NRMCA e-news
Association & Industry News

NRMCA has extended the deadline for the 2022 Kids Art Contest to Tuesday, February 1. It is sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. The theme for the contest is My Kind of Concrete! The contest is open to children up to grade 12 who have a relationship to an NRMCA member.

  • Entrants must be related to or sponsored by an NRMCA member.
  • Contestants are limited to one entry each.
  • Artwork should be 100% produced by the entrant and be original.
  • Entries may be in a medium of the artist’s choice (oil, water color, pastels, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, crayon, etc.). Entries can be a drawing, collage, painting or other two-dimensional work.
  • Entries must incorporate a ready mixed concrete truck in some manner but should not be limited to a picture of a ready mixed concrete truck.
  • Entries must be on 8.5”x 11” flat paper. We encourage artwork to be on good quality bond or drawing paper, or illustration board. Entries should not be framed or matted. Entries can be submitted electronically.
  • For contact purposes please attach the 2021 Kids Art Contest form to the back of the artwork. Entries will not be considered without this information if mailing artwork.

Entries will be divided among the following grade categories: pre-K - K; 1-3, 4-6 and 7-12. First, second and third place winners will be selected from each grade category. Prizes will be awarded in each grade category ($100 first, $50 second and $25 third place). Entries will be judged only against others in their grade category on originality, effort, creativity, composition and interpretation of the theme My Kind of Concrete!

Winners in each category will be announced at NRMCA’s 2022 Annual Convention, March 15 - 18 in San Antonio, TX. Images of the winning entries will be used later in the year to create a 2023 NRMCA calendar and winners and the sponsoring members will receive a free copy of the calendar. Selected entries will be displayed at NRMCA’s Annual Convention. NRMCA reserves the right to copy and modify any entry for reproduction. Entries will not be returned and may be used for future promotional opportunities.

Entries must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than February 1, and should be mailed or delivered to: Taylor Drzewicki - NRMCA, 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 250, Alexandria, VA 22314.

For more information, contact Taylor Drzewicki at tdrzewicki@nrmca.org.

   WAM USA, Inc.       CarbonCure Technologies Inc.    
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Engineering

The NRMCA Regional Concrete Technologist Training and Certification program (Short Course) is scheduled for January 31 – February 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn near BWI airport (suburban Baltimore). Interested persons are encouraged to register now; the number of available slots is limited. Hotel rooms can be reserved online when registering for the course.

The Technical Short Course provides a fundamental understanding of concrete, aggregates and concrete making materials, requirements in industry codes and standards, and proportioning concrete mixtures.  Attendees have the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized NRMCA certifications: NRMCA Level 2 and 3 Concrete Technologist Certification. The Short Course is intended for quality, sales and other personnel with a technical role with ready mixed concrete companies and suppliers to the industry. New hires in these roles can also benefit from attending. A significant amount of technical content is covered; attendees must have a basic concrete technology background and at least a high-school level of math. To prepare, registrants will be provided with pre-course study content about three weeks before the course begins.

Click here for more information and to register. Contact Jessica Walgenbach if you need assistance with registering for the course.

SEO

This Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold a special session to hear arguments on whether a host of employer mandates related to COVID-19 should remain in place. One of these mandates is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The ETS orders employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to weekly testing. The ETS, which had been stayed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in November of last year, and then subsequently allowed to go into effect by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in December, now will have its fate determined by the highest court in the U.S.

Absent the rule being vacated by the Supreme Court, OSHA will be allowed to implement and enforce the ETS. OSHA has stated that left unchecked, the new compliance deadlines are January 10 and February 9.  Click here for more information on how the rule will impact ready mixed concrete operations, how to comply and to access NRMCA’s template written ETS policy. Click here to review the ETS language, FAQs, fact sheets and other OSHA materials.

In light of the continued uncertainty of the ETS litigation, NRMCA continues to advocate on and monitor the ETS while updating the membership on its changing status.

For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

NRMCA’s Think First monthly safety initiatives feature different industry-specific items relevant to seasons, current topics and/or industry concerns. The initiatives are meant to be shared, used as a training tool, printed, posted and/or distributed; all of which are encouraged. This month’s issue is titled Vehicle Repair Shop Safety, pictured here.

