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Association & Industry News
NRMCA is looking for good men and women to serve on the Board of Directors. While serving on the Board requires both commitment and energy, it is a rewarding opportunity to give back to the industry. NRMCA represents a broad range of ready mixed concrete companies across the United States and our success is a direct result of the skills and expertise of our professional staff working in conjunction with our Board of Directors. Director nominees must be committed to promoting NRMCA programs and working in the best interest of its membership and the industry at large. The Board provides strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and governance of the organization’s operations. Nominees are vetted by the Nominating Committee, which consists of the current chairman of the Board, the immediate past chairman of the Board, and past chairmen of the Board for the previous seven years who are still in an active capacity in the industry. The selected slate of nominees is then presented to and elected by the general membership and will serve a three-year term that begins immediately following the annual convention in 2021. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 24. Please click on links below for more information or contact NRMCA's Heather Houck at hhouck@nrmca.org.
Please also consider submitting entries to NRMCA's 90th Anniversary photo contest; entries are being accepted through July 17. In this stressful business environment, business must go forth. To help its members thoughtfully plan, NRMCA will conduct a free, sales-focused webinar titled Learn How & When to Influence a Design Team or Owner to Make Concrete the Material of Choice on Monday, May 18, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern time. The intended audience is not limited to sales reps, but also those driving strategic revenue goals and tactics to hit the numbers. Alan Sparkman, who has taught at MTSU’s CIM Graduate School of Business and is the Tennessee Concrete Association’s executive director, teaches industry-specific sales courses for NRMCA and will share his expertise. The webinar starts with an introduction to the phases every construction project goes through and moves on to include insight about how to use those phases to influence a buyer’s decision to select concrete as the material of choice for that project. Increase your impact over construction projects in your market by registering here. For more information, contact Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
SEO
 Last Friday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) adopted its new Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP), something NRMCA has been fervently advocating for a number of years. The program allows drivers and carriers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), such as mixer trucks, to not be penalized for crashes that occur that are non-preventable. Since the inception of FMCSA’s mechanisms used to critique the safety of drivers and carriers, such as Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) and the Safety Measurement System (SMS), they have erroneously considered CMV crashes regardless of fault or preventability. After years of advocating for change in the way FMCSA records crashes, and FMCSA conducting a pilot program since 2017, it has now finally adopted a program that recognizes the daily realities of CMV driving. Under the new program and after following FMCSA’s four-step process for determination of a crash, provided it’s found to be non-preventable, the crash would be excluded from CSA and SMS, and not adversely impact drivers. The CPDP will consider 10 separate crash types for eligible participation in the program, including: • Struck in the Rear • Wrong Direction of Illegal Turns • Parked or Legally Stopped • Failure of the Other Vehicle to Stop • Under the Influence • Medical Issues, Falling Asleep or Distracted Driving • Cargo/Equipment/Debris of Infrastructure Failure • Animal Strike • Suicide • Rare or Unusual The new CPDP is effective immediately, with FMCSA poised to start reviewing eligible crashes. Click here for more information on the CPDP, including a fact sheet, presentation and the Federal Register notice. You may also contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Last week, NRMCA’s safety, environmental, operations and regulatory staff conducted a webinar focused on COVID-19 best management practices (BMPs) for ready mixed concrete producers. Addressing roughly 250 NRMCA members, BMPs were covered for plants, shops, batchrooms, drivers' room, dispatchers' offices, the jobsite, mixer trucks, teleworking, customer considerations, regulatory guidance, personal protective equipment (PPE), returning to work and industry-related resources. Outside of the specifics of the BMPs, the webinar’s main takeaways were: 1: have a plan; 2: follow state and federal guidelines; 3: communicate regularly with personnel and customers; and 4: be flexible. To review the webinar slides, visit NRMCA’s COVID-19 Resources site. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Does your facility need to report to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program? Have you run the calculations to determine if your facility does? Do you know what the requirements are and/or how to report if necessary? Now’s the time to obtain answers to all of these questions. Remember, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) TRI Program “tracks the management of more than 650 toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment.“ Specifically, “U.S. facilities in certain industry sectors must report annually how much of each chemical is released to the environment and/or managed through recycling, energy recovery and treatment.” This information is then submitted annually to EPA and compiled in the TRI. Facilities that handle toxic chemicals, including ready mixed concrete plants, are required to calculate the quantities that were handled; if any quantity is over an allowable threshold that chemical and amount need to be reported under the program. Should a facility need to report, the reporting deadline is July 1. Click here for more information on the program, including listed chemicals, potential for reporting and when/how to report. You may also contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. With so much focus on “back-to-work” and the ready mixed concrete industry as “essential work,” the following NRMCA classes are open for registration. Please note that these four are required courses to earn CCPf certification in NRMCA’s STEPS Operations and Production career track. They are pivotal for industry-specific career development and staff retention. October 20 - 22, Mendota Heights, MN - Concrete Safety Course Click here for more information about standardized ready mixed concrete-specific career development through the STEPS program or e-mail Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. For more information about the courses and registering, please e-mail Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. The deadline for NRMCA members to participate in the Performance Benchmarking Survey and Compensation Survey has been extended to Friday, May 15. If your company has not participated yet this year please complete and submit the form (available here). These surveys are distributed free to NRMCA members that participate in them. For NRMCA members participating in the Performance Benchmarking Survey, in addition to national and regional data, each participant is provided an individualized report that shows their performance and responses compared to national, regional and even state or microregion data, in cases where there is sufficient participation in a state or micro region. To date, 161 companies have participated, representing 121 million cubic yards. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. 
Robert Kinchler of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) is presenting webinars each day next week on important concrete topics ranging from architectural concrete to economical design. Each webinar is free and provides AIA approved credit for architects and PDHs for engineers. Please plan on attending and forward the links below to local and state AIA, SEA or AGC groups and other key contacts. The list of webinars are:
Each webinar begins at 11 a.m. Central time. CRSI is an important partner with NRMCA as part of the Build With Strength initiative. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) is calling for entries for the 2020 Tilt-Up Awards. Each year, the TCA honors those organizations, people and projects that successfully illustrate the variety, beauty and flexibility of tilt-up construction. The diversity of participants is highlighted by the four distinct awards programs: Tilt-Up Achievement Awards, Tilt-Up Professional Awards, Tilt-Up Safety Awards and the Tilt-Up Concrete Association College of Fellows. Additional information and submittal instructions for each award program are outlined below. Award submittals and nominations are due by June 1, 2020. Established by TCA in 1992, the Tilt-Up Achievement Awards program honors projects that use site-cast tilt-up concrete to introduce new building types, advance industry technology and provide unique solutions to building programs. Click here for more information, to view the program guidelines and criteria, and to submit a project, visit www.tilt-up.org/awards. 
Buildings
The Build With Strength (BWS) webinar series continues today Wednesday, May 6, at 2 p.m. Eastern time with Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Buildings led by James Bogdan. This presentation examines the environmental attributes of concrete that help reduce the overall environmental life cycle impacts of a building and how life cycle assessment can be used to measure and lower these impacts. The next presentation in the series is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, also at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The Balanced Design Approach to Fire Safety: How Concrete Buildings can Reduce Risk will be presented by Shamim Rashid-Sumar. Registration is also available for additional BWS webinars in May and June. They focus on the design and construction of high-performance concrete buildings: The Environmental Impacts of Building Materials: A Primer for Comparing Concrete, Steel, Wood and Asphalt on Wednesday, May 20, and A New Generation of Tilt-Up Buildings on Wednesday, May 27. Both webinars start at 2 p.m. Eastern time and are free to attend. Click here for BWS webinars through the end of June. Previous webinars in the BWS series are also available at the link above. The webinar series provides American Institute of Architects (AIA) Elective Learning Units and/or Professional Development Hours (PDH) for continuing education requirements. Design West Architects designed this beautiful 90,000 square foot apartment dormitory, with options for 2, 3, and 4 bedroom units, providing 228+ beds in single and double occupancy bedroom options. This project also includes a hierarchy of both indoor and outdoor social gathering spaces as well as support spaces for study rooms, laundry, game rooms, community gardens, a recycle center, and housing office. It was determined the building should be designed as a 50-year building that will stand up to the severe winter environment of this 8,000-foot-high Colorado mountain campus setting. The construction is a 4-story, masonry and stucco veneer, on Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). The floors are a composite steel joist and concrete floor deck system with metal framed interior walls with high impact finishes and light gauge metal roof trusses. Click here to find the project on the map, then select Building, Dormitory, Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF), CO and click the Submit button. Then click on the pin and learn more about this outstanding concrete project. To search on projects in your state or province, click on HOME [MAP] and select from the “choose state” dropdown. Click on the pins to explore. If you have a project you would like to include on the map, click ABOUT US and click on the “Case Study Upload” link. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995.
