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Association & Industry News
The Executive Committee of the NRMCA Board of Directors would like to express its deepest gratitude to Jessica Walgenbach and all NRMCA staff, exhibitors, NRMCA producer and affiliate members, state affiliate executives, CIM student volunteers, the many talented concrete delivery professionals, and their families for contributing to the extraordinary success of 2024’s NRMCA ConcreteWorks in Aurora, CO. We surpassed multiple records in terms of registered attendance, numbers of drivers in the National Mixer Driver Championship, sponsorships, contributions to the CONCRETEPAC, and so much more.
ConcreteWorks
Concrete Delivery Professional Allard Tigchelaar of NRMCA Producer member Cemex earned the top honors at this year’s NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship held earlier this month during ConcreteWorks in Aurora, CO, just east of Denver. Mr. Tigchelaar (shown here), who works from Cemex's Prescott, AZ, location, took home the Mullings Cup and the champion’s check of $6,000. He has been driving concrete mixer trucks for 36 years and is a 3-time top two finisher in the Cemex Arizona Rodeo. The award is named after Gary Mullings who retired earlier this year after 50 years with NRMCA.
Engineering
SEO
NRMCA's Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year Award, now in its 29th 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 award winner will be honored at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Tucson, AZ, in March 2025. Nominations must be e-mailed to DOY@nrmca.org by November 30. Click here for more information and to review the entry form. The staff contact is Kevin Walgenbach.
NRMCA has named Ms. Lorri Soule of Producer member Miles Sand & Gravel Company, Puyallup, WA, and Auburn Concrete of Auburn, ME, as the recipients of its 8th Annual Safety Awards. They were honored earlier this month at ConcreteWorks held just east of Denver in Aurora, CO. Ms. Soule is the corporate safety manager for Miles Sand & Gravel Company in Washington. Recipients were honored for tireless work and commitment of safety leadership in the ready mixed concrete industry.
Build With Strength and the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council (CCPC) attended the Connecticut Architecture Conference & Expo on October 17. This event, hosted by the Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects, annually invites architects and designer professionals to educate and learn from each other on innovations and policies that shape the future of architecture throughout the state. NRMCA Project Manager, Concrete Promotion, Derek Torres and Ken Lynch of Tremco (seen here with Torres at left) attended as exhibitors to offer their design and educational services through the coalition. They thank Dominic Di Cenzo of CCPC for donating his concrete bowtie and concrete wine to some of the lucky attendees. Build With Strength is a coalition of NRMCA that offers webinars and courses to architects, engineers, and building and fire code officials as part of its education efforts to promote safety and resiliency and help place more concrete. Click here for more information on Build With Strength's education programs or contact Derek Torres at dtorres@nrmca.org. 
Buildings
NRMCA through its Build With Strength and Pave Ahead initiatives is seeking nominations for the 2025 Concrete Innovations Awards. The award program recognizes outstanding achievement in concrete design and construction. Innovative projects are awarded for outstanding performance while lowering environmental impacts, including embodied and operational carbon footprint. Buildings and infrastructure projects substantially designed and built using concrete in the United States in the last five years are eligible. Projects must demonstrate improved performance and sustainability. An NRMCA member company must have been involved in supplying products or services to the project. Areas of excellence include advanced quality control, innovative cements, supplementary cementitious materials, admixtures, aggregates, recycling methods, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, and measurement tools or innovative designs that improve performance and sustainability. Nominees are now being accepted here; the deadline for nominations is January 31, 2025. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. Residents and community leaders from South Mount Vernon, OH, recently turned out to celebrate a first of its kind concrete Habitat for Humanity home being built through a unique partnership, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Donn Thompson. Habitat for Humanity, Knox County, Ohio obtained 12 home sites through a county land bank and labor for the project is being provided by the county career center, with high school juniors and seniors learning while building with insulating concrete forms.
On October 17, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk and Director Justin McCain (seen here, with Mruk at left) presented Concrete Innovations: Proven Pathways to Reducing Carbon Footprint at the 2024 Construction Specifications Institute 2024 Annual Conference (CSICon24) held in Houston. CSI is a national association of more than 6,000 construction industry specification professionals who are experts in building construction and the materials used therein. The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting specifiers and high-performance, energy-efficient concrete buildings. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org.
NRMCA has announced the winners of the 2024 NRMCA Environmental Excellence Awards at ConcreteWorks held earlier this month in Aurora, CO, just outside Denver. Now in its 29th year, the program offers NRMCA producer members national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound environmental management practices in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance requirements and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment.
Pavement
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided funding to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to assist these agencies with procuring low carbon construction materials. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined low carbon as meaning a global-warming potential that is in the best performing 20th percentile, 40th percentile or below the regional average, depending on material availability, when compared to similar materials/products (see EPA’s Interim Determination for more information).
Government Affairs
Thanks to the engagement and commitment of NRMCA members, CONCRETEPAC broke records for both corporate sponsorship and personal fundraising in 2024. The PAC more than doubled its 2023 sponsorship, bringing in more than $232,000 in 2024 and, for the first time, exceeded personal fundraising of $300,000 for the calendar year. CONCRETEPAC’s total for the 2024 cycle to date is more than $557,000, another record!
Learning & Development
NRMCA prioritizes the continued development of the concrete industry’s skilled workforce of dispatchers. To this effect, the Association encourages members to consider registering for the Dispatcher Course offered in November. This training event is an ideal educational offering for dispatchers looking to improve their own competencies and for companies looking to improve their customer support and logistical capacities. Because dispatchers who are new to their roles may not have had many opportunities for formal training due to the demanding and time-sensitive nature of their daily work routines, this course provides learners with a chance to develop a complete understanding of the fundamentals of dispatching. Additionally, experienced dispatchers will benefit greatly from the small class sizes and interaction with expert instructor Ron M. Robertson, director of customer success in North America, for NRMCA Associate member Command Alkon, Inc. The subject matter of this course includes best practices for managing and scheduling orders; strategies for effective communication with clients and ready mix professionals and other topics such as compliance with industry standards and regulations. This training session will be held in Dallas on November 21 - 22. Click here to learn more or register for this course. Calendar
Please note that links for more information and registration for each entry can be accessed here. October 29, Houston November 20 - 22, Oklahoma City November 21 - 22, Dallas December 3 - 5, Orlando, FL *Sold Out December 10 - 12, Denver 2025 January 28 - 31, Albuquerque, NM February 11 - 13, Antioch, TN *Sold Out March 4 - 7, Tucson, AZ March 18 - 20, Denver March 18 - 21, Oklahoma City April 8 - 11, Orlando, FL October 10 - 14, Orlando, FL 
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