Build With Strength Updates Activities at North Dakota State Affiliate Convention

NRMCA/Build With Strength Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche recently attended the North Dakota Ready Mix and Concrete Products Association 2025 Annual Convention in Fargo. The 2-day event brought together members and guests of the North Dakota Concrete Council (NDCC) as well as the state chapter of the American Concrete Paving Association (ACPA) (2025 represents the 59th anniversary of the NDCC).

Matsche updated the various platforms and services of Build With Strength along with a presentation titled The Future of Decarbonizing Concrete. Bryce Wuori of PaveWise Consulting delivered the keynote address followed by an update of the South Dakota State University CIM Program by SDSU’s Tim Hostettler. Other topics included the state of the ready mix industry, economic outlook for 2025, ASTM C595 Cement Design Considerations, North Dakota Legislative Outlook, Concrete Cracks, Pavement Opening Strength for Traffic and, finally, a project panel titled Fargo Diversion.

The event closed with the NDCC/CPA’s Gold Star 2024 Awards Ceremony - Excellence in Concrete Awards. The highlight of the ceremony was the selection of Jim Linder, Holcim Fargo RMX Plant, as the winner of NDCC and ACPA’s 2024 Mixer Driver of the Year Award. Some 20 projects from across the state were submitted to the EIC selection committee, with winners selected in 13 categories. Four deserving students received 2025 scholarships.

NRMCA Producer member Dickinson Ready Mix received the top project award in the Sustainable Design Category. Recipient Scott Olin said, “In everything we did as a company, my Dad wanted us to leave the world a better place than we found it. My father often quoted Chief Seattle to say, ‘We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' Sustainability has truly become a critical consideration in design and construction.” (Seen here, left to right, are Brian Zuroff, executive director, NDCC/NDRMA and CPA; M: Jake Wood, MAPEI, NDRMA and CPA 2024 president, 2024 Gold Star Awards banquet host; and Sam Wangler, Terracon, NDRMA and CPA secretary/treasurer, 2024 Gold Star Awards banquet emcee.)

The Build With Strength platform is a leader in supporting structural engineers, architects, end users and specifiers in achieving low carbon, high-performance concrete. For more information, contact Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275.