Click here to view this month’s and all previous issues. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

   Euclid Chemical Company       Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc.    

In today’s competitive marketplace, even a small investment can lead to a big return through NRMCA’s targeted Sponsorship Program. Sponsoring NRMCA’s events, courses and more should be your company’s first choice for the most efficient ROI.

With over 6,000 members and partners in the ready mixed concrete industry who rely on NRMCA for training and information, NRMCA is a powerful force in the ready mixed concrete industry around the globe. Click here to examine the numerous opportunities in the NRMCA Sponsorship Program for reaching key buying influencers in the industry, including opportunities for NRMCA’s 2022 Annual Convention and ConcreteWorks 2022. You can also click here to review sponsorship opportunities for the National Mixer Driver Championship. Regardless of your budget, you’ll find opportunities that can deliver to a powerful, receptive audience at an affordable cost.

Sponsorship opportunities are limited and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Please read the sponsorship guide to be a part of a precisely targeted media program that reaches the people you need to reach – your customers. It all adds up to a great investment with a great return.

For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or 703-706-4865.

   Master Builder Solutions US LLC       Sika Corporation    
   MAPEI    
   GCP Applied Technologies       Penetron USA    
Pavement

Members of the NRMCA Pave Ahead and Build With Strength teams recently exhibited at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECon 2021 in Las Vegas, NV. Senior Vice Presidents, Local Paving, Phil Kresge and Jon Hansen were joined at the exhibit booth by Senior Directors, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche and Chris Dagosta. The annual convention had been cancelled in 2020 and was rescheduled from May to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NRMCA has had a presence at the show since 2015.

“Though the overall size of the show was less than normal, the quality of the attendees and the opportunities they represent to our industry were still quite high,” says Kresge. The team obtained a number of leads which they will be following up on in the new year.

ICSC is a global trade association with over 70,000 members in over 100 countries, including shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers.

For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org.

From everything we read, 2022 will be another robust year for the industrial warehouse construction market, and with big warehouses come big outside paving opportunities. “During 2021, the largest percentage of reported success in the warehouse paving market segment came from NRMCA Parking Lot Boot Camp and ASCC contractors,” reports Jon Hansen, NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving. “These contractors understand the approach to successfully and profitably build these multi-million square foot paving projects.”

Now is the time to schedule your 2022 Parking Lot Boot Camp. Producer and contractor participation in Boot Camp is the most successful combination for winning projects.

For more information, contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org or any member of the Pave Ahead team.

NRMCA is still seeking nominations for its annual Promoter of the Year – Buildings, Promoter of the Year – Pavements, State Affiliate Promoter of the Year and John Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion.

The NRMCA Promoter of the Year Awards for Buildings and Pavements recognize the contributions and promotional efforts of individuals from the ready mixed concrete industry. You can help one of these industry champions get deserved acknowledgement by nominating him or her for this prestigious award. Nominees must be employees of an NRMCA Producer member and must have worked in the industry for at least five years.

The State Affiliate Promoter of the Year Award recognizes outstanding concrete promotion contributions by an employee of one of NRMCA’s state affiliate partner organizations. Nominees must be current employees of a state affiliate who have worked in the industry for at least five years. Any active participant in the ready mixed concrete industry (including suppliers and contractors) can help a promotion champion gain acknowledgement by nominating them for this prestigious award.

Please submit a nomination of no more than two pages, detailing the nominee’s promotional efforts over the last five years with particular emphasis on contributions during the past 12-18 months in some or all of the following performance categories: 

  • Conversions to concrete resulting from promotional activities;
  • Promotional presentations to specifiers, developers, potential end-users, concrete industry personnel, or other individuals or groups;
  • Professional development support of other promoters through leadership activities;
  • Involvement in local and national trade association promotional activities in addition to state activities;
  • Creative and innovative approaches in developing interest in concrete applications, and
  • Educating potential markets about advanced and innovative concrete technologies.

