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Association & Industry News
NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2024 will take place October 10-14 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, CO. Here are key updates:
Attendees - Early bird registration is currently available. Register now to take advantage of a $150 discount off the regular registration fees. The early bird deadline ends Wednesday, August 7. Sponsorship opportunities for NRMCA’s upcoming ConcreteWorks 2024 and the National Mixer Driver Championship (NMDC) being held October 10 - 14 in Aurora, CO, are still available. Member companies have the opportunity to be a ConcreteWorks Reception sponsor and/or a Judge sponsor for the NMDC. Last year NRMCA recorded its highest attendance and 2024 is expected to continue to grow in size. Therefore, we encourage your company to place your brand right in front of the industry’s senior ready mixed concrete professionals. Click here to find these and other specific sponsorship opportunities. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at 703-706-4865 or jjenkins@nrmca.org. 
Buildings
Last week, NRMCA participated in the Future Schools Summit as part of the Virginia Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s 2024 Spring Convention held in Virginia Beach. NRMCA Vice President, Building Innovations, Michael Wymant and Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar (seen here at podium), joined industry leaders to present on resilience related topics. Wymant discussed Resiliency and Sustainability for Concrete Structures, highlighting the importance of incorporating resilient standards in construction and the contribution of concrete construction to building resilience. Shamim presented Fire Safety and Coastal Resiliency for Buildings, outlining the impact of fires and coastal storm events and providing updates on new prerequisites for resilience in LEED version 5 and developments in fire testing of ICF walls.
 On May 17, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk presented Embodied Carbon-Practical Strategies from the Experts to a sold out audience at the American Institute of Architects' Build Pittsburgh 2024 at the Pittsburgh Carpenters Training Center. The event drew over 300 attendees, including most of the leading architects in the state; Build Pittsburgh is the largest, best attended continuing education and vendor expo event in the greater Pittsburgh region.
Earlier this month Build With Strength Director, Building Innovations, Justin McCain met with architects and structural engineers to promote concrete throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, emphasizing how firms can achieve their sustainability goals through consistent specifications and partnering with ready mixed producers early in the design process. Meetings were held with the following organizations:
 ACI’s NEU, a Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete, hosted its Spring 2024 Summit at the University of California, Davis. The event (with attendees seen here), titled From Policy to Placement: Implementing Reduced-Carbon Concrete Construction, focused on engaging policy makers to map the present and future needs for advancing low carbon concrete in the built environment, reported NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray who attended the event. Near-term strategies and policy directives were highlighted while ultimately honing in on the challenges and need for collaboration between all stakeholders. Wray highlighted the influence that the new embodied carbon provisions in the CALGreen code have had in stoking positive interest in low carbon concrete while further emphasizing the need for support in advancing performance-based specifications and ultimately the acceptance of emerging materials such as blended cements. “The concrete industry is ahead of the curve in bringing EPDs and low carbon concrete materials to market," Wray said. "Ultimately though, the acceptance and utilization of these materials benefit heavily from well-guided policies that support their use.” In the day prior to the event, Wray and CalCIMA’s Vice President of Policy Charley Rea met with the California Division of the State Architect to discuss how advancing the use of blended cements will provide clarity and resources to the design industry. For any questions pertaining to the event or Build With Strength's promotion efforts in California, contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org. 
SEO
The NRMCA’s Annual Safety Award acknowledges the significant contribution that safe work practices gives to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole. The award is presented to an individual or company whose actions represent the very highest in the advancement of safety in the ready mixed concrete industry. The award program is generously sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB).
NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. NRMCA member companies producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada are eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits. Winning entrants will be honored at the Awards Ceremony at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks this October in Aurora, CO. Winners will also be featured in a 2024 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine and Concrete Products magazine. Entries and photos must be e-mail to kwalgenbach@nrmca.org by Friday, July 19. Click here for more information and to download the entry form. The staff contact is Kevin Walgenbach.
Registration for NRMCA’s 2024 Fall Safety Course is now open; it is taking place September 10-12 in Sacramento, CA. The 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 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 more. Click here for location details and registration information. The staff contact is Kevin Walgenbach. 
Registrations are being accepted for this year’s Environmental Certification Course being held in Orlando, FL, December 3-5. Course attendees will be educated on industry-specific environmental issues that affect ready mixed concrete production, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Solids Management, Hazardous Materials, Dust Control, Recycling, Spill Prevention Plans, Air Quality Management, Noise Management, Environmental Auditing and much more. Those who should attend include plant managers, environmental managers, compliance managers, executives or anyone with fiscal and/or environmental responsibilities that should know the details concerning a company’s responsibilities when it comes to EPA regulations, the Clean Water Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management and numerous other critical environmental matters. Click here to register and for more information. The staff contact is Kevin Walgenbach. 
Engineering
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has opened the period of public comment for the next version of ACI 318, Building Code for Structural Concrete. The public discussion period was opened on May 19 for a 45-day period, closing on July 2. ACI 318 is available for review on the PLUS format and comments will be recorded for consideration by ACI Committee 318. The sections of interest for concrete producers include Chapter 19, Concrete: Design and Durability Requirements, and Chapter 26, Construction Documents and Inspection. Also consider reviewing the new Appendix N – Sustainability and Resilience. Changes from 318-19 are identified and commenters can record their comments (on existing and new provisions) alongside each Code and Commentary provision. ACI Committee 318 is required to review and respond to public comments. The committee approves all responses. This is the final step in this Code cycle before ACI 318-25 is published early in 2025, with the intent to be referenced in the International Building Code. ACI Standards open for public comment can be accessed here. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. September 9 - 13, Baltimore September 10 - 12, Sacramento, CA September 25, Metro Kansas City October 10 - 14, Denver October 15 - 18, Denver December 3 - 5, Orlando, FL December 10 - 13, Charleston, SC *Sold Out December 10 - 12, Denver 
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