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Association & Industry News
NRMCA’s Member2Member (M2M) program provides better service and more value to all members; a growing list of Associate members are offering Producer members a vast array of savings through rebates and discounts on everything from truck purchases, software, maintenance and technical services to business solutions for your company. Stoneridge Software is a Microsoft Solutions Partner specializing in the implementation and support of the entire suite of Microsoft Dynamics 365 business applications, including Customer Engagement (CRM), Finance & Supply Chain Management and Business Central as well as the Power Platform and Copilot. Stoneridge also delivers consulting services for the implementation of Microsoft Business Applications. NRMCA members will receive a 5% discount off Microsoft Cloud Products and a 5% to 10% discount for consulting engagements. Visit all NRMCA dedicated services through the updated M2M webpage. Please note that neither membership in NRMCA nor participation in the M2M Benefits Program can in any way be construed as an endorsement, explicit or implicit, of any company, product or service by the Association. NRMCA accepts no responsibility in any dispute between supplier and customer. The M2M Benefits Program is intended solely as an informational service. Participating companies are responsible for insuring all M2M benefit information is correct. For more information, contact either Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or Heather Houck at hhouck@nrmca.org. Buildings
Concrete Innovations Session 28: Private Sector Decarbonization Initiatives is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time. This session features five private sector initiatives designed to increase demand for low-carbon construction and, more specifically, low-carbon concrete. The session begins with a panel discussion featuring key private sector initiatives: The World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition (FMC), is a private-sector, demand-focused initiative in heavy-emitting industrial sectors. The SE 2050 Challenge is an American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) initiative to prioritize reduction of embodied carbon in structural systems; Architecture 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the built environment from the major emitter of greenhouse gases and Amazon’s ambitious commitment is to reach net-zero carbon across its global operations by 2040. The session concludes with a product spotlight presentation from Climate Earth on reducing carbon with advanced EPD databases. Presenters include:
Click here to register and visit www.concreteinnovations.com for more session details. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. On November 1, 2024, an arson fire heavily damaged a major interstate highway crossing over the Ohio River at Cincinnati, creating the potential for long-term access woes between Kentucky and Ohio. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Great Lakes Construction, more than two dozen subcontractors and other partners all worked together to design the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge, resulting in reopening exactly 100 days following the fire. On Tuesday, April 15, from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. Eastern time, you can attend a presentation either in person or via webinar to learn more about this impressive effort to complete this project. Jointly sponsored by Ohio Concrete, the Kentucky Concrete Association, the Structural Engineers Association of Ohio and the University of Cincinnati, the presentation will feature Tom Hackett, project manager for Great Lakes, and Chris Tuminello, area engineer with ODOT discussing what it took to reopen the bridge during the 2025 artic blast. Click here for more information which includes links for online participation and in-person attendance. Please also note that this webinar - AIA CES Course I-471 Emergency Bridge Repair (OC I -471) for Ohio Ready Mix Concrete Association DBA Ohio Concrete (10008806) - qualifies for American Institute of Architects' continuing education credits. 
Learning & Development
There are still seats available in the following courses. Register by the end of the week and use discount code SPRING50 for $50 off your tuition.
All courses will be held at The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. You can make reservations through the room block until April 21. If you have questions, please contact MEETINGS@NRMCA.org or LearningAndDevelopment@NRMCA.org. We look forward to seeing you there. 
SEO
Registration is still open for this year’s spring Environmental Course being held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, May 5 - 7. Course attendees will be educated on industry-specific environmental issues that impact 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, Recycling, Spill Prevention Plans, Air Quality 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 environmental compliance and stewardship. Click here to register or for more information. You may also contact meetings@nrmca.org.