The John Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion is awarded to a concrete professional distinguished by a career that demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication and achievement in support of concrete promotion and industry advancement. Nominees for this award must be former employees of NRMCA member companies who are now retired or deceased. You can help one of these industry champions get deserved acknowledgement by nominating them for this prestigious award.

The 2021 award recipients were:
Promoter of the Year, Buildings – Lori Tiefenthaler, Lehigh Hanson
Promoter of the Year, Pavement – Jacob Gave, Cemstone
State Affiliate Promoter of the Year – Brad Stevenson, Utah Ready Mixed Concrete Association
John Roberts Lifetime Achievement for Promotion – No award given

Nominations are due by Tuesday, January 18. Click here for more information or to submit a nomination. You may also contact Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org for more information.

Government Affairs

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has pledged to bring the Build Back Better Act up for a vote in the Senate despite opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). The legislation, as passed by the House of Representatives last year, proposes to spend some $1.75 trillion on social, health care and climate programs to deliver on part of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. In December, Sen. Manchin indicated he could not support the package in its current form and has engaged with the White House over proposed changes. On Tuesday, however, reports indicated that there were no ongoing discussions and that the Senate and White House were focusing on voting rights legislation.

Most legislation requires 60 votes to be considered in the Senate. Because BBB is being considered under modified procedures known as reconciliation, it requires only 50 senators to vote to consider the legislation. With the Senate split 50-50, Majority Leader Schumer cannot afford to lose a Democratic vote, so if Sen. Manchin remains opposed, the BBB package cannot pass the Senate.

NRMCA has joined the business community expressing opposition to tax increases and financial account reporting information included in the BBB package and will continue to oppose taxes and other policies that would negatively impact the ready mixed concrete industry.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.

   Kryton International       BCMI Corp.    
Learning & Development

With COVID still causing havoc, Fundamentals of RMC Accounting, Finance, and Business Law: CCSP Module III, Business Knowledge, will be held online February 14-18. This class stresses profitability when costing a job, including how to use break-even analysis, fundamentals, cash flow, fundamentals of contract law, collections and antitrust regulation. Each is critical for a producer to assure sales staff sell every cubic yard at the biggest, competitive margin.

CCSP III is a required class in the STEPS Sales and Promotion program. The curriculum stands alone; attendees do not have to attend CCSP I or II before taking CCSP III.

Click here for more course information, staff contact and registration options.

NRMCA will hold its Plant Manger Certification class in Boston, March 24-25. This 4-day course is industry-specific and concentrates on issues that challenge plant managers all across the county. The intense learning course includes the latest on product knowledge and technical standards, safety culture and OSHA-based regulations, operational and maintenance skills, current environmental issues and regulations from EPA as well as labor law issues and the challenges of supervision and training of industry personnel.

The NRMCA Plant Manager Certification is required for all Army Corps of Engineer and FAA jobs and is considered the industry gold standard of training for all ready mixed concrete plant managers.

Click here for more course information, staff contact and registration options.

Calendar

Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site

January 11 - 14, Smyrna, TN
CCSP Module I (“Concrete 101”- Technical/Product Knowledge)
Co-located with Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-6670

January 31 - February 2, San Antonio, TX *Sold Out
NRMCA Dispatcher Training Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

January 31 - February 4, Linthicum Heights, MD
Concrete Technologist Training and Certification “Short Course”
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

February 8 - 11, Phoenix
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

February 14 - 18, Online Course
CCSP Module III (Fundamentals of RMC Accounting, Finance and Business Law: Business Knowledge)
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

February 15 - 17, Online Course
Handling Concrete Specifications
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

March 15 - 18, San Antonio, TX
NRMCA’s 2022 Annual Convention
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

March 22 - 24, Smyrna, TN
CCSP Module III (General Business Knowledge)
Co-located with Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-6670

March 22 - 25, Boston
NRMCA Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, (703) 706-4852

April 4 - 8, Online Course
CCSP Module IV (Professional Sales Skills)
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

April 19 - 21, Smyrna, TN
CCSP Module IV (Professional Sales Skills)
Co-located with Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-6670

September 29 - October 3, Aurora, CO
NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2022 - *Exhibition, registration and driver championship information will be available this spring
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

   Allen-Villere Partners       Fritz-Pak Corporation