Concrete Logic

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career.  Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY Thirty years ago, concrete mix designs were simpler, more prescriptive, and easier to predict. Today, they’re optimized, blended, engineered, and heavily influenced by admixtures, SCMs, and...

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career.  Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY Concrete cracks are often brushed off as shrinkage, restraint, or “just part of concrete.” That mindset gets structures in trouble. In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tande...

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY If you’re building something new in this industry—mix designs, equipment, software, processes—there’s a good chance you’re creating intellectual property… without realizing it. In this episode, S...

We design concrete for 75 years. So why are we okay watching it fail in 12 to 24 months? That’s the uncomfortable question Seth Tandett puts on the table with Dr. Jon Belkowitz in this episode. Codes, specifications, and budgets are still written around a 50–75 year design life. But in the field, concrete surfaces are scaling, wearing, and failing in as little as a year or two. Instead of revisiti...

Concrete Is Losing on Cost. Here’s How to Take It Back. Concrete keeps getting priced out of jobs, not because it can’t compete, but because we keep doing the same things the same way.   In this episode, Seth Tandett sits down with Rich Szecsy to talk about where concrete costs actually come from and why material price increases are only part of the story. They walk through how specs, local c...

Most concrete looks the way it does for one simple reason. We keep designing around the forms we know how to build. In this episode, Seth sits down with Darren Baldwin, President of PIKUS, to break down the real difference between analog formwork and digital formwork—and why that distinction quietly limits what architects, engineers, and contractors think is even possible with concrete. This is no...

Most people think moisture problems in concrete come from below the slab. Concrete Bob Higgins explains why that assumption keeps blowing up floors. In this episode, Bob Higgins breaks down how moisture actually moves through concrete, why liquid water and water vapor are not the same thing, and how alkalinity quietly does more damage than most people realize. We also get into why common moisture...

Most people believe the chart on the screen — Dr. Jon explains why you shouldn’t. If you’ve ever sat in a conference session staring at a chart and wondering whether you’re seeing real data or a dressed-up story, this episode is for you. Dr. Jon Belkowitz breaks down how data in the concrete industry is often stretched, normalized, cherry-picked, or misleading — and how to spot it before making de...

Everyone in the concrete world knows the Baker name, but very few know the real story.    This episode finally gets it on record. Dan Baker walks through how the company started with three brothers, $500, and a truck that needed a hill to start — and how it grew into ENR’s #1 concrete contractor in America.    Dan lays out the moves, the mistakes, the risks, and the mindset shi...

Indiana just told the cement industry it won’t accept any blended cement with more than 10% limestone. That’s a first - and it’s not sitting well with the people who pushed Type IL cement in the first place. For the first time, a state DOT pushed back on Type IL cement—and the industry fired back. Indiana’s Department of Transportation says it’s protecting performance after bridge decks started sc...

What if your concrete mix could cut a data center’s power bill by 15%? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, host Seth Tandett talks with Frank Stankunas Sr., Frank Stankunas Jr., and James Cordeiro from Silverback Concrete about a concept most engineers haven’t thought about—thermal resistivity in concrete. They explain how low rho concrete helps data centers shed heat faster, take press...

What happens when the concrete industry’s “wonder dust” meets its high-tech rival? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, host Seth Tandett brings back Dan McCoy and Dr. Jon Belkowitz to challenge everything we thought we knew about silica fume. From bridge deck overlays that crack like eggshells to the real CO₂ math no one wants to talk about, the guys separate hype from chemistry and ask...

What if the problem isn’t your concrete, but how you run your business?   In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tandett talks with Tamson Omps, Director of Operations at Thomas Concrete, about how ready-mix producers can finally take control of their margins. Tamson lays out the seven areas that make or break profitability in the ready-mix business—from equipment maintenance and...

Have we’ve moved from the “Great Resignation” to the “Great Staying Put” era? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tandett sits down with Patrick Narron and Parker Jackson to talk about what’s really going on in the construction job market. They cover shifting job-seeker mindsets, geographic mobility, and how to spot real opportunities when the market demands more for the same paych...

Mass timber is often promoted as faster, cheaper, and greener—but does it really hold up against concrete? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, we examine where timber actually competes, where it falls short, and what owners and engineers need to know before choosing it over concrete. From speed and aesthetics to fire ratings, insurance, and durability, this conversation exposes the trad...

What if sunlight alone—not heat—was silently destroying your concrete?  In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tandett and Bob Higgins uncover a groundbreaking MIT study that reveals evaporation can be driven by light, not just temperature. This discovery doesn’t just change climate models—it could explain why concrete in the field fails in ways labs never predict. From sublimati...

Back in 2011, the industry said portland-limestone cement (PLC) came with “no significant risks.” By 2024, the updated report admits higher carbonation rates, chloride ingress concerns, admixture sensitivity, and tighter curing demands.   In this solo episode, Seth lays out what actually changed between the 2011 and 2024 reports, what the case studies do—and don’t—prove, and asks the blunt qu...

Is Artificial Intelligence coming for your job in concrete?   That’s the big question in this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast. Seth sits down with Chad Gill , President of VAs for Construction, to unpack how AI is already reshaping the industry. From jobsite communication and safety talks to project management and career paths, this episode tackles the uncomfortable truth: AI isn’t just...

Everyone’s pointing fingers at Type IL cement, but what if your admixtures are the real problem?  In this episode, Dr. Jon Belkowitz returns to the Concrete Logic Podcast to challenge the one-to-one replacement myth and shine a light on the role of admixture compatibility. If your concrete is failing early—or your team is just managing problems instead of solving them—this episode is a must-l...

What if the answer to today’s concrete durability and sustainability challenges isn’t new—but something we left behind decades ago?  In Episode #129 of the Concrete Logic Podcast, host Seth Tandett talks with Joseph E. Thomas, Executive Director of the Natural Pozzolan Association, about a material used in the Hoover Dam and Roman aqueducts: natural pozzolans. Joseph explains how these natura...

What’s the one skill that separates talkers from true leaders in the concrete industry? Seth Tandett sits down with James Baty, Executive Director of the Concrete Foundations Association, to talk about why communication, listening, and follow-up might be more important than specs and slump tests for your career. They cover how to navigate alpha-heavy meetings, what to say (or not say) in a room fu...

When concrete fails, who’s really at fault—the material or the people using it? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, host Seth Tandett is joined by Dr. Jon and Rich to tackle the growing frustrations with Type 1L cement. They ask the hard questions: Is cement the problem? Are the specs off? Or is the industry just cutting corners? The conversation hits on the real-world consequences of p...

In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tandett breaks down the 2010 “State-of-the-Art Report on Use of Limestone in Cements” that helped launch Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) into the U.S. market. You’ll hear what the report got right, what it left out, and why Europe’s cement playbook may not fit American concrete. If you're in the industry, this episode will help you question the a...

Most contractors think warm weather helps speed up a pour—but what if that early strength is fooling you? In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, host Seth Tandett is joined again by concrete chemist Bob Higgins to break down the real effects of high temperatures on concrete strength, durability, and long-term performance. They cover new science on curing, the shocking impact of temperature...

Thinking about designing your own concrete slab—or taking on a proprietary system? You better know what you're signing up for. In this episode of the Concrete Logic Podcast, Seth Tandett talks with Greg Fricks, CEO of the Fricks Company, about the risks contractors face when they step into the design seat. They cover the legal and financial responsibilities that come with slab design, the fine pri...