June 2, Free Promotion Webinars June 3, Build With Strength Webinar June 4, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series June 10, Build With Strength Webinar June 11, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series June 16 – 18, Nashville, TN – Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association June 17, Build With Strength Webinar June 18, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series June 24, Build With Strength Webinar July 14 – 16, Nashville, TN – Sponsored by TCA 
Pavement
The popularity of NRMCA’s Concrete Pavement Education Series continues with nearly 500 individuals having attended the Materials and Construction Specifications for Concrete Pavement webinar hosted by Pave Ahead™ team members Don Clem and Luke McHugh. These weekly programs are held each Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern time and are free to attend. The sixth installment, Concrete Street and Parking Lot Maintenance and Repair, presented by Pave Ahead™ Team leader Brian Killingsworth and Senior Director Ken Justice will be held Thursday, May 7, and looks to be just as popular with over 450 already registered. Upcoming presentations include Concrete Overlays of Existing Asphalt Surfaced Streets and Parking Lots (May 14) and Concrete Trail Design (May 21). And for those who may have missed previous webinars, or who wish to watch again, recorded versions are available here where you can also download a pdf version of the presentation. For more information, contact Brian Killingsworth at bkillingsworth@nrmca.org, Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org, Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org, Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org, Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org, Ken Justice at kjustice@nrmca.org or Luke McHugh at lmchugh@nrmca.org. On the heels of the success of its Concrete Pavement Education Webinar Series, the Pave Ahead™ Team is pleased to announce it will host the Concrete Paving Promotion Series, a weekly series of webinars focused on helping the industry become better promoters. The webinars will be held each Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern time and are free to attend. Government Affairs
As the nation looks to reopen in the coming weeks and months, it is time to begin inviting Members of Congress to visit plants and facilities for July and August. With the canceling of the NACA and TCC annual fly-ins for 2020, NRMCA will be undertaking an effort to encourage and facilitate members hosting Members of Congress at their plants and facilities. Members of Congress regularly tour facilities in their district, particularly in an election year. NRMCA has resources to train and assist you in conducting a plant tour, so if you are willing to invite and host a Member of Congress for a plant or facility tour, please let us know. In the coming weeks, NRMCA will host a webinar on how to effectively conduct a plant tour featuring NRMCA members who have already conducted successful plant tours. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. Last week, the IRS issued anticipated guidance on the Employee Retention Tax Credit. This credit is available to certain businesses that have lost revenue due to COVID-19 and can provide up to $5,000 per employee in tax credit. NRMCA advises members to consult their legal counsel and tax compliance professionals to discern whether you are eligible for the credit and to claim it. You can find the IRS guidance here. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the Department of the Treasury urging that employers who furloughed employees but continued to provide health insurance for the employee access to the credit. The Chamber’s full tax recommendation document is here. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. 
September 25 – 29, Denver October 8, Nashville, TN October 20 – 22, Mendota Heights, MN November 10 - 12, New Orleans November 17 – 19, Glendora, CA December 15, Charlotte, NC December 15 – 18, Phoenix Learning & Development
NRMCA members are cordially invited to attend NRMCA’s Workforce Development Committee’s annual spring meeting, now online, on Wednesday, May 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time. Register here; after doing so you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about logging onto the webinar/meeting. For more information, contact Workforce Development Committee liaison Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. May 7, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series May 12, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series May 13, Build With Strength Webinar May 13 – 15, Glendora, CA *Postponed May 14, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series May 18, Free Webinar May 19, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series May 20, Build With Strength Webinar May 21, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series May 26, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series May 27, Build With Strength Webinar May 28, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series 
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