On April 8, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk was invited by Dr. Brenda Zhou Ph.D., P.E., civil engineering program coordinator at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) to speak to her Civil Engineering Class on current developments in concrete innovation. The class was held at the new award winning Central Connecticut State University Applied Innovation Hub. The Central Department of Engineering is known for its blend of analytical and practical education. The department offers four different degrees: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology and Manufacturing Engineering Technology. Dr. Zhou and students also provided a tour of the labs in the facility which included a concrete lab, bridge building lab, robotics lab and other material labs. Last fall CCSU hosted, along with students from the University of Hartford, University of New Haven and Quinnipiac University, the Federal Highway Mobile Concrete Lab. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. Last week, NRMCA exhibited at the 14th Annual Technical Symposium and Trade Show hosted by the New Jersey Chapters of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) and the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA). They were joined by officials of eight Northern New Jersey counties' fire prevention associations. Shamim Rashid-Sumar, senior vice president, codes and standards, and Dr. Julian Mills-Beale, director, civil/structural codes and standards, represented NRMCA at the symposium. Rashid-Sumar also presented on Investigating ICF Wall Construction Meeting the Requirements of NFPA 285 to an engaged audience of fire protection engineers, contractors, code officials, inspectors and other construction professionals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Click here for more information on Build With Strength education programs related to codes and standards, including fire safety or contact Shamim Rashid-Sumar at ssumar@nrmca.org. Build With Strength is cohosting the Panama City, FL, School Summit Series on High-Performance Construction for K-12 Schools on April 16 - 17 at the Springhill Suites Marriott, 12513 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32407. This event will include tours of great projects, including the A. Gary Walsingham Academy and provide actionable insights for school administrators, district officials and architects specializing in educational facilities. Attendees will gain specific knowledge and tools related to creating and maintaining high-performance school environments, focusing on safety, resilience and sustainability. Learn about concrete strategies for achieving net-zero energy usage, enhancing disaster resilience, meeting sustainability targets and implementing cost-effective maintenance practices. Engage with industry experts on innovative carbon reduction technologies, advanced building methods, material selection and proven strategies for achieving net-zero outcomes. Discover practical solutions and lessons learned from A/E teams that have successfully navigated challenges in school construction while delivering quiet and innovative learning spaces. Experience the tangible benefits of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) construction through visits to local school facilities. This summit offers a focused opportunity to acquire practical knowledge for enhancing your school building projects. Click here for more information and here to register. 
NRMCA’s Senior Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray, recently joined the Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) on a bus tour for developers, designers and contractors to view innovative applications of concrete technologies in greater Phoenix. The regional industry influencers (shown here) walked active job sites, including Phoenix Fire Station #74, a 13,000 square foot insulated concrete forms (ICF) project by Perlman Architects; the Isola Arrebol Villas, a 230-unit horizontal apartment development in Goodyear using the Hercuwall system and the Palm Valley Commerce Center, a 300,000 square foot industrial project by VLMK Engineering + Design. Together, these projects displayed the flexibility of concrete construction and its ultimate benefits of resiliency, sustainability and energy efficiency. For more information regarding the tour and promotion in Arizona, contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org. The education and promotions platforms of NRMCA - Build With Strength and PaveAhead - are sponsoring a training session in Salem, OR, on Tuesday, April 22, designed to support the transition to lower carbon concrete through the use of 1L and other blended cements, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche. "Member companies of NRMCA are uniquely positioned to ensure the end users of their products are comfortable using emerging cement technologies," he said. The goal of the Contractor and Finisher Day is to help concrete finisher crews and contractors become more comfortable with 1L cements through a hands-on workshop, allowing contractors to work with concrete mix designs featuring 1L along with additional mix designs with locally available Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). The event will help placers and contractors understand what to look for with 1L cements, address common misconceptions, answer real concerns and establish best practices for pouring, placing and finishing concrete with 1L cements. NRMCA member company Wilsonville Concrete Products will host the event at its Salem plant. The Oregon Aggregates and Concrete Producers Association (OCAPA) is currently accepting event registrations. NRMCA thanks OCAPA and members Holcim US, Northwest Cement Council, Wilsonville Concrete Products, CalPortland, Heidelberg Materials, Knife River, River Bend Materials, a CRH Company; Sika US and Euclid Chemical for their support. With the generous support of the ready mixed concrete industry, Build With Strength and PaveAhead are recognized as leading the effort to reduce and eliminate embodied carbon in buildings, roads and infrastructure while also educating structural engineers, architects, end users and specifiers in achieving low carbon, high-performance concrete. For more information, contact Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275 or Greg Halsted at ghalsted@nrmca.org, 360-920-5119. 
Engineering
The American Concrete Institute's Spring Convention was held from March 29 - April 2 in Toronto. The NRMCA Engineering Department summarized committee activity involving department staff. 122: Energy Efficiency of Concrete and Masonry Systems – Kerry Sutton spoke about the challenges of getting ACI 122 adopted at the state and local levels. She provided a report outlining the efforts of ACI and NRMCA in Washington and Connecticut. The committee discussed the successes of ACI 562 and ACI 440 that could be considered as strategies and also discussed how parts of the 122 Guide can be included as references to main document. The committee is working to add more details specific to ICF, Tilt-Up and Precast concrete sandwich panels. It's also looking into comparative analyses between 90.1 and 122 on thermal bridging using Energy Plus in an effort to prove the efficacy of 122.1. ESCSI may have already completed a study that will be reviewed and shared with the committee. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 122. 201: Durability – The committee continues to work on incremental changes to its Guide to Durable Concrete. Significant revisions to the chapter on freezing and thawing are close to completion. The chapter on corrosion will reflect recent updates to the guide developed by ACI Committee 222. A chapter on chemical attack will be moved forward for review and ballot. Because not much is published for some types of chemical attack, generic guidance will be provided on these aspects. The committee intends to complete the revision of at least 4 chapters in the next two years. The committee also discussed developing information regarding specific durability concerns related to the use of portland limestone cement. Glenn Schaefer is an Associate member of ACI 201 and is active on the subcommittee on chemical attack. 211: Mixture Proportioning – The committee continues to work on several draft documents and is considering if some of the older documents need to be maintained. The committee has surveyed the industry to evaluate whether the water content values in the table of the proportioning guide are typical of what is used in the industry. The survey suggests that the table values are generally higher and may be related to the use of water-reducing admixtures. The committee is also evaluating the tables on coarse aggregate content and the w/cm to strength relationships suggested for trial batches. There was a suggestion to remove values for 2 and 3 in. aggregate as these are seldom used. Glenn Schaefer has requested membership in ACI 211. 212: Chemical Admixtures – The document has been updated and will proceed through the ACI review process. It will include a discussion of some newer admixtures in the revised guide. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 212. 214: Evaluation of Results of Tests – The committee balloted changes to additional chapters of the Guide to Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete and will be working on revisions to these chapters. Glenn Schaefer has requested membership in ACI 211. 216: Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures – Revisions to ACI 216.1, Code Requirements for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies, have been finalized and will be forwarded to the ACI review process. A Rational Design Guide document is also being developed in parallel. A new task group has been formed on Fire-Induced Spalling to develop potential mitigation provisions for future editions of ACI 216.1. The committee is working on a Tech Note regarding the equivalence of concrete with portland limestone cement to portland cement for fire resistance characteristics. Additional revisions to ACI 219.1 based on revisions to ASTM 119 Table X3.1 published in June 2024 may be incorporated during the Public Comment phase. Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintains representation on ACI 216. 228: Non-Destructive Testing – The committee is working on a considerable revision to its guide document and intends a similar structure with similar levels of detail in all chapters. The discussion is generally very technical and some methods included are not used currently. The current effort is revisions to chapters on Impact Echo and Surface Wave. The committee received a presentation on a new commercial embedded sensor that is designed to be self-calibrating for concrete strength monitoring and not based on maturity. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 228. 301: Specifications for Structural Concrete – The committee continues to make revisions to several sections of the specification. Several revisions for consistency ACI 318-25 were approved. Topics in progress include submittal requirements for sustainability, addressing the use of fibers, changes to curing requirements in ACI 318, location of sampling for acceptance tests, lightweight concrete, many provisions in the section on handling placing and constructing, architectural concrete and process of evaluation of shrinkage-compensating concrete. ACI 301 will finalize its revisions for the ACI review process by Fall with the intent to publish the document in 2026. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 301. 318: Building Code for Structural Concrete – ACI 318-25 has been published. A new ACI Committee 318 has been established for the new cycle chaired by JoAnne Browning. This committee will have only six subcommittees with responsibility for specific sections of the Code. The committee will work to publish the next version of ACI 318 in 2031 with a possible supplement in 2028. ACI 318 Subcommittee A is responsible for chapters on concrete materials and construction documents. Sub A reviewed all comments from the review process in the previous cycle to determine Code Change proposals and has identified several items to consider as new business. Colin Lobo maintains representation on Committee 318, and Subcommittees A (concrete materials) and C (serviceability, loads, analysis and all appendices, including App C on sustainability). 321: Durability Code – The committee continues to develop mandatory language and commentary for a Durability Code. There has been significant progress on most of the chapters. Chapters on Maintenance, Construction and Quality are being developed for the committee ballot. Other chapters have been balloted and comments are being addressed. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 321. 323: Low Carbon Concrete Code – ACI CODE-323-25 Low-Carbon Concrete - Code Requirements and Commentary has been published. A new Committee 323 has been established with subcommittees to address specific content. The new ACI 323 Committee is actively shaping the next iteration of the Low-Carbon Concrete Code, introducing sections to advance sustainable concrete construction. The updated Benchmarking and Reduction Section will incorporate Global Warming Potential (GWP) calculations and strategies for carbon reduction. A new Systems section will focus on tailored chapters addressing specific structure types, such as buildings, bridges and infrastructure. The Resilience Section will highlight concrete’s durability and extended life cycle, showcasing its advantages over alternative materials. Additionally, the Whole Life Cycle Analysis section will evaluate sustainability throughout a project’s lifespan, including maintenance and end-of-life phases, across various applications. The expanded benchmarking guidance will equip local jurisdictions with best practices and statistical tools for establishing carbon reduction benchmarks, complemented by a potential International Benchmarking Appendix to promote global adoption. These efforts collectively aim to provide robust, flexible approaches to lowering concrete’s carbon footprint across diverse projects and regions. Tiffany Reed-Villarreal maintains representation in ACI 323. 327: Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – The main committee celebrated and discussed the completion of ACI PRC-327-24 – Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements - Guide. The document was a major revision of the previous version and was published in December 2024. The subcommittee working on the development of ACI SPEC-327.Y – Construction of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – Specification completed a first draft of the document that will be sent for review of the main committee. Greg Halsted maintains representation as Chair of ACI 327. 329: Performance Criteria for Ready Mixed Concrete – The committee is working on a Guide to Writing a Performance Specification. The guide will use MasterSpec 033000 format for cast-in-place concrete and include recommended language and guidance to the specifier. A ballot to cover Section 1 (General) of the specification was discussed and will be finalized. Three of the five chapters have been completed. Performance requirements and acceptance criteria for different concrete performance properties were discussed for inclusion in Section 2 (Products) of the specification. The committee intends to develop content and ballot Sections 2 and 3. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 329 as secretary. 330: Parking Lots – The committee has started revising 330.2R Guide for the Design and Construction of Concrete Site Paving for Industrial and Trucking Facilities. A task group has been assigned to review and revise each chapter. Proposed revisions to two chapters have been completed; responses to ballots were considered and will be resolved in subsequent online meetings. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 330. 332: Residential Concrete – The committee continues to work on revisions to ACI 332, Code Requirements for Residential Concrete, and resolve negatives from its most recent ballot. The committee is proposing to include performance-based alternatives to w/cm in this Code. The committee received presentations in mini-sessions in support of some of these revisions. The current proposed revisions include the incorporation of NRMCA 100-23 provisions into ACI 332. In addition, the committee discussed updates from ITG12 on 3D Printed (Additive Concrete) Houses and wire reinforcement in residential concrete work. Julian Mills-Beale maintains membership on ACI 332. 522: Pervious Concrete – The 522 Committee was informed that ASTM C1688 on measuring fresh density was reapproved and the method for measuring infiltration in the field, ASTM C1701 is being balloted. The Committee 522 documents - guide and specification - are current and no major updates were needed. The committee discussed the transition of the Pervious Contractor Certification from NRMCA to ACI. A formal approval of this transition from ACI Certification Committee was expected. The committee scheduled a mini-session to discuss proposed changes to the certification program at the Fall 2025 convention. The committee discussed the participation of ready mixed concrete producers on the committee. It also discussed disseminating information on pervious concrete to designers and engineers and will evaluate opportunities for presentation at different state events. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 522. 551: Tilt-Up Concrete Construction – The committee worked on the comments returned from ACI review process on the Construction Guide and Engineer documents. A representative from PCI summarized its new document on insulated wall panels and efforts to get that and ACI 319 document included in the 2027 ICC Codes. The committee will propose a mini session regarding the use of portland limestone cement in tilt-up construction for the next ACI convention. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 551. 560: ICF Buildings – The committee continues to work on revising ACI-PRC 560-22 Insulating Concrete Form Design and Construction after discussions on the negative public comments received. NRMCA provided an update on the ACI Foundation research project Investigating ICF construction meeting the requirements of NFPA 285. Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintains representation on ACI 560. Concrete Innovation Council – The Concrete Innovation Council of the ACI Foundation focused on planning for the CIC Concrete Innovation Forum scheduled for August 12 - 14 in Denver. CIC maintains a portal for inquiries from innovative technology developers and has received several requests for consideration of new technology. CIC discussed the new research funding request process being implemented by the ACI Foundation. Glenn Schaefer is a board member of CIC. Concrete Research Council (CRC) – The Research Council of the ACI Foundation selects research programs for funding by the Foundation and administers two awards. CRC discussed changes in the process of selecting research topics and funding. In the past, research proposals were solicited, selected and funded at around $50,000. About eight proposals were funded annually. In the new process, ideas on industry challenges will be collected and a steering group between CIC and CRC will prioritize topics and the councils will help define the scope of these projects. RFPs will be requested for these topics and funding will not be limited to $50k per project. The solicitation of ideas will be open on the ACI Foundation website between July and August and the intent is to finalize funding decisions by January. Information on the process is available on the ACI Foundation website. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI CRC. Other:
ACI 332 (Residential) mini session – Colin Lobo, NRMCA executive vice president, engineering, gave a presentation on Performance-Based Specifications, Test Methods, and Criteria which gave an overview of how performance-based specifications support achieving intended performance and sustainability initiatives. The focus was on using electrical methods such as ASTM C1202 and C1876 as alternatives to requiring a maximum w/cm ratio. ACI 332 is considering these alternatives in their revisions to the ACI residential code. The presentation was useful in convincing some voters of the benefits of performance-based alternatives. Honoring R. Doug Hooton – Four sessions covered a full day of presentations from a wide range of researchers and industry members, celebrating the contributions of Hooton (professor emeritus at the University of Toronto) on slag cement, use of supplementary cementitious materials, the durability of concrete, performance-based specifications and the evolution of ASTM standards to address current industry needs. Glenn Schaefer joined NRMCA in late March as vice president, research and technical services. He will support improving efficiencies at the NRMCA Research Laboratory, develop new capabilities and support the activities of the NRMCA RES Committee and NRMCA Technical Advocacy initiatives. Mr. Schaefer is an active member of several committees at ACI and ASTM International; he will also become involved with NRMCA technical education programs. With his previous employer, Mr. Schaefer managed several laboratories with large testing agency group. He has worked with Structural Technologies, a large repair contractor; Tourney Consulting Group, CEMEX and WR Grace in several technical and market development roles. Mr. Schaefer can be reached at gschaefer@nrmca.org. Registration for NRMCA’s spring Safety Course is still open. The course is being held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, May 5 - 7; 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 and much more. Click here for registration information or contact meetings@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
*Please click here to access your 2025 NRMCA Course Calendar where you can learn more and register for one or more educational offerings. You may also click here for a list of conferences and events which contains relevant links to each of the events and NRMCA staff members listed below. April 16 - 17, Panama City Beach, FL April 16, Free Online Webinar April 23 - 24, Baltimore May 5 - 6, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5 - 6, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5 - 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5 - 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5 - 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 7 - 9, Fort Lauderdale, FL May 8, Chippewa Falls, WI May 8 - 9, 2025 Fort Lauderdale, FL October 9 - 14, Orlando, FL 
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