NRMCA e-news
Association & Industry News

NRMCA’s Concrete Cares Award celebrates Producer members’ dedication to supporting their local communities through a wide range of charitable endeavors. So if your ready mix company gives back to your community, please let us know. Winning companies receive a donation to the nonprofit organization of their choice and NRMCA will also feature your work on NRMCA social media outlets throughout 2023.

Click here for more information and to access the nomination form. You may nominate your own or another company. For more information, contact Alex Land at aland@nrmca.org.

The NRMCA Materials Division is now seeking nominations for the annual Shydlowski-Turner Materials Leadership Award. Named in honor of L. Michael Shydlowski and Robert P. Turner, the award was created to recognize a current or former employee of an NRMCA Materials Division member company who exemplifies leadership, commitment and support for the ready mixed concrete industry and the initiatives and activities of NRMCA. The winner will be honored during the awards ceremony at the 2023 NRMCA Annual Convention in March in Las Vegas.

The deadline to nominate a valued partner or colleague is December 31. Click here for more information, including background on Mr. Shydlowski and Mr. Turner. You may also contact Amanda Muller at amuller@nrmca.org.

   WAM USA, Inc.       CarbonCure Technologies Inc.    

NRMCA’s most popular webinar, The Top 10 Ways to Reduce Concrete’s Carbon Footprint, is now available on-demand. Concrete is the building block of modern society and the most widely used building material. Nearly every structure built today, including buildings, bridges, homes and infrastructure, uses concrete in some way. It provides us with shelter along with places to work, learn and play. It connects us through roads and rapid transit and airports. Water is delivered and treated in concrete structures. Concrete is economical, available everywhere, durable and versatile. As demand for building construction continues to increase, it is likely the demand for concrete will also increase. Like all building products, however, concrete has a carbon footprint. This presentation, delivered by NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay and Brandon Wray, analyzes the Top 10 strategies to take advantage of concrete’s benefits while ensuring the lowest possible carbon footprint.

For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995.

UPGRADE EVERY WORKDAY
Dell Inc.®
NRMCA Members save an extra 5%-10% on powerful business solutions. To access this promotion, reach out to Sidney_Duckworth@Dell.com or call in to speak with a Small Business Advisor at 855-900-5548. 
Access Your Dell Member Savings
Advertisement
SEO

NRMCA's Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year Award, now in its 27th year and sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB), acknowledges the significant contribution of ready mixed concrete truck drivers to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry. As a salute to these key members of the concrete production and delivery team, the award recognizes the driver’s career achievement, safety, professionalism, competence and customer service skills in a manner that will enhance the industry and public image of the career of Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional.

The 2023 Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Driver of the Year Award winner will be honored at an awards presentation ceremony at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV, in March 2023.

Nominations must be e-mailed to DOY@nrmca.org by December 31. Click here to download the nomination form and for more information. You may also contact Gary Mullings.

Registration is now open for NRMCA’s 2023 Spring Safety Course to take place place April 18 - 20 in Oklahoma City. This 2.5-day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance beginning with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about the new silica rule, electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, emergency action plans, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety and much, much more.

Click here for location details and registration information. Staff contacts are Gary Mullings and Kevin Walgenbach.

   Euclid Chemical Company       Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc.    
   Master Builder Solutions Admixtures US LLC       Sika Corporation    

Last week, Chris Dagosta and Brandon Wray of Build With Strength along with the Nebraska Concrete and Aggregates Association hosted an education roundtable (seen here) in Omaha focusing on low-carbon concrete. Their presentation, The Top 10 Ways to Reduce Concrete’s Carbon Footprint and Moisture Issues and Solutions, drew more than 50 industry professionals, including local CSI and ACI members, architects, engineers and NRMCA member company personnel.

For more information, contact Chris Dagosta at cdagosta@nrmca.org.

Buildings

Earlier this month, NRMCA participated in roundtable discussions with Nina Albert, commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration (GSA). The discussions took place at GSA’s Region 5 headquarters in Chicago with NRMCA Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar and Vice President of Innovation and Market Development Ryan Cialdella of NRMCA Producer member Ozinga representing the ready mixed concrete industry.

Representatives of the steel industry and members of the architecture and engineering community also participated in the discussions which focused on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the power of public buildings. In its movement to net zero by 2045, GSA is leveraging IRA funding to focus on embodied carbon in construction materials, including concrete, asphalt, steel and glass and reducing reliance on fossil fuel reliant equipment. Ms. Rashid-Sumar and Mr. Cialdella provided feedback on low embodied carbon concrete standards and policies and their impact on the concrete industry.

For more information on sustainability codes and standards advocacy efforts, contact Katie Poss at kposs@nrmca.org.

On November 9, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovation, and Build With Strength’s Frank Gordon joined Martin Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell & Best Homebuilders LLC; Ryan Meres, director of residential energy services network, (a.k.a. RESNET) and Kevin Harris, associate AIA (AG Stainless - CRAN, LSC, NAHBR member) in a panel discussion in Washington, DC, about achieving Net Zero Energy status in residential design. The event took place at the historic Watergate Hotel in front of close to 80 residential architects and designers from across the U.S.

The panel dealt with the current parameters defining Net Zero residentially, where Net Zero residential construction is being utilized today, and how the IRC’s Model Energy Code implementation is driving the market toward more energy-efficient and high-performance construction methods. During the discussion, Gordon was able to help explain the advantages of using concrete systems for exterior envelope applications residentially as well as highlighting the need to consider more resilient construction methods when having discussions about sustainability in modern residential construction. Other topics discussed included indoor air quality and how to reduce a property’s carbon footprint. The discussion ended with a focus on high-performance residential design elements with the greatest Return on Investment (ROI).

The session’s Q & A was very active, Gordon reported. He highlighted the use of NRMCA's Concrete Design Center as a tool available to all architects, owners and developers to aid in understanding the value ready mixed concrete brings to residential construction.

For more information about High-Performance Net Zero Residential Design and Construction or inquiries about the benefits offered by the NRMCA’s Concrete Design Center, contact Frank Gordon at fgordon@nrmca.org.

McNeilus Drums Delivered Faster Than Ever
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc.®
No one wants to keep your mixer on the job more than McNeilus. And now the drum you need is available faster than ever. Each of our drums is the result of lessons learned from 50+ years of innovation, maximizing performance and productivity. Drums are in stock and delivered in as little as 2 weeks for one-color paint and 3 weeks for two-plus color paint - anywhere in the continental US. 
Find out more..
Advertisement

NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche, along with his colleagues Lionel Lemay, Brandon Wray and Matthew Lemay kicked off the Greenbuild 2022 conference held earlier this month in San Francisco that draws influencers from across the architecture, engineering and design build sectors along with a host of federal agencies. This year's conference brought thousands of global green building professionals together at the Moscone Center - a LEED Gold facility - in San Francisco, sharing a new take on what it means to be green. There were nearly 200 educational sessions, more than 400 industry speakers and numerous opportunities for networking, reports Matsche.

Greenbuild is an annual, cutting-edge community gathering spot for global green building professionals to improve sustainability, resilience, equity, health and wellness in the spaces we live, work, play and learn. It’s the hub where leaders developing the next generation of sustainable standards gather digitally and in person to create a better future for everyone on the planet.

Activity at the NRMCA’s booth which featured Build With Strength, PaveAhead and the Portland Cement Association's Shaped by Concrete messages saw a steady stream of creative thinkers looking to NRMCA as the leading expert on lowering concrete’s carbon footprint and creating sustainable and resilient communities. Participants to the conference requested guidance on a range of topics, including EPDs/LCAs, what can be done today, current market conditions, forward thinking advancements, low carbon procurement policy structures and best practices to bring new technologies to market.

Brandon Wray's presentation, Own Your Concrete’s Carbon Footprint: 10 Strategies to Reduce it Right Now!, was very well received by Greenbuild attendees. “The leadership of the cement and concrete industries as an allied integral partner in the fight to reduce global carbon emissions in the built environment, and the AEC community’s acceptance of that role, just in the past year is amazing,” said Karin Perissinotto, sustainability manager at NRMCA Producer member CalPortland.

For more information, contact Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275.

   Xypex Chemical Corp       MAPEI    
   MESA Systems Co.       Penetron USA    
   C&W Manufacturing & Sales Co.       BCMI Corp.    

2023
January 10 - 12, Indianapolis
Dispatcher Training Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

January 10 - 13, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module I: Intro to Concrete Fundamentals
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

January 24 - 27, Charlotte, NC *Sold Out
Plant Manager Certification Course
Sponsored by Vince Hagan Co-located with CRMCA
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

January 24 - 27, Manchester, NH
CCSP Module I: Intro to Concrete Fundamentals
Sponsored by Northern New England Concrete Association
Email: Jon Kuell, 888-875-3232

February 6 - 10, Orlando, FL
NRMCA's Regional Short Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

February 14 - 16, Dallas
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

February 21 - 23, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module II: Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

March 10 - 13, Las Vegas, NV
NRMCA’s 2023 Annual Convention
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

March 14 - 18, Las Vegas, NV
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Email: Nicole Maher, 703-706-4858

March 21 - 23, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

March 28 - 30, Dallas
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

Learning & Development

Registration is open for NRMCA’s financial performance education course, Think Like an Owner, to be offered in Dallas on December 12 - 13. This course is intended to empower participants to understand the drivers of financial performance and improve their management with an eye to profitability of their business center. Participants will learn how to read financial statements, measure performance, examine elements of profit and loss, and think in terms of economic profit. This course is a must-attend for industry participants, from plant managers to company presidents, who want to run their operations profitably.

Click here for additional course information and here to access the registration link. The staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell.

Calendar

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

November 29 - December 1, Orlando, FL *Sold Out
Environmental Certification Course
Co-located with Florida Concrete & Products Association
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

December 6 - 8, Dallas
CCSP Module II: Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

December 12 - 13, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Think Like an Owner Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

December 13 - 16, 2022 Kansas City, MO *Sold Out
Plant Manager Certification Course
Sponsored by Vince Hagan
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

December 14, Nashville, TN
Handling Concrete Specifications
Co-located with Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

   Allen-Villere Partners       Sicoma North America