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Buildings
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).
On January 8, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk and Tremco/Nudura Senior Technical Sales Executive Ken Lynch presented a workshop titled Benefits of Integrated Concrete Formwork at the Chester, CT, corporate headquarters of Wyeth Architects. Principles Leonard Wyeth and Sara Holmes and staff attended the event. Wyeth Architects LLC designs for residential, institutional, educational, entertainment, retail and commercial clients. Its work has received numerous awards for design excellence and sustainable construction. As a Connecticut-based architecture firm (close to New York and Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire), it is centrally located to perform work throughout New England. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org.
NRMCA is proud to partner once again with New York Build, the largest construction and design show for New York and the Tri-State region, which returns to the Javits Center in New York City on March 12 - 13. The show features 40,000+ registered visitors, 500+ world class speakers across 14 conference tracks and AIA CES accredited workshops, Government Hub, exclusive networking events, 500+ exhibitors and the Tri-State’s biggest Festival of Construction. NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk and Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar will participate in the show and also host a workshop on March 12 titled Sustainable and Resilient Concrete: Best Practices and Emerging Strategies. Register for complimentary tickets. For more information about NRMCA’s participation at New York Build, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org or Shamim Rashid-Sumar, ssumar@nrmca.org. 
SEO
NRMCA has named Michael Welsh of Pennsylvania Producer member Silvi Materials the 2025 Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year. A national panel of industry judges selected Mr. Welsh as the top driver out of a strong field of outstanding applicants from across the United States. Mr. Welsh, whose home plant is located in Morrisville, PA, was honored for his career achievements, exceptional safety record, professionalism, driving competency, peer adoration and customer successes.
The Safety, Environmental & Operations (SEO) Committee has unanimously named Mike Brekken of Producer member Cemstone in Mendota Heights, MN, as the 2025 Carpenter-Mullings Award recipient. The Carpenter-Mullings award is named in honor of Joseph E. Carpenter of Rinker Materials who was instrumental in the formation and early operation of the NRMCA Committee on Maintenance, and Gary M. Mullings of NRMCA for his more than 50 years of service to the industry. The award was instituted in 1988 and is presented annually to persons who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime contributions to the ready mixed concrete industry in the fields of operations, environmental and safety. Mr. Brekken is the safety director for Cemstone and has responsibility for approximately 500 trucks in a 4-state area. He has served as NRMCA Safety Task Group chairman and vice chairman, and past chairman and vice chairman of the SEO Committee. He has been a judge for the NRMCA Environmental Awards; a speaker at ConcreteWorks educational sessions; played a key role in developing NRMCA’s monthly Think First safety initiative topics and has been instrumental in the success and development of the NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship. The award will be presented to Mr. Brekken during NRMCA’s Annual Convention in March in Tucson, AZ. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.
Engineering
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has released the 2025 edition of its flagship document, ACI CODE-318-25: Building Code for Structural Concrete - Code Requirements and Commentary. The code features a sustainability appendix, revised post-installed reinforcing bar requirements and enhanced shear friction provisions. The update also includes improvements in deep foundation requirements for all seismic design categories, clarified guidelines for cantilever and basement wall shear design, and a performance-based wind design appendix. In the concrete mixture section, the code has removed the durability exposure class F3 applicable to concrete exposed to freezing and thawing cycles with application of deicing salts. By removing this, there are no longer any maximum limits on supplementary cementitious materials that can be used in concrete mixtures in the code. There are other changes for concrete mixtures covered in Chapters 19 and 26 of ACI 318-25. The updated edition is now available to ACI 318 PLUS platform subscribers and will be offered for purchase in print and digital formats through the ACI Store this spring. Click here to read more from ACI. 
Association & Industry News
We can’t wait to see you on the red carpet during CONCRETEPAC’s Hollywood Under the Stars Dinner & Auction, happening on Thursday, March 6, at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass in conjunction with NRMCA’s Annual Convention. Step back in time to the Golden Age of Hollywood while sipping on a refreshing French 75 (or two). The night will feature an open bar, delectable dinner, live entertainment by AZ Dueling Pianos, access to the live and silent auctions, and CONCRETEPAC’s annual door prize drawing with a chance to win either a 2025 Polaris Xpedition XP or $30,000 cash! Space is limited and this event WILL SELL OUT. For registration details, reach out to Heather Houck today. 
Government Affairs
Trade and Tariffs - During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump repeatedly expressed his intention to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. While this was initially expected to be a “day one” initiative, it was not among the flurry of executive orders the president signed on his first few days in office. As NRMCA engages with the Trump Administration on this issue, we are seeking feedback from Producer members: Click here to fill out the survey and indicate your interest in participating in our Trade and Tariff Task Group. Tax Policy Task Force - One of the first priorities of the new Congress and the Trump Administration will be to address the expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act as well as additional policies, some business provisions and some personal provisions, i.e., taxes on tips, overtime, etc. Republicans will use the reconciliation process for this, by which legislation can be moved with a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing the 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster. As Congress moves forward with consideration of this tax package, we must ensure that ready mixed concrete priorities are heard and included. To provide input on tax policy, please click here to join our Tax Policy Task Force. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. 
Learning & Development
The wait is almost over. On Monday, February 3, NRMCA members can register for some of NRMCA’s most exciting programs in 2025. Specifically, registration will open for all courses offered in this year’s Semester Series as well as the Concrete Technologist (Short Course) in September and the Sales Symposium and Plant Manager Course in December.
Calendar
*Please click here to access Your 2025 NRMCA Course Calendar March 4 - 7, Tucson, AZ October 10 - 14, Orlando, FL |
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