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.

The Manufacturers, Products & Services Division of NRMCA has awarded the 2014 Concrete Cares Award to Redi-Mix Concrete, a U.S. Concrete Company, in recognition of its longstanding commitment to giving back to its community and specifically, this year, for its work on behalf of the Clayton Dabney Foundation for Kids with Cancer. For the last 18 years, Redi-Mix Concrete has held a golf tournament with proceeds benefiting those less fortunate in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Over the years, Redi-Mix Concrete has raised close to $750,000 for various charities. Last year was the fourth year the Redi-Mix Charity Classic benefited the Clayton Dabney Foundation, which was founded on the words of six year old Clayton himself, who was in the hospital with a rare form of terminal cancer. In 2013, at the 18th Redi‐Mix Charity Classic, over $92,000.00 was gifted to the foundation. More than 100 employees gave close to 1,000 man-hours combined of their time through labor, fundraising and volunteering to make this event a success.

The Clayton Dabney Foundation anonymously provides needy families with children in the last stages of terminal cancer, assistance in creating these lasting memories. A contribution in Redi-Mix Concrete’s honor will be made to the foundation by the members of the Manufacturers, Products and Services Division.

Click here for more information on the Concrete Cares Award Program.

The Spring 2014 edition of NRMCA's quarterly magazine, Concrete InFocus, is now available online. This latest issue includes a number of timely and informative articles available only online, among them CEMEX's "Job Safe" Program Wins NRMCA 2013 Innovation in Training Award. Read how and why this NRMCA Producer member's dramatic new approach to improving mixer driver safety earned top honors. Look for more highlights of online articles in upcoming editions of E-NEWS.

The next NRMCA Plant Manager Certification workshop is scheduled for March 25-28 in Oklahoma City. The March class typically sells out; this one is now 75%  full. For those who must pass the course to meet the Army Corps of Engineers' contract spec requirement, NRMCA encourages you to plan well ahead because the next class is not until August in Washington DC.

According to NRMCA’s Industry Data Survey, Operations and Production account for approximately 90%+ of producers’ expenses. Therefore, with a producer’s bottom line at stake, it has never been more important for your crew to be at the top of its game when it comes to efficiency and productivity. Whether your operations staff now manages more plants, is new to plant management and batching, or has unplanned down time, the curriculum intensely covers product knowledge, plant safety, environmental regulations, plant operations and ready mixed industry business principles. It’s a must to support your profit margin.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for February 24 - 26 please click here.

NRMCA's Sales Skills, CCSP IV, is scheduled March 18-20 in Silver Spring, MD. This innovative three-day course provides a sales framework and toolkit that can immediately adapt to your organization’s strategies to drive revenue. Master the most up-to-date, industry-related, sales fundamentals through ready mix-specific simulations, role plays and case study analyses that include the challenges of selling concrete's sustainability attributes as well as applying tools for pervious and parking lot sales.

Get Results Now: This course is recommended for professionals of all levels, so whether you deal with internal or external customers, these skills will make an immediate impact on your work!

• Volume and Value: Sell both for short and long term results.

• Secrets to Good Relationships: Solve problems and win loyalty.

• Who Calls the Shots?: Find and communicate with decision-makers.

• Role-playing is Serious Business: Learn how practice makes perfect.

• Close Calls: Overcome obstacles and close the sale.

A short, free Webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, to discuss the industry’s premier professional development/career planning program as supported by NRMCA’s Board of Directors. Learn what STEPS® is and how to enroll. Learn how STEPS® encourages ready mixed concrete employees to participate in a broad range of technical, operations, sales and sustainability-related classes through NRMCA and state associations.

*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

March 11, Free Webinar

New Radical Material and Resources Reporting Criteria in LEEDv4

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

March 12, Free Webinar

STEPS™ A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 17, Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 18, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

March 18–20, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 25, Webinar

Concrete Overlays for Streets and Local Roads and Parking Lots

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

March 25–28, Oklahoma City

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 7, Webinar 

Designing & Specifying Pervious Concrete (Part 2 is April 14)

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

April 15, Free Webinar

New Radical Material and Resources Reporting Criteria in LEEDv4

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

April 16, Webinar

Building the Customer Relationship... in the Post-Recession Economy

Email: Eileen Dickson, 240-485-1164

 

May 6, Webinar

Soils 101

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

May 12–15, Boston

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

E-mail: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 21, Webinar

Personal Leadership and Coaching

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 3-5, Silver Spring, MD

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

June 17, Webinar

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

July 8, Webinar

Understanding Asphalt

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 830-438-2690

 

August 12-15, Silver Spring, MD

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

August 19, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

August 20, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 10, Webinar

Re-Entrepreneuring: 7 Strategies for Rebuilding Your Business in the New Economy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 19, Webinar

Sales Performance Assessments and Review for Ready Mix Sales Managers

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154