NRMCA e-news
Association & Industry News

If you missed the RMC Research & Education Foundation’s newsletter release last week, you can access the links and resource-packed publication here. Additional news and Foundation resources are always available from our website. If you have not already signed up to receive communications from the Foundation, you can ensure you never miss a new release by joining our mailing list here.

Should you have any questions about the work of the RMC Research & Education Foundation, please contact Foundation Executive Director Julie Garbini or Senior Director Jennifer LeFevre.

   WAM USA, Inc.       CarbonCure Technologies Inc.    
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   Euclid Chemical Company       Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc.    
SEO

On Tuesday, December 15, at 11 a.m. Eastern time NRMCA’s Safety, Environmental and Operations, and Government Affairs departments will update political, legislative and regulatory issues as they pertain to this year’s election. The webinar will also look ahead at what might be expected from a new Congress and an impending Biden-Harris Administration.

Click here to register. For more information, contact Gary Mullings or Kevin Walgenbach.

   Master Builder Solutions US LLC       GCP Applied Technologies    
Award-Winning McNeilus FLEX Controls™
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc.
FLEX Controls™ are the new nerve center that meets the demands of your job today and seamlessly upgrades for the demands of tomorrow. Recently acknowledged with two awards; “Top 100 Product” and “Most Innovative Product,” the industry has spoken. Whether it’s simple reliability or complex precision, our flexible system lets you add or take away functionality to meet your needs so you can focus on getting the job done right.
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   Xypex Chemical Corp       MAPEI    
Buildings

As a leading Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program Operator for the concrete industry, NRMCA recently verified two EPDs by California-based Producer member CalPortland. The EPDs report the impacts for different cement products produced at the company's Oro Grand and Mojave, CA, facilities. The verified cement products include:

NRMCAEPD:20038 - This EPD reports information for Types I/II/V, Type III, Type IL and plastic cements produced at Oro Grande, CA.
NRMCAEPD:20039 - This EPD reports information for Type I/II/V and Type IL cements produced at Mojave, CA.

When compared to CalPortland’s previous EPDs from these facilities, the results across all cements indicate a range of reduction in global warming potential (i.e., embodied carbon) from 3.6% to 12.5%. This shows excellent progress and benefits the carbon footprint of downstream concrete mixes. CalPortland’s EPD was developed by Athena Sustainable Materials Institute and verified by Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC).

The trend in reporting environmental, social and governance practices is growing and, with environmental impact criteria being discovered in green building construction documents and specifications, procurement decisions are leaning beyond price and performance. Where raw material suppliers demonstrate a lower embodied carbon for their customers will provide them increasing business opportunities in the future.

To date, the North American ready mixed concrete industry, including material suppliers, has invested into 80 verified EPDs with >32,000 products/mixes and is the leading material industry that reports environmental impacts.

Integral to the Build With Strength campaign, NRMCA promotes Strength Through Transparency for member and industry competitiveness in the green building marketplace and the trends toward product and company transparency. NRMCA-verified EPDs can be found here.

For support, training, sustainability strategy planning or product development, contact James Bogdan at jbogdan@nrmca.org or 412-420-