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Buildings
Last week, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk (shown here at top and at left with Susan Raneri of Owens Corning, center and K. Murphy of Sika) presented the NRMCA/Build With Strength Portfolio of Resources to a packed room at a Construction Specification Institute's meeting of Boston Chapter members at the UMass Club in downtown Boston. Gary Brock of the architectural firm HMFH and Elizabeth Murphy of Sika hosted the meeting. CSI Boston was formed in 1956 as a chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, a national organization dedicated to the improvement of communication of construction information. Membership includes architects, specification writers, engineers, manufacturers, contractors and other participants in the construction industry. CSI is unique association where members across all disciplines meet on a regular basis with the goal of building knowledge to improve project delivery. The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting specifiers and architects in concrete design. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) program set a record in 2024 by verifying 214 plants submitted by 56 ready mixed concrete producers. This is an increase over the previous 200 plants and 46 concrete producers verified in 2023.The continued success of NRMCA’s EPD program is due to our member companies’ forward thinking and innovation. We would like to especially spotlight those Producer members with the most plants equipped to produce EPDs at the start of 2025: • Knife River – 30 plants: six in Oregon, four in California, four in South Dakota, four in Texas, three in Minnesota, three in Montana, three in North Dakota, one in Alaska, one in Idaho and one in Wyoming. NRMCA EPD number: 20135. • Chaney Enterprises – 22 plants: 13 in Virginia, seven in Maryland, one in Delaware and one in Washington, DC. NRMCA EPD number: 20111. • R. K. Hall – 20 plants: 11 in Texas and nine in Oklahoma, including one portable plant operating in each state. NRMCA EPD number: 20149. EPDs are publicly available on the EPD webpage, listed by EPD number. For more information on the program, contact Matthew Lemay at mlemay@nrmca.org. 
SEO
Due to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Act of 2015, in August 2016 federal agencies were required to institute upfront “catch up” amounts to bring civil monetary penalties up to present day adjustments since many penalties had been at levels set in 1990. The law also requires those agencies moving forward to tie the penalty amounts to “inflation each year based on the Consumer Price Index.” As a result, as of Wednesday, January 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) civil monetary penalty increases are as follows:
Click here for OSHA’s penalties webpage and here for the Federal Register notice. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach.
Engineering
Association & Industry News
The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in October is 39.0 million cubic yards, 3.5% higher than in October 2023. The estimated production in the U.S. through October is 324 million cubic yards, approximately 5.0% lower than that during the same period in 2023. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail is available here for NRMCA members under Production Statistics. Sponsorship opportunities for NRMCA’s upcoming Annual Convention being held March 4- 7 in Tucson, AZ, are still available. Showcase your company through a profile video during the Closing General Session, a full-page advertisement in the convention program or other exciting brand recognition options. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for our fall event, the ConcreteWorks Conference and Expo and the National Truck Mixer Driver Championship. These targeted opportunities are designed to connect you with the customers you need to reach. But hurry - availability is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Review the Sponsorship Prospectus and secure your spot today to maximize your exposure and return on investment. Don’t miss this chance to stand out - act now before it’s too late! For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or 703-706-4865. Member companies of NRMCA may grant prior authorization to only one national trade association PAC per calendar year. However, granting prior authorization for CONCRETEPAC does not preclude employees of the member companies from contributing to local or state PACs, national member and ideological PACs or the company's own federal PAC. Granting prior authorization to CONCRETEPAC does not require you or your employees to contribute to CONCRETEPAC, it only allows NRMCA to inform you of upcoming events such as the Hollywood Under the Stars Gala in March. Click here to submit your Prior Authorization online. For more information, contact Heather Houck. CONCRETEPAC’s Hollywood Under the Stars Dinner & Auction will take place on Thursday, March 6, at the JW Marriott Tucson (AZ) Starr Pass in conjunction with NRMCA’s Annual Convention. Please join us for a fun night as we pay tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood while enjoying dinner and a couple of French 75’s. The night will feature an open bar, dinner, live entertainment, access to the live and silent auction, and CONCRETEPAC’s annual door prize drawing where you will have the chance to win a 2025 Polaris Xpedition XP or $30,000 cash. Space is limited and this event WILL SELL OUT so don’t delay. For information on how to register, contact Heather Houck. 
Former chairman of the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB) Grover H. Riefler has died at the age of 84. Mr. Riefler was a longtime member of TMMB and NRMCA as a former president of Ashford Concrete, Inc., based south of Buffalo, NY, and with T.L. Smith Machine Mixer Manufacturing. Among his many notable industry achievements while serving as TMMB chairman was the placing of 35 safety/caution stickers on mixer trucks in English and Spanish. This later became federal law, with all commercial and construction equipment having similar dual language stickers. Mr. Riefler is survived by wife of 60 years, Elizabeth (nee Becker) Riefler; children Laurel (Derek) Bond, Scott (Jay) Riefler, many other relatives and four grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Children’s League, Springville, NY, 14141. A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring. Click here to read the obituary posted by the Smith-Weismantel Funeral Home of Springville, NY.
MIT CSHub researchers Dr. Beth Unger and Dr. Elizabeth Moore will present a webinar on Thursday, January 30, discussing data-driven strategies to address the national shortage of concrete delivery professionals (CDPs). With 70% of concrete producers losing business due to this shortage, the session will explore key factors affecting recruitment, retention and training. These researchers will share findings on improving productivity, such as reducing lost time, enhancing driver scheduling, and leveraging digital tools like gamification and automation. The goal is to help producers improve recruitment and retention, reduce lost sales and increase productivity. Registration is free and open now. This research was funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation. To learn more about the Foundation’s work visit www.concreteadvancement.org or contact Julie Garbini at jgarbini@concreteadvancement.org. Click here for more information about the MIT CSHub. 
Pavement
NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Amanda Hult recently partnered with Producer member MMC Materials and contractor American Field Service Corp. to discuss concrete overlays with several DOT workers across Mississippi. The presentation centered around a concrete overlay/inlay project the team constructed in Canton, MS, in Fall 2023. MMC’s Andrew Lester coordinated meetings in four districts which attracted over 100 attendees (some shown here). Hult presented on designing overlays and shared a video produced by the Mississippi Concrete Association on the project. American Field Service Corp’s Bert Vandevere discussed the construction scheduling and the challenges they faced on the project. For more information, contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org. 
Government Affairs
During the first weeks of the new Congress, NRMCA has hosted several events for incoming members of the House of Representatives. On January 7, NRMCA hosted an event for Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) and is hosting events for two more House members, Tony Wied (R-WI) and Gabe Evans (R-CO). These events are opportunities for NRMCA and other organizations to begin building relationships early in their terms with them and their staffs. Each of the new members have solid business and personal credentials relevant to the ready mixed concrete industry; in fact, Rep. Taylor is a ready mixed concrete producer himself! Reps. Taylor and Wied will serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee while Rep. Evans will serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee. NRMCA supported each of these individuals during their campaigns and is excited to work with them in Washington on behalf of the ready mixed concrete industry. The 119th Congress was sworn in on January 3 and included more than 60 new House members and nine new Senators. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. 
Learning & Development
After almost two decades of faithful service to our members, the Certified Sales Professional Program (CCSP) is evolving toward its next generation. The current program includes four courses, each 3 to 4 days in length, in-person, instructor-led at various locations around the country. Each session enrolls an average of 25-30 learners per running.
Calendar
February 3 - 7, Dallas March 4 - 7, Tucson, AZ March 18 - 21, Oklahoma City *Sold Out March 25 - 28, Honolulu April 8 - 11, Orlando, FL October 10 - 14, Orlando, FL |
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