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Association & Industry News
The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in June 2020 is 37.1 million cubic yards, 11.3% higher than that in June 2019. The estimated production in the U.S. for 2020 through June is 176 million cubic yards, 3% higher than that during the same period in 2019. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail, including production by state for the 2nd quarter, is available here for NRMCA members under Production Statistics. 
Buildings
Concrete is the building block of modern society and the most widely used building material. Nearly every structure built today, including buildings, bridges, homes and infrastructure, uses concrete in some way. It provides us with shelter along with places to work, learn and play. It connects us through roads and rapid transit and airports. Water is delivered and treated in concrete structures. Concrete is economical, available everywhere, durable and versatile. As demand for building construction continues to increase, it is likely the demand for concrete will also increase. Like all building products, however, concrete has a carbon footprint. NRMCA, along with Build With Strength, the California Nevada Cement Association and AIA California, recently worked together to produce an educational video on how to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint. The video is based on an article published in Architect magazine and at Hanley Wood University that details the Top 10 strategies to take advantage of concrete’s benefits while ensuring the lowest possible carbon footprint. Watch the video; read the article and share it on LinkedIn. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org.
Government Affairs
As Congress prepares to return to Washington and continue negotiating a COVID-19 relief package, it is critical that liability protection for businesses in the ready mixed concrete and construction industry is included. As part of an essential industry, NRMCA members are working through the pandemic to provide the materials and services necessary to support America’s infrastructure and construction needs. Our businesses worked through uncertain times, observing safety protocols and adhering to state and national health guidelines. So it is critical that the next COVID-19 relief package include liability protections to prevent ready mixed concrete companies from being victimized by frivolous lawsuits that will hamper their ability to recover and operate. The Senate relief package included liability protections, but congressional negotiators are at an impasse over the COVID-19 relief package in part because of disagreement on whether to include liability protections. It is critical that we make our voice heard and let Congress and the White House know that liability protections are essential.
SEO
NRMCA’s National Mixer Driver Appreciation Week is October 5-9 and will honor our 2020 mixer drivers with a scrolling presentation. The slides for the presentation have areas for a driver's picture, along with sections for his/her name, company name, city and state. There is also a text box that can be used as a description (i.e. 2020 Company Rodeo Champion. 18-Year Veteran Driver or text of your choosing (sample can be found here). There are a few rules: 1. Drivers must be employed by a NRMCA member company; Should you wish to have a driver recognized, please e-mail a completed driver template slide with the necessary information to DAW@nrmca.org. Click here for sample slides please and here to submit a template slide. We hope you submit your 2020 mixer driver champions to honor and showcase the world’s best drivers. Registration for NRMCA’s Online Safety Course taking place October 19-23 is now open. The course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, beginning with 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 new silica rule, electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, firefighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspections and much more. Click here to access the registration link. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Registration is now open for this year’s Online Environmental Certification Course taking place November 16-20. 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 your 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 to register. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
Pavement
The Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association (CRMCA), in partnership with the Carolinas Concrete Pavement Association (CCPA), the Southeast Cement Promotion Association, and NRMCA recently completed the fourth and final installment of the CRMCA Virtual Concrete Pavements & Trail Design Series. NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem presented Concrete Trail Design, based on the presentation developed earlier this year for the NRMCA Local Paving Webinar Series. The presentation was also based on the Guide to Concrete Trails, developed last year (funded by the Ready Mixed Concrete Research & Education Foundation), but tailored to the needs of the Carolinas. The program was coordinated by Charley Clary, CRMCA director of member services, and CCPA Director Greg Dean who also assisted in fielding questions. There were 55 attendees, with representatives from the South Carolina DOTand numerous cities, including Atlanta and Charlotte. "We encourage other members and associations to take advantage of the NRMCA Local Paving and Build With Strength resources that have been developed," Clem noted. "Sponsoring a regional webinar is a great way to provide value to your local agencies and the engineering community." For more information, contact Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org or any member of the NRMCA Pave Ahead Team. 
