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Association & Industry News
NRMCA congratulates the following 21 rising-star executives selected for the 2020 Developing Industry Leaders (DIL) program:
The DIL program’s goal is to support future executive-level talent development. While in the program, participants gain insight into critical factors at a national and strategic level. Equally critical is the opportunity to work on a diverse team from across the country. This peer-centric program, with its accompanying industry mentorship with DIL alumni and senior NRMCA staff, encourages participants to make lifelong, career friends. For more information, contact NRMCA’s Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. 
A natural next step from the highly successful Pave Ahead webinars in April and May has started with a state affiliate, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Jon Hansen. “In this time of social distancing, one state affiliate has replaced the standard 'Lunch and Learn' sessions with online learning and promotion,” Hansen said. “A state affiliate contacted me to repeat one of the Pave Ahead webinars specifically geared to a local audience. With minor adaptations, we replaced what would have been a traditional on site Lunch and Learn format with an online version using Go to Webinar. This proved to be very easy to do and a much smaller audience provided an opportunity for a lot more interaction with all attendees.” The format proved to be so successful the affiliate is repeating it with a different audience next month, Hansen added. “I would encourage everyone to think about using this process to maintain contact with customers and staff at this time. The possibilities are endless and can be tailored to any audience. Contact any member of the Pave Ahead Team to discuss,” Hansen concluded. For more information, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org or any member of the NRMCA Pave Ahead Team.
SEO
Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a “Notice of Enforcement Discretion Determination” (NEDD) announcing that due to COVID-19 FMCSA may not enforce annual minimum, random drug and alcohol testing requirements. FMCSA stated that, “In some regions of the United States, motor carrier employers subject to controlled substance (drug) and alcohol testing under 49 CFR part 382 may be unable to comply with certain testing requirements due to the ongoing impacts of the emergency.” FMCSA continued, “In recognition of these barriers to full compliance in some locations, the Agency may exercise discretion to determine not to enforce the minimum annual percentage random testing rates for drugs and alcohol…”. The notice was very clear in stating that, “FMCSA emphasizes, however, that employers capable of meeting these requirements must continue to do so.” The notice also attaches specific requirements for those covered entities taking advantage of the NEDD, such as written documentation for non-compliance, documentation of closed testing facilities and recording steps taken to make alternative arrangements for testing. Click here to review the NEDD. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
Buildings
More than 50 local architects and engineers learned about various innovations and advances for reducing the environmental impact of ready mixed concrete at a recent “Nooniversity” event co-sponsored by the Kansas City Chapter of AIA, the Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri, and the Concrete Promotion Group (CPG), reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Donn Thompson. Prior to the pandemic, “Nooniversity” events provided local Kansas City design professionals with face-to-face lunch and learn educational opportunities. CPG Executive Director Christy Martin was instrumental in bringing together members of both the architectural and engineering associations for a virtual presentation to learn more about what’s new and sustainable in ready mixed concrete. Thompson conducted a presentation titled Concrete Innovations which covered how new products, manufacturing methods and research are becoming available to meet ever increasing carbon reduction demands for concrete in construction projects nationwide. Attendees were updated on new technologies, including environmental advances in ready mixed production, the impact innovative concrete is having on sustainable project performance and how to work with local producers to drive these advances into their building and infrastructure projects. For more information, contact Donn Thompson at dthompson@nrmca.org.
Pavement
 A rapid response from the collective efforts of NRMCA’s Build With Strength and Pave Ahead teams led to a recent conversion of a concrete parking lot at a New York waste transfer station, reports Senior Director, Building Innovations, Doug O’Neill and Senior Director, Local Paving, Luke McHugh. NRMCA’s involvement began when Brendan Clemente, an operations manager at NRMCA Producer member Bonded Concrete, contacted O'Neill for help with promoting a change of pavement from asphalt to concrete at a waste transfer station in Halfmoon, a small community about 30 minutes north of Albany. After discussing the project with him, O’Neill referred the owner of the transfer station to McHugh who utilized NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program to propose a concrete thickness to handle the high daily volume of garbage trucks. To supply a concrete pavement thickness, McHugh requested approximate daily truck traffic, soil conditions and vehicle loads. In just two days from the initial request, NRMCA proposed a 6.5-inch concrete pavement over 12 inches of existing aggregate subbase with a 12-foot joint spacing. Bonded Concrete’s mix design included an air entrained 4,500 psi concrete with ASTM #57’s and 3.5 lbs. of macro fiber reinforcement. The project (seen here) used an estimated 3,360 cubic yards of concrete. Clemente’s daughter, Sophia, reported that the general contractor, Northwoods Concrete, Inc., was initially wary of the mix design, but praised the completed project, quoting Northwoods owner Brad King as stating, "everyone was surprised how fast you can broom it. My crew and I were brooming the concrete in less than 45 minutes after pouring with no problem. Also, little prep was needed for placement. I think it is the way to go for driveways and big slabs. I wish more people used this form of concrete." For more information, contact Luke McHugh at lmchugh@nrmca.org. 
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September 2, Online Course September 9, Online Course September 15, Charlotte, North Carolina October 5 – 8, Online Course 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
The NRMCA Workforce Development Committee is asking interested association members to volunteer for one of three working task groups. 1. “Strategies” will focus on the broad umbrella of industry recruitment, retention and leadership skill development. It also includes oversight of ready mixed concrete-specific training, the annual mixer driver survey and the Developing Industry Leaders program, in that they each support recruitment, retention and leadership growth. 2. “Partnerships” is the committee’s external outreach. For the first time, NRMCA will give an HR-centric, federal voice to workplace policies that impact our industry and individual businesses. That encompasses HR-related regulatory, legislative and executive advocacy. The group will also look for untapped resources in the form of third-party partnerships, i.e., systems, to tap into military and prison release programs to hire new CDL drivers. 3. “Practices” will focus on HR best practices and trends, including HR-risk management. Additionally, this group will support NRMCA’s Financial Performance Improvement Group’s work on the annual compensation survey. The task group will also provide a network for many HR professionals who reportedly feel, that when they arrive in the industry, they are quickly functioning in a trial-by-fire mode in a very tough HR compliance environment. The networking here, and for the whole committee, should build professional HR acumen. If interested in pushing the industry forward, please e-mail Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org your task group choice by July 17, if possible. Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. July 15, Online Course July 22, Online Course July 29, Online Course August 5, Online Course August 12, Online Course August 19, Online Course August 26, Online Course 
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