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Association & Industry News
The Board of Directors of NRMCA has overwhelming approved extending funding for the industry’s landmark campaign, Build With Strength (BWS), for an additional five years, viewing it as a critical tool in promoting ready mixed concrete as the building material of choice and increasing market share amidst increasingly visible competition. The decision to extend funding occurred earlier this month in Florida at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks where NRMCA staff and its public affairs firm offered a multimedia presentation for “Build With Strength 2.0,” an extension of the original campaign that began three years ago as “a multi-million dollar coordinated industry campaign to better educate the design/build and code communities about the benefits of concrete construction in the low to mid-rise sector and in general.” “We’ve come a long way since the program began, but there is much more work to be done,” said NRMCA President Mike Philipps as part of the presentation. “Our advocacy on behalf of the concrete industry has contributed to a sea change in American construction. And though we have turned the ship, there remains a long way to go.” A prime reason for the need to continue BWS is the continued efforts of the timber industry to portray the ready mixed concrete industry as harmful to the environment. It also has had measurable success in convincing state legislators to relax building codes and construction standards. BWS estimates that the wood industry spends about $15 million annually to promote wood-framed construction in structures up to 18 stories. Wood is still perceived by many as more sustainable than concrete, so BWS works to counter such false narratives across multiple media platforms while also reaching lawmakers at the local, state and national levels. In urging the need for continuing funding, Philipps, senior NRMCA staff and many Association members cited the initial BWS campaign’s success in changing hearts and minds, resulting in increases to concrete’s market share in low- to mid-rise building. “Make no mistake, concrete is fighting back,” said Philipps. “And with the right promotion, the program is going places it has never been before.” Build With Strength 2.0 will focus on four main areas: Communicate, Advocate, Promote and Connect. Board members were extensively briefed on each area during NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks, given multiple examples of past successes and a road map to future strategies. They heard from a cross section of industry executives who have been part of the Build With Strength message, including Caroline Sutton, executive vice president of the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Mark Wildsmith, vice president of the Philadelphia Plasters’ and Masons’ Local 592 who each spoke of the effectiveness of BWS’s Communications efforts. Craig Dauphinais, executive director of the Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association and Wayne DeAngelo, deputy speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, District 14, discussed how Advocacy efforts have led to state-level victories on codes and standards legislation. John Lee, director of business development for NRMCA producer member Cemstone, and David Azar, owner of Eastern Bay Management Corporation, spoke on how their respective companies have benefited from BWS’s Promotion and outreach efforts, and Joel Waters, executive director of the Mississippi Concrete Association, and Nolan Rollins of the Los Angeles Urban League spoke on how their organizations consider themselves Connected to BWS. Over the past 3 ½ years, about 15 million cubic yards of concrete has been placed in buildings as a direct result of NRMCA members’ financial investment. Philipps and NRMCA staff assured members that their additional investment will be equally well spent and will result in continued gains in market share. “Through significant brand awareness, this coalition has now been transformed into a bona fide movement that is educating, engaging and enacting meaningful change across the industry and beyond,” Philipps told NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks attendees. “In short, it’s time to go Bigger. Bolder. Broader. Stronger.” Click here to view more details from the BWS e-magazine and here for the BWS promotional video. For more information, contact Gregg Lewis at glewis@nrmca.org or Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org. 
Buildings
The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. Many ready mixed concrete producers embrace programs developed by the WHC. Join the Council at its conference to learn about biodiversity, employee engagement and community relations along with insight into the issues facing corporate conservation today. The 2019 Conservation Conference is being help at the Hilton Baltimore, November 19-20. Click here for more information.
Government Affairs
NRMCA is now accepting entries for its 2020 Kids' Art Contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. The theme for this year’s contest is “Safety.” The contest is open to children up to Grade 12 who have a relationship to an NRMCA member. • Entrants must be related to or sponsored by an NRMCA member company. • Contestants are limited to one entry each. • Artwork should be 100% produced by the entrant and be original. • Entries may be in a medium of the artist's choice (oil, water color, pastels, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, crayon, etc.). Entries can be a drawing, collage, painting, or other two-dimensional work. • All entries must incorporate a ready mixed concrete truck in some manner, but should not be limited to a picture of a ready mixed concrete truck. • Entries must be on 11"x14" flat paper. We encourage artwork to be on good quality bond or drawing paper, or illustration board. Entries should not be framed or matted. • For contact purposes, please include artist’s name, address, phone number, age and grade, and the name of the NRMCA member and the relationship to the artist on the back of the artwork. Contact name, address, phone number for both sponsor and artist must be included or entry will not be considered. • Entries must be post marked no later than December 31, 2019. Entries will be divided into the following grade categories: pre-K - K; 1-3; 4-6 and 7-12. First, second and third place winners will be selected from each grade category. Prizes will be awarded in each grade category ($100 first; $50 second and $25 third place). Entries will be judged only against others in their grade category based on originality, effort, creativity, composition and interpretation of the theme Safety. Winners in each category will be announced at NRMCA’s 2020 Annual Convention, March 10-14, in Las Vegas. Images of the winning entries will be used later in the year to create a 2021 NRMCA calendar and winners and the sponsoring members will receive a free copy of the calendar. Selected entries will be displayed at NRMCA’s Annual Convention. NRMCA reserves the right to copy and modify any entry for reproduction. Entries will not be returned and may be used for future promotional opportunities. Entries must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2019 and should be mailed or delivered to:
SEO
Registration is still open for this year’s Environmental Certification Course to be held in Orlando, FL, November 19-21. Course attendees will be educated on industry-specific environmental issues that affect 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, Dust Control, Recycling, Spill Prevention Plans, Air Quality Management, Noise 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 EPA regulations, the Clean Water Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management and numerous other critical environmental matters. Click here for registration options. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org. 
Pavement
Earlier this month at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks, attendees had a chance to learn about the opportunities in concrete recreational trails with a session based on the newly released Guide to Concrete Trails. This RMC Research & Education Foundation funded guide, written by the same team of experts at the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CPTech) that brought you the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots, walks the reader through the process of recreational trails, from the beginning stages of planning to the ownership stages of maintenance, with stop along the way that include funding, environmental, design types, ADA compliance, trail widths and thickness, construction and even how to renovate a worn out asphalt trail with a concrete overlay. Written with all stakeholders in mind, the Guide to Concrete Trails is the first document of its kind that specifically address recreational trail construction using concrete. A PDF version of the guide is available for download from the foundation’s website and from the PaveAhead website under the Resources tab. An initial run of printed copies will be ordered in the next week. Based on the number of copies ordered, the cost per copy will be the lowest ever offered in this initial order, estimated to be around $6 per copy. If you would like professionally printed and bound copies in this initial printing, contact Jon Hansen who will collect total number of copies and source the best price available for the initial printing. He will also contact you before ordering to confirm your quantity and final cost per copy. Additional copies after the initial printing will likely be on demand and carry a much higher cost per copy. And to complement the guide, NRMCA has also introduced three new pieces of promotional collateral. “With over 300 million dollars of grant money available for the development of trails and walking paths, there is a fantastic opportunity for concrete to capitalize on another target market segment” noted NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Phil Kresge. “The guide provides excellent design, construction and maintenance guidance,” added Kresge. “But unfortunately, few design professionals know that it exists or that concrete pavement is even an option. This new collateral material serves as an ice breaker for the ready mix industry to grab the attention of the design community.” The one-page Concrete Trails Overview highlights the benefits of concrete trails, including initial cost, ease of construction, durability and life cycle value. The two Concrete Results Case Studies, featuring the Dam West Home Owners Association and the Wingate South Park Trail projects in Colorado, supplement the overview piece. These new publications are also available from the PaveAhead Resource link mentioned above. To place your order contact Jon Hansen at jhansen@nrmca.org. For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org or Jon Hansen.
For more information, contact Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org. NRMCA paving engineers Amanda Hult and Ken Justice will join the Concrete and Aggerates Association of Louisiana (CAAL) in New Orleans on Wednesday, November 6, for a pervious concrete seminar. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the seminar beginning at 8 a.m. Lunch will be provided before a live demonstration of pervious concrete placement. Contractors desiring to become certified by NRMCA should come prepared to work during the live demonstration. CAAL will administer the written exam after the demonstration. Click here for additional information on the seminar and to register or contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org. 
2020 January 14 – 16, Des Moines, IA January 21 – 24, Cincinnati January 28 – 30, Orlando, FL January 28 – 30, Dallas February 25 – 28, Miami March 7 – 9, Las Vegas March 10 – 14, Las Vegas March 17 – 19, Dallas September 27 – 29, Aurora, CO Engineering
NRMCA with the Arkansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association is presenting the one-day course, Improving Concrete Quality, intended for concrete producers, ingredient material suppliers, engineers, testing labs and contractors, on Wednesday, November 20, in Little Rock, AR. Improved concrete quality can benefit all stakeholders in a concrete construction project. This course will address the following questions:
Course instructors are Kevin MacDonald, Ph.D., FACI, Beton Consulting Engineers LLC, and Karthik Obla, Ph.D., P.E. at NRMCA. Producers will learn readily implementable steps to manage variability and attain a more consistent product; ingredient suppliers will learn how material variation affects concrete variation; engineers will learn the opportunity for improving quality through specifications and testing lab professionals will learn to measure and improve testing quality. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will earn 8 professional development hours, a certificate of completion and credits toward NRMCA’s STEPS program. Click here for more information, staff contact and registration options. 
Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. October 22 – 24, Irving, TX *Sold Out October 22 – 25, Dallas *Sold Out October 24, Gambrills, MD November 6 – 7, Springfield, MA November 7, Antioch, TN November 11 – 15, Baltimore November 19 – 21, Orlando, FL November 20, Little Rock, AR December 10 – 13, Orlando, FL *Sold Out December 17 – 19, Dallas |
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Nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the Meadows Golf Club is the latest golf course in Colorado to specify a concrete overlay, reports NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem. This is the third concrete overlay project completed in 2019 by the Foothills Park and Recreation District, owner of the golf course. The contractor for the project (shown here) is ASCC member SLV Quality Concrete, owned by Leonard Velasquez. Ready mixed concrete is being supplied by NRMCA Producer member Martin Marietta. Velasquez, Clem and his colleague Jon Hansen have been discussing concrete overlays with the district since 2015. The project will require nearly 1,000 cubic yards of concrete.