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Business Advancement
NRMCA’s federal regulatory experts Kevin Walgenbach and Gary Mullings will conduct a FREE webinar on Wednesday, September 23, at 11 a.m. Eastern time to help your company prepare for the new federal Drivers’ Hours of Service regulations that go into effect on September 29. Specifically, there are changes to the 30-minute break provision and the logging exemption. Over the last 12 years the federal drivers' HOS regulations have been subject to numerous court and congressional actions. Mr. Walgenbach and Mr. Mullings will share details as well as highlight how they impact other HOS provisions (please forward the registration click link below to the appropriate people on your staff who will benefit from attending the webinar). As additional help, NRMCA just released its updated ready mixed concrete industry-specific Compliance Guide for the Federal Drivers' HOS Regulations. Answers, explanations and guidance on the 2020 changes are detailed. NRMCA’s HOS Guide explains what the law is, how the industry is impacted, and what your company and drivers need to do to be compliant on September 29. The HOS Guide also covers the new ready mixed concrete driver compliance scenario for Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs). Click here to register for the free HOS webinar and here to purchase NRMCA’s updated 2020 HOS guide. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. he Workforce Development Committee will offer four sessions during NRMCA’s virtual ConcreteWorks Convention, October 7-8. Each provides a terrific opportunity for human resources and workplace development staff who do not travel to conventions to hear their ready mixed concrete peers discuss critical issues that directly impact their work. Here are brief overviews of each session: • Separation Policies and Best Practices - Wednesday, October 7, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. Eastern time. The committee task group named Practices will conduct a panel discussion that includes severance pay policies and practices for terminated employees for reasons other than cause; severance policies and practices that went well and those that could be done differently; communicating with retained employees, their reactions and acknowledging employee reactions and success attracting and rehiring released employees, including post-hire policies for already-paid severance. • 2020 Employment Law Trends: Risk Mitigation in a Whirling Dervish COVID Environment - Wednesday, October 7, 4 - 5 p.m. Eastern time. Tony Martin, an employment attorney and managing shareholder with Ogletree Deakins, will take a sharp look at the challenges employers and employees face in the coronavirus business environment. With most states declaring construction an “essential business,” concrete producers’ operations are currently continuing at a brisk pace – what legal risks might companies encounter from employees who become ill by being exposed at work; need to not work to care for an ill family member or deal with children learning from home or lack of child care. • Keep Your Drivers! Strategies to Increase Retention and Raise Employee Engagement - Thursday, October 8, 1 - 2 p.m.Eastern time. How many times has a mixer driver told you he/she left “for a better opportunity”? What does that even mean? Have you peeled back to determine why others are so loyal? The committee's Strategies task group panel will share its approaches to increase mixer driver retention. They include strategies to help front line supervisors be more impactful, tactics to increase engagement and programs that address the “personal needs” of employees. Come hear more. • Federal Apprentice Programs – Are They for Your Company? - Thursday, October 8, 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.Eastern time. The committee's Partnership task group has studied federal apprentice programs, especially military release CDL initiatives. They're hard to miss when almost $1 billion has been invested in the apprenticeship system over the past five years with remarkable results. Industries across the board, from IT and health care to transportation and advanced manufacturing have doubled in size as they tapped into the source. Yet few in the ready mixed concrete industry do so. Hear from FASTPORT, the U.S. Department of Labor’s intermediary for Transportation and Logistics. Brad Bently and Dave Harrison have placed more than 13,000 people into apprenticeable occupations in trucking, warehousing and railroad sectors. Learn if a work-based apprentice training model supports your business. Click here to register and have access for 30 days post ConcreteWorks to all CW sessions. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. Engineering
NRMCA is presenting the one-day online course, Improving Concrete Quality, intended for concrete producers, ingredient material suppliers, engineers and testing labs on November 16 and 17, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time each day. Improved concrete quality can benefit all stakeholders in a concrete construction project. This course will answer some of 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 and registration options. You may also contact Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. September 9, Online Course September 15, Charlotte, NC Email: Jessica Palmer, 864-238-7839 September 23, *Free Webinar October 5 - 6, Online Course October 5 - 9 October 7 - 8 October 19 - 23, 2020Online Course October 21-23, 28-30, 2020Online Course November 2-3, 5, 9-10, 13, 2020Online Course November 16 – 20, 2020Online Course November 16 – 17, 2020Online Course November 30 - December 10 Online Conference and Expo December 11 – 18, Online Course December 14 – 18, Online Course 2021 February 10 – 12, Dallas March 23 – 26, Boston |
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