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Association & Industry News
Last week, NRMCA joined other members of the Highway Materials Group (HMG) and Members of Congress in calling for passage of a trillion dollar federal infrastructure funding package to begin repairing America’s aging roads and bridges. In a press conference coinciding with Infrastructure Week and the Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In, leaders of the trade associations urged lawmakers to draft legislation to begin rebuilding critically needed infrastructure that has been left to deteriorate for far too long. They noted that with the Highway Trust Fund expiring in 2020, the time for action is now. Speaking on behalf of NRMCA, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Concrete and NRMCA Chairman Bill Sandbrook called on President Trump, the House and the Senate to show true leadership to arrive at a funding solution. “We are not here to point fingers – rather this is an historic opportunity. The last big infrastructure deal with dedicated user-financing was enacted in 1982. The Trump Administration and Congress have an opportunity to do something equally historic as the bipartisan deal President Ronald Reagan struck with Congress,” said Sandbrook. “However, infrastructure can’t happen without dedicated funding, and an increase in the gas tax is the only realistic option and is where presidential and congressional leadership is required. The federal gas tax was last increased in 1993. The highway and transit funds face a $171 billion shortfall just to maintain current spending. Can you live off what you made in 1993? Well infrastructure sure can’t. There is no other viable short-term option to raise the money necessary.” Click here to read the full press release. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. It’s the time of the year for producers to share information regarding their mixer driver workforce. • All responses are anonymous. Click here to begin the survey. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. 
NRMCA is looking for good men and women to serve on the Board of Directors. While serving on the Board requires both commitment and energy, it is a rewarding opportunity to give back to the industry. NRMCA represents a broad range of ready mixed concrete companies across the United States and our success is a direct result of the skills and expertise of our professional staff working in conjunction with our Board of Directors. Director nominees must be committed to promoting NRMCA programs and working in the best interest of its membership and the industry at large. The Board provides strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and governance of the organization’s operations. All nominees are vetted by the Nominating Committee, which consists of the current chairman of the board, the immediate past chairman of the board, and past chairmen of the board for the previous seven years, who are still in an active capacity in the industry. The selected slate of nominees is then presented to and elected by the general membership and will serve a three-year term that begins immediately following the annual convention in 2020. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 26. Please click on links below for more information or contact NRMCA's Heather Houck at hhouck@nrmca.org.
Government Affairs
NRMCA members were in Washington last week for the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In, held in conjunction with Infrastructure Week, urging Congress to get serious about addressing the nation’s critical infrastructure needs. Joining hundreds of individuals from various sectors of the transportation construction industry, NRMCA members met with dozens of Members of Congress and staff, advocating on a unified message of the importance of federal infrastructure investment, the importance of resilient construction for buildings and infrastructure projects, and the need to establish a sustainable, dedicated funding stream for the Highway Trust Fund (see related item under Association & Industry News). In meeting with Members of Congress and staff, NRMCA members also raised issues relating to taxpayer-supported promotion and demonstration projects for tall wood buildings and other mass timber structures, urging Congress to adopt a materials-neutral approach and avoid choosing or promoting one building material over another. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
SEO
Late last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that employers with 100 or more employees will be required to report data on all their employees, detailed by pay, hours, race, sex and ethnicity. The information reporting deadlines are May 31, 2019, for demographics and September 30, 2019, for the detailed pay and hours data. The pay/hours data due in September is required to cover both 2017 and 2018. This latest development follows a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Colombia that reinstated an Obama Administration rule, previously stayed by the Trump Administration in 2017. Specifically, this reporting requirement, referred to the EEOC as the EEO-1 report, consists of two components, one of which requires employers to report their employee demographics (known as Component 1) while the second requires those employers to break down those demographics with pay data and hours worked (known as Component 2). While the Component 1 portion, a requirement for a number of years, is due May 31, the Component 2 is the added portion promulgated by the Obama Administration and recently restored by the court with a reporting deadline of September 30, 2019. While this reporting requirement and its deadlines represent a burden to industry, the Trump Administration has appealed the court’s decision and is working toward a reinstatement of its previous stay before the September 30 reporting deadline. NRMCA, from the beginning of this issue, has opposed the Obama Administration’s Component 2 addition. With this new development, NRMCA again has signaled its opposition to Component 2 and its reinstatement. NRMCA is working with its like-minded coalition partners to explore legal, regulatory and legislative remedies. For more information on the EEO-1 and how to report, please click here, here and here. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
Pavement
For more information, contact Ken Justice at kjustice@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practices 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 Awards Luncheon at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks this October in Kissimmee, FL. Winners will also be featured in a 2019 edition of NRMCA’s Concrete InFocus magazine and Concrete Products magazine. Entries and photos must be e-mailed to gmullings@nrmca.org by Friday, July 26. Click here for more information on and to download the entry form along with staff contact. Does your facility need to report to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program? Have you run the calculations to determine if your facility does? Do you know what the requirements are and/or how to report if necessary? Now’s the time to obtain answers to all of these questions. Remember, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) TRI Program “tracks the management of more than 650 toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment.“ Specifically, “U.S. facilities in certain industry sectors must report annually how much of each chemical is released to the environment and/or managed through recycling, energy recovery and treatment.” This information is then submitted annually to EPA and compiled in the TRI. Facilities that handle toxic chemicals, including ready mixed concrete plants, are required to calculate the quantities that were handled and if any quantity is over an allowable threshold, that chemical and amount need to be reported under the program. Should a facility need to report, the reporting deadline is July 1, 2019. Click here for more on the program, listed chemicals, potential for reporting and when/how to report. You may also contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Annual Safety Award acknowledges the significant contribution that safety work practices give to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole. The NRMCA Annual Safety 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. The award program is generously sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB). The award may be presented to an individual whose single action or long-time commitment to safety and health in the ready mixed concrete industry exemplifies superior performance in the field of safety. Examples of the award winner could be a ready mixed concrete truck driver whose actions were lifesaving. Other examples could include plant managers, safety managers and company officials who have outstanding long-time dedication to safety and health in the ready mixed concrete industry. Other examples would be an individual’s involvement in community safety activities. The award may also recognize a corporation, coalition or organization that was unrelenting in its pursuit of safety for the industry. Nominees may have created and implemented a life-saving and/or injury-preventing safety solution. Examples of the award winner could be a ready mixed concrete producer company, a ready mixed concrete state association or an industry-related equipment or material supplier. Criteria for selection of the individual or company may include evidence of the following: • Reduction of accidents/incidents • Demonstration of leadership in safety • Identification, evaluation & control of hazards • Development of safety-conscious policies & procedures • Active promotion of safety in the workplace • Innovation & enthusiasm in marketing safety • Collaborative & proactive work toward improving safety • Placing a high personal value on safety • Mentoring of others in safety Nominations shall be made by submitting a detailed explanation for why the individual or company should be considered for the award. The explanation should focus on highlighting the criteria listed above. Submissions should include necessary supporting documents, a high-resolution electronic image of the nominee (if an individual), a high resolution company logo and any other relevant images. Entries must be e-mailed to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org by Friday, June 28. Click here for more information, nomination requirements and staff contact. 
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. July 10 – 11, Dallas November 11 – 15, Baltimore November 19 – 21, Orlando, FL December 10 – 13, Orlando, FL 2020 January 14 – 16, Des Moines, IA 
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NRMCA promotion team members Amanda Hult (pictured here speaking) and her colleague Ken Justice, an NRMCA-certified pervious concrete craftsman, recently taught a 6-hour pervious concrete seminar in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, that was hosted by Amy Wedel of the Florida Concrete & Products Association. The seminar was held at a Florida DOT training facility and included a live demonstration. More than 85 people were in attendance, including many from FDOT, personnel from five surrounding counties, many municipalities, homeowner associations and several contractors. The concrete was supplied by NRMCA Producer member Ozinga Bros. Hult and Justice said the seminar was very successful, with NRMCA already receiving requests for more pervious concrete seminars in other parts of Florida.