 |
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Association & Industry News
The Early Bird registration deadline for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2025 is fast approaching. Register by Friday, July 11, to save over $100 off the regular registration fee. The event will be held October 10 -12 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL (metro Orlando). Please note that NRMCA has introduced a third pricing tier for the event. On-site registration will be at a higher rate, so we encourage you to register early. Important dates are:
For more information, please contact Senior Director of Meetings Jessica Walgenbach. Click here to access registration, the exhibitor prospectus and more. 
As it continues to refocus its priorities, NRMCA's Learning and Development Department has added two full-time staff members to those efforts. Jill Roth has been named senior director of learning and development after supporting the Association as a consultant on several initiatives. In this newly created position, Ms. Roth will draw on her experience and expertise in instructional design, project leadership and stakeholder collaboration. Her background also includes business communications and marketing strategy. She will lead all NRMCA curriculum development efforts (for both current and future courses); manage the deployment of the new learning management system and its integration with ProTech; pioneer an eLearning product category and provide facilitation support as needed. Finally, Ms. Roth will offer insight and ideas on future marketing plans and digital strategy.
Buildings
 On June 28, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk joined Populous Architects, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Western New York Chapter and Buffalo Bills leadership for a design update on their new Highmark Stadium scheduled for completion by July 2026. The event featured a behind-the-scenes look at the construction progress and design strategy for the new stadium with presentations from Buffalo Bills Vice President of Stadium Development John Polka and Vice President of Operations Andy Major.
NRMCA’s Codes and Standards team participated in the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Cement and Concrete Critical Technologies conference held in Golden, CO, from June 9 - 11. Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, director, sustainability codes and standards, spoke at the first panel, titled Critical Technologies, advocating for concrete producers to focus on low-carbon solutions and industry needs. From the ready mixed concrete perspective, the rise of low-carbon SCMs like calcined clay, recovered fly ash and natural pozzolans - paired with AI-driven mix optimization and supported by performance-based specifications - is transforming 2025 practices by driving decarbonization while boosting producer competitiveness. (Seen here, from left to right, are Craig Hargis, Fortera; Luis Baquerizo Ibarra, CalPortland; Ms. Reed-Villarreal John Kevern, NREL.) NRMCA's Build With Strength regularly participates in discussions with federal partners and stakeholders to advance ready mix producer initiatives as part of its strategy to promote resilience, sustainability and increase concrete market share. For more information about NRMCA Codes and Standards advocacy, contact Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, P.E., at treedvillarreal@nrmca.org or any member of the Codes and Standards team. 
SEO
NRMCA’s 2025 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 a 2025 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine and the industry trade publication Concrete Products. Entries and photos must be e-mailed to kwalgenbach@nrmca.org by Friday, July 18. Click here for more information and to download the entry form. The staff contact is Kevin Walgenbach.
The SEO Committee is soliciting NRMCA membership for Carpenter-Mullings Award nominations. Carpenter-Mullings Award recipients are singled out for their outstanding lifetime contribution to the ready mixed concrete industry in the field of operations, safety or environmental. Nominees may be ready mixed concrete company employees, manufacturers or suppliers to the industry or association staff members. They can be active, retired or deceased. Nominations are tendered and reviewed annually; however, awards are only given when deemed appropriate by the committee. Nominations for the Carpenter-Mullings Award are solicited annually from the members of the SEO Committee. A task group of active past winners will review the submissions and will present their nominee for approval of the full committee at the fall committee meeting. Results will be announced immediately and the award will be presented at the 2026 NRMCA Annual Convention. The nominations deadline is Friday, September 5. Click here for more information and to review the nomination form. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach.
NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray recently joined forces with California Nevada Cement Association’s (CNCA) Technical Director Nathan Forrest (seen here, standing) in supporting one of California’s largest industrial and commercial developers, Buzz Oates. The developer is prominent in the management and construction services space with a 27 million square foot portfolio valued over $4 billion. "Buzz Oates is unique in its direct, self-serviced construction arm that pushes for innovation and quality, as its goal is to hold its properties," Wray said. "This fundamental initiative yields a desire to build with quality, resilient and sustainable materials and practices, areas where concrete shines." Presentations included ACI 323’s low carbon concrete code, California’s CALGreen code and the ultimate process of leveraging performance specifications to achieve cost efficiency while procuring lower carbon concrete. From these and past efforts, Build With Strength has consulted on Buzz Oates facilities in Sacramento and the Central Valley, with a management team interested in further utilizing NRMCA resources to streamline sustainability processes on more projects. For questions regarding promotion efforts in California, contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org. 
Government Affairs
On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the legislation was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the days leading up to the holiday weekend. There are a number of NRMCA priorities among the provisions in the legislation, including:
In addition to these wins, several important policies were kept in place, including the 21% corporate tax rate, 1031 exchanges, percentage depletion and favorable tax treatment of bonds for infrastructure. The business provisions included in the tax package represent significant wins for the ready mixed concrete industry and follow more than a year of engagement by NRMCA, our partners in the construction industry and the broader business community. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. NRMCA's Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year Award, now in its 30th 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 Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional. The award winner will be honored at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV, in March 2026. Applications must be e-mailed to DOY@nrmca.org by November 30. 
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 *Sold Out 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 20 - 21, Dallas November 20 - 21, Dallas November 20 - 21, Dallas December 9 - 10, Salt Lake City 
|
||||||||||||||||
|
.jpg)
