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Association & Industry News
The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in February is 24.2 million cubic yards, 2.8% lower than that in February 2021. The estimated production in the U.S. through February is 48 million cubic yards, approximately 1.7% lower than that during the same period in 2022. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail is available here for NRMCA members under Production Statistics. 
SEO
Get ready for the National Mixer Driver Appreciation Week, taking place July 31 – August 4. To help celebrate our industry’s drivers visit the Appreciation Week Store; it features polos, t-shirts, hats, beverage tumblers, coolers and more. The store will remain open through early June. Orders will be shipped by July 15 and arrive by July 31, just in time for Appreciation Week. For more information, contact Gary Mullings or Kevin Walgenbach. 
Buildings
NRMCA, Build With Strength Team with North Carolina, Producer Member to Exhibit at School Conference
The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), Southern Region, held its 2023 North Carolina Chapter Conference in New Bern, NC, from April 16 - 18, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Gordon. A4LE is an organization focused on the design and construction of K-12 educational facilities in all aspects of building and environmental design. Gordon joined the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s (CRMCA) Jessica Wilson and Drew Turner from NRMCA Producer member Concrete Supply Company in sponsoring a Build With Strength booth (seen here with Gordon at center along with Drew Turner at right and Mike Burris, a program manager for engineering firm MBP Carolinas, at left) that highlighted the design and construction of zero energy schools through the implementation of high-performance exterior envelopes featuring Insulated tilt-up wall panels and insulated concrete forms.
The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting architects at the cutting edge of practice. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. 
 NRMCA’s Think First monthly safety initiatives feature different industry-specific safety items relevant to seasons, current topics or industry concerns. The initiatives are meant to be shared, used as a training tool, printed, posted or distributed; all of which are encouraged. This month’s issue is titled Safety Vests – Now You See Me!, pictured here. 
Does your facility need to report to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program? Have you run the calculations to determine if your facility does need to report? Do you know what the requirements are and/or how to report if necessary? Now’s the time to obtain answers to all 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, and if any quantity is over an allowable threshold, that chemical and amount need to be reported. The reporting deadline is July 1. Click here for more information on the program, listed chemicals, potential for reporting and when/how to report. The NRMCA staff contacts are Gary Mullings and Kevin Walgenbach. 
Learning & Development
The Workforce Development Committee met in Chicago last week to discuss priorities for the remainder of 2023 and early 2024. Of critical note, the committee agreed to take over the management of NRMCA’s annual Compensation Survey in 2024 from the Business Administration Committee. Additionally, committee members and meeting attendees also received an update regarding NRMCA's Deliver Your Future program that will help build awareness about a mixer driver’s job while also connecting Producer members to job applicants. The committee invites company HR and workforce staff to participate in its work. Not only will such efforts support the industry at large, they offer an opportunity for terrific peer networking. The next face-to-face meeting will be in Nashville at ConcreteWorks beginning in late September. For more information, contact committee liaison Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. May 9 - 11, Orlando, FL May 16 - 19, Albany, OR *Sold Out May 16 - 18, Online Course May 16 - 18, Antioch, TN May 23 - 25, Manchester, NH June 6 - 8, Orlando, FL June 20 - 22, Manchester, NH September 29 - October 3, Nashville, TN October 11 - 13, Centennial, CO November 7 - 9, Charlotte, NC November 28 - 30, Orlando, FL December 12 - 15, Orlando, FL 
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NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk just completed a 2023 Concrete Innovations Educational Series with the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The online series was cosponsored by the NY Construction Materials Association (Eileen Renaud, vice president) and took place between February and April and included the following topics: Specifying Sustainable Concrete, Reducing Embodied Carbon Using Concrete (presented with Justin Korda, president of Stone Fleet Structural Engineers) and The Business Case for Building MultiFamily Buildings with Concrete (with Ken Lynch of Nudura). Mruk said 429 architects attended the series.