilled, and there was absolutely no loss. When the core was crushed, it still stayed somewhat together.”
Campbell has been in the construction industry since he was 19, and has completed a wide range of concrete projects, many with Helix Micro Rebar.
“One house we did that I really had fun with was using ICF,” Campbell says. “We did a monolithic pour basement – footing and walls all in one shot. That was probably the best basement you can ever have with vapor management, and concrete with Helix Micro Rebar. There was no rebar except around the windows. It was a work of art!”
Campbell also spoke about another project that saved more time than if he had used any other concrete reinforcement. “It was a large potato shed slab…a long pour of 385 yards of concrete, and took 24 hours to complete. By using Helix Micro Rebar, we cut off two and a half weeks worth of reinforcement prep work. And next to nothing showed up on the surface when we got the concrete finishers to finish the concrete in the same direction.”
Campbell has purchased dozens of pallets of Helix Micro Rebar since he’s started, and continues to spread word throughout the construction industry in Manitoba with every project he completes, saying, “There’s nothing else like it, and I’m glad to have the right ready-mix partner that helps make it happen.”
To learn more about how Cody Campbell Contracting can help you with your concrete needs in southern Manitoba, contact Cody at 204-573-6490 or CodyCampbellContracting@gmail.com. Campbell and his team of five is in high demand, and usually book out a year in advance.
To learn more about how Helix Micro Rebar can benefit engineers, ready-mix producers and more, contact our sales team right now.
The Michigan-based concrete reinforcement manufacturer is making a significant contribution to help build durable new homes for families in need.
Helix Steel is coordinating delivery of its Helix® Micro Rebar™ concrete reinforcement to help build durable homes for families in high-need communities across America. The move is being done in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association.
This inspiring community-focused initiative will involve constructing highly durable, affordable and sustainable homes at 16 locations across the U.S.A.
Helix Steel’s concrete reinforcement will help to make the homes the best that they can be. The science behind the product is in its proprietary design: a one-inch piece of twisted steel that’s combined with thousands of others, mixed with concrete and poured in place. From slabs, walls and footings to foundations and infrastructure projects, Helix® Micro Rebar™ has been used in thousands of projects and applications, and is proven to improve concrete resiliency, ductility, and strength.
“We’re proud to support Habitat in furthering its mission to build homes, communities and hope,” Luke Pinkerton, Helix Steel’s President and Chief Technology Officer. “Our contribution of materials and expertise will help to ensure faster construction and lower costs for 16 communities across America. Our support will help to create homes that are built to last many lifetimes.”
The first project in the partnership will break ground in April with the construction of three homes in Paradise, California. This town was devastated by wildfires in recent years. Building the homes of concrete will provide families with a durable home that resists fire.
“Residents have had their lives turned upside down,” said Nicole Bateman, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Butte County. “We are grateful for our partners in the concrete industry for stepping in to help with the rebuilding process. Their generous donations will not only provide affordable housing but also resilient homes that will resist destruction from future wildfires.”
Other industry groups involved in the collaboration and contributing to the projects include the Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturing Association (ICFMA) and the American Concrete Pumpers Association (ACPA).
“We are extremely proud to be a part of the partnership with Habitat for Humanity. It gives us a great opportunity to set an example for how we should be building resilient communities across the country,” said Mike Kennaw, Board Chairman, ICFMA. “ICF construction can help hard-working families by providing safe and strong homes, and we are really grateful to be a part of that.”
“Habitat for Humanity is an incredible partner for these projects. It’s an amazing feeling to know that the industry will help to provide affordable homes that are comfortable and safe for those living in them,” said Christi Collins, Executive Director of ACPA. “Concrete can provide great peace of mind for homeowners.”
For more information on Habitat for Humanity International, please visit www.habitat.org.
To learn more about Helix Steel and its concrete reinforcement products, please visit www.helixsteel.com.
Helix Steel the innovative manufacturer of Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement, used in more than 20,000 concrete applications across America to provide structures with quantifiably better resiliency, ductility and elasticity to concrete structures. Since 2003, Helix® Micro Rebar™ has been used in more than 20,000 structures around the world and continues to support American by manufacturing its products in Grand Rapids, Michigan. To learn more, visit www.helixsteel.com.
NRMCA is celebrating 90 years of representing the producers of ready mixed concrete and the companies that provide materials, equipment, and support to the industry. It conducts education, training, promotion, research, engineering, safety, environmental, technological, lobbying and regulatory programs. To learn more, visit www.nrmca.org.
Build with Strength is a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and works with communities, lawmakers, and industry employees to advocate for safer, sustainable building materials. To learn more, visit www.buildwithstrength.com.
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit www.habitat.org.
For more information on Helix Steel:
Luke Pinkerton, President and Chief Technology Officer
Helix Steel
2300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 201
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Email: luke.pinkerton@helixsteel.com
Website: www.helixsteel.com
Office: 734-322-2114 ext. 60
Mobile: 734-649-5663
