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ConcreteWorks
Registration is still open for the 2024 Walk for Wellness to be held on Saturday, October 12, at 8 a.m. in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2024 at the Gaylord Rockies hotel in Aurora (Denver), CO. This popular event emphasizes the importance of mental and physical wellness in the concrete industry with proceeds benefitting the Concrete Advancement Foundation. The Walk begins and ends near the course for the National Mixer Driver Championship. Walkers start together, but are welcome to walk at their own pace and drop in or out depending on their schedule. Registration is $25 per walker and is fully tax deductible. Sponsorships are also available, but are selling out fast. For more information, contact Julie Garbini at jgarbini@concreteadvancement.org. 
CONCRETEPAC’s Got Concrete? event is set to take place on Saturday, October 12, in conjunction with ConcreteWorks. Join us at the Denver Milk Market for an evening of fun! Event highlights include:
This is CONCRETEPAC’s most anticipated event of the year and it’s known for selling out quickly. The event is scheduled to follow the National Mixer Driver Championship, allowing you and your team time to unwind and celebrate after a competitive day on the course. As we approach the 2024 election, your support is crucial. Electing pro-industry, pro-business representatives is vital for advancing our interests in Congress. Your involvement enables NRMCA to advocate effectively on issues that impact the ready mixed concrete industry. For information regarding prior authorization or registration for this event, contact Heather Houck.
Buildings
The next Concrete Innovations Session, Leveraging Data, will be held on Wednesday, September 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time. This session will delve into how data driven decisions play a critical role in the sustainability movement. From improving operational efficiency to transparency reporting, the effective use of data helps organizations understand their environmental and economic impacts. Real time feedback loops support product and process improvements to meet today’s environmental challenges. Topics include:
Click here to register and visit www.concreteinnovations.com for more session details. For more information, contact Contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. 
The Great Lakes Concrete Promotion Council recently hosted a promotion summit at the ACI Chicago Resource Center near O’Hare Airport. Industry representatives from five affiliated state promotion organizations along with local concrete and cement suppliers attended the daylong program. Each attendee provided updates on promotion highlights, challenges and desired feedback from other attendees. NRMCA Executive Vice President, Structures and Sustainability, Lionel Lemay and his colleague Donn Thompson, senior director, building innovations, co-presented on Concrete Sustainability: The Urgency of Embodied Carbon. Lemay discussed the current trends favoring lower embodied carbon concrete strategies across the construction industry along with NRMCA’s selection of a $9.63 million Environmental Protection Agency grant to accelerate the ready mix industry’s drive to carbon neutrality. Proposed improvements to the industrywide environmental product declaration program, education and benchmarks were also highlighted. Thompson focused on promotion strategies established to support the continued commitment to demonstrate sustainable solutions ready mixed concrete offers to designers, contractors and owners. Other topics, including industry coalition building within the codes and standards community, an update on the concrete masonry check-off program, status on federal infrastructure funding and carbon neutrality strategies for portland cement, were presented. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or Donn Thompson at dthompson@nrmca.org. 
NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray (seen here) recently organized a low carbon concrete roundtable at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles with the help of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the California Nevada Cement Association (CNCA) and the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA). The roundtable also took place in collaboration with the White House as part of a series of regional meetings across the U.S. that focus on advancing commitments toward the use and implementation of low carbon materials. In total, 140 people attended the roundtable, hearing announcements from the Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration, and officials from the White House and the city of Los Angeles. The program consisted of a series of case studies on member supplied low carbon concrete projects; presentations focused on the advancement of sustainable technologies and design practices; and an innovative cements panel discussion. The festivities concluded with focused roundtable discussions that highlighted barriers to entry and opportunities to further advance low carbon concrete in the built environment as seen through the eyes of the diverse set of attendees. For questions regarding this event and other promotion efforts in California, contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org. 
Pavement
NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Greg Halsted recently participated in discussions with members of the American Public Works Association's (APWA) Transportation Committee who were meeting in conjunction with the APWA Public Works Exposition (PWX) in Atlanta. This meeting focused on upcoming training initiatives designed to help develop and promote environmentally sound, sustainable, cost effective and safe transportation systems. Halsted, already a member of the committee’s Sustainable Transportation Subcommittee, offered to help draft an article for an upcoming issue of the APWA monthly magazine on the importance of low-carbon concrete mixes for public works projects. Committee members noted that such an article was appropriate as the topic of lowering CO2 emissions was being seen more and more on their projects, Halsted said. While at PWX, Halsted also visited what is arguably the largest exhibit floor for public works equipment and services. Attended by over 5,000 public works professionals, including some 450 exhibiting companies, Halsted chatted with current and prospective NRMCA members as well as allied cement and concrete industry partners. The committee meeting and trade show were both excellent opportunities to introduce city and county public works officials from across North America to NRMCA and the Pave Ahead program. For additional information, contact Greg Halsted at ghalsted@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
Please note that links for more information and registration for each entry can be accessed here. September 18, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time, Free Online Webinar September 25, Metro Kansas City October 10 - 14, Denver October 15 - 17, Denver October 21, McMinnville, OR November 20 - 22, Oklahoma City December 3 - 5, Orlando, FL December 10 - 12, Denver 2025 January 14 -16, Denver January 28 - 31, Albuquerque, NM February 11 - 13, Antioch, TN *Limited Seating March 4 - 7, Tucson, AZ March 18 - 20, Denver March 18 - 21, Oklahoma City April 8 - 11, Orlando, FL October 10 - 14, Orlando, FL NRMCA recently completed a specification review for the Ohio-based architectural/engineering firm Garmann-Miller. Executive Vice President, Engineering, Colin Lobo and Senior Director, Building Innovations, Donn Thompson assisted Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Phil Kresge in reviewing the Cast-in-Place Concrete section of Garmann-Miller’s standard specification. The specification was brought to NRMCA by Ohio Concrete Association (OCA) Senior Promotion Director Wayne Moening. A significant amount of the recommended changes addressed sustainability – in particular, embodied carbon and life cycle assessments. Additionally, updates and corrections were recommended to specific technical and materials references, and American Concrete Institute (ACI) and ASTM International documents. With offices in Minster and Columbus, OH; Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, IN, Garmann-Miller provides architectural, engineering and construction administration services for public and commercial projects with a special emphasis on K-12 schools. For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org. 
Learning & Development
Member insight has been a guiding principle and the greatest resource available to NRMCA’s Learning and Development Team as the Association modernizes and redesigns its education programs. The results of the 2024 Learning and Development Survey which was distributed last month to the Workforce Development Committee will be particularly helpful in informing NRMCA’s path forward in improving training and other course offerings. One objective of the questionnaire was to determine when and how to present educational content in a way that delivers the most value to members. The survey indicates that members prefer in-person learning events with an instructor, but were also interested in instructor-led study of multimedia learning materials and online courses. Principally, participants in the Association’s learning programs value interactive training delivered by an instructor. Respondents to the survey generally preferred classes to be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Learning and Development Team also sought input on members’ interests in specific course content and material. One standout topic which members showed interest among NRMCA’s current educational offerings was “management, supervision, and leadership.” NRMCA will also consider any future suggestions for future courses. NRMCA members can provide additional feedback about NRMCA programs at the Learning and Development Team’s Educational Offerings highlight session at ConcreteWorks on Saturday, October 12, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time. 
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