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Association & Industry News
NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2025 will take place October 10 - 12 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL. Please see below for important information relating to attendees, exhibitors, the host hotel and the National Mixer Driver Championship.
Attendees - Early bird registration is now open; register to save over $100 off the regular registration fees. The early bird deadline ends Friday, July 11.
CONCRETEPAC’s highly anticipated Masters of Concrete event is set to take place on Saturday, October 11, in conjunction with NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks. Join us at Popstroke Orlando an evening of fun!
The Portland Cement Association has changed its name to the American Cement Association (ACA). President and CEO Mike Ireland made the announcement in Birmingham, AL, last week during the 67th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference. “The most important reason for the name change is that in recent years, U.S. cement manufacturers have expanded the types of materials they produce beyond portland cement, working to develop more lower-emission cements in an effort to decarbonize the industry and increase domestic cement manufacturing capacity," Ireland said. "The name ‘Portland Cement Association’ no longer accurately reflects the modern mindset of today’s manufacturers, or the materials they currently produce.” Lower-emissions cement consumption has grown more than tenfold since 2021 and now accounts for more than 60% of total cement consumed in the U.S. In 2024, all 50 state Departments of Transportation approved the use of portland-limestone cement (PLC). PLC reduces the carbon footprint of projects by up to 10%. “Additionally, the rebranding makes it clear that we are a national association that speaks for cement manufacturers across the country,” Ireland added. ACA has posted a video that promotes ACA's new slogan, Sustainable Cement for Resilient Concrete. For more information, contact Remi Braden at rbraden@cement.org. The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in February is 22.2 million cubic yards, 20% lower than that in February 2024. The estimated production in the U.S. through February is 43 million cubic yards, approximately 12.7% lower than that during the same period in 2024. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail is available here for NRMCA members under Production Statistics.
NRMCA and the ready mixed concrete industry notes with sadness the death of Tom Becken of Producer member Cemstone. Mr. Becken was born in 1936 in St. Paul, MN, as the oldest of six children. He graduated from Harding High School in 1954, and attended Valparaiso University before returning to Minnesota in 1957 to work for the family-owned and operated ready mixed concrete company started by his grandfather. He would continue working at Cemstone and TCC Materials for more than 68 years, leading the construction materials business as president, CEO and eventually chairman of the Board. He also served as an NRMCA Board member and was a past winner of the William B. Allen Award. Click here to read a full obituary of Mr. Becken. 
The May 2025 edition of the Workforce Development Committee (WDC) newsletter is now available here. If you’d like to join the WDC or be added to the distribution list, please submit this form. The committee staff contact is Jeannette Munroe. 
NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk will speak at the Construction Specifications Institute 2025 National Conference being held at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland from October 15 - 17. Build With Strength celebrates and supports specifiers and architects in cutting edge concrete building design work. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. SEO
The NRMCA’s Annual Safety Award acknowledges the significant contribution that safe work practices gives to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole. The award is presented to an individual or company whose actions represent the very highest in the advancement of safety in the ready mixed concrete industry.
NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers Producer members national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. NRMCA member companies producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada are eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits. Winning entrants will be honored at the Industry Awards Ceremony at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks this October in Orlando, FL. Winners will also be featured in NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine and the industry trade magazine Concrete Products. Entries and photos must be e-mailed to kwalgenbach@nrmca.org by Friday, July 18. For more information and to download the entry form, click here.
The Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association recently celebrated its 45th Annual Excellence in Concrete Award Ceremony, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrck Matsche who attended the event in Salem, OR.
Master of Ceremonies David Frentress of NRMCA member CalPortland regaled the 250 attendees with stories recounting his 40 years in the ready mixed concrete industry. The 11 categories included all aspects of modern construction, including bridges, decorative concrete, paving to infrastructure, residential and high-rise development. With 27 projects submitted for consideration, the concrete industry was well represented, Matsche said. (Seen here, left to right, are Liz LaFevers, Heidelberg; Manny Romero, Master Builders; Kelly Alexander, Euclid Chemical; Frentress, Matsche and Shawn Snow and Ryan Enoch of NRMCA member Knife River.)
Buildings
 A new public information campaign titled Building With Resilience emphasizes that non-combustible construction materials - readily available in California today - offer the best solution for achieving climate, clean air and water goals while strengthening communities against natural disasters.
Build With Strength and NRMCA recently joined the Maryland Ready Mixed Concrete Association (MRMCA) at the University of Maryland’s Concrete Day. This event, hosted by MRMCA and the American Concrete Institute, invited architects, engineers, UMD faculty and students to a series of panel discussions and presentations regarding the future of construction and the concrete industry. Build With Strength’s Derek Torres also attended, participating in a panel discussion highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the ready mix industry. "We would like to thank everyone at MRMCA and ACI for their hard work and dedication for organizing this summit," Torres said. Build With Strength 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 or contact Derek Torres at dtorres@nrmca.org. The School Summit Series in Coppell, TX, held on May 7 - 8 at new Tremco University successfully convened K-12 school administrators, district officials and architects to explore high-performance construction for educational facilities, reports NRMCA Vice President, Building Innovations, Michael Wymant. The event focused on providing attendees with the knowledge and tools to create and maintain safe, resilient, sustainable and inspiring school environments.
Learning & Development
The nomination window for the 2025-2026 Developing Industry Leaders (DIL) cohort will open on Monday, May 19. An overview of the program is available on the DIL website and nominating guidelines are available here. As you consider your nominations, cohort members should anticipate committing between 6-8 hours per month (virtually) in addition to traveling to program events. This newly designed program will enroll 24 students (18 from Producer members, four from Associate members and two from state affiliates). The tuition for this 15-month leadership experience is $2,750 and includes registration to NRMCA's ConcreteWorks 2025, the 2026 NRMCA Annual Convention, a leadership summit and NRMCA's ConcreteWorks 2026. To nominate a future industry leader, please submit this form as early as Monday, May 19. Please note that nominations are accepted on a first received, first fill basis and are limited to two per member company. For more information, contact Jeannette Munroe at jmunroe@nrmca.org. Last week, more than 125 concrete colleagues attended NRMCA’s first Spring Semester in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Learners attended one (or more) of seven co-located courses and enjoyed opportunities to network across classes. Our next week of learning, the Fall Semester, is November 17 - 21 in Dallas. Registration for all courses is open and more information is available in your course catalog. We hope to see you in one (or more) of these classrooms. Learners who choose to register for more than one course receive a tuition discount:
For more information, contact Senior Vice President, Learing & Development, Jeannette Munroe at jmunroe@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
*Please click here to access the relevant links for each of the entries listed below. This link also includes a link for the NRMCA Course Calender. September 8 - 12, Baltimore November 4 - 7, Atlanta November 17, Dallas November 17 - 18, Dallas November 17 - 18, Dallas November 17 - 18, Dallas November 17 - 19, Dallas November 17 - 19, Dallas November 18 - 20, Dallas November 19 - 21, Dallas November 20 - 21, Dallas November 20 - 21, Dallas November 20 - 21, Dallas December 9 - 10, Salt Lake City 
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