Brocato’s great idea worth millions in savings Published Aug. 17, 2007 By Senior Airman Ali Flisek Public Affairs Hurlburt Field, FL -- Many people who work with Gerald Brocato, chief of design and construction, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron, say he has lots of ideas. But one in particular left Mr. Brocato with a check worth $10,000. The plan seemed simple, but the savings were significant; $1,529,000. Mr. Brocato began thinking of the idea back in 2005, and he even questioned a commercial company as to how they did it with their buildings nationwide. He requested a cost comparison between colored concrete masonry units, (used to construct nearly all of the buildings on base), and grey concrete masonry units. CMU's are concrete blocks that come from the manufacture already colored while GCMU's remain their originally colored gray and can be painted after construction. "The problem with the CMU's is that it's virtually impossible to duplicate the color time and again," said Mr. Brocato. They are initially more expensive and require the application of a waterproofing agent and are prone to efflorescence, a white residue staining the blocks, costing more money to restore the surface color and appearance. The GCMU's can be manufactured from many different sources and is not dependent on coloring agents to achieve their gray color. Once these units are primed, sealed and painted, the white staining efflorescence is generally not a problem, as the painting seals both masonry units and the mortar joints preventing moisture intrusion. "Most importantly, using the gray concrete blocks and painting them after construction is cheaper to the manufacture resulting in a lower cost to the contractor, the government, and the taxpayers!" Mr. Brocato said. Being observant and questioning why things are the way they are is what he says is all it takes to start a change. "Jerry has many great ideas. This isn't the first time he's submitted a plan to the IDEA Program," said Brenda Smith, the IDEA analyst for the 1st Special Operations Mission Support Squadron. Mr. Brocato had been a civilian employee at 1st SOCES since 1989. He currently resides in Navarre with his wife of 47 years.