The Maryland Concrete Promotion Council recently conducted a review of its five-year Strategic Plan with the help of NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge. At the request of Tom Evans, executive director of the Maryland Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Kresge facilitated the meeting and assisted in tracking the input provided by those participating in the session. Additionally, Kresge confirmed that the focus of the updated plan would fit in with the NRMCA Vision 2020 Strategic Plan.

The group agreed to continue to focus on three market segments – Residential, Commercial and Pavement. Specifically, the consensus was that Pavement should be the prime target and most of the efforts were put into identifying goals and action items for that market. With a goal to increase cubic yard production and market share in parking lots, intersections, and streets and roads, the council agreed to focus on developing relationships with relevant stakeholders, partnering with local contractors, further developing the Full-Loop Promotion efforts with NRMCA and increasing the number of submittals to NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP). Additionally, it identified a need to raise awareness of the tools available to specifiers as well as internally for promoters within the industry.

The Commercial market committee identified similar objectives to develop better relationships with the design community, as well as with relevant government stakeholders such as municipal codes officials. The focus of the Residential committee will be to educate the home building community by providing guidelines for proper concrete placement. Additionally, it plans to develop supportive Web site content for insulated concrete walls, driveways, decorative concrete applications and pervious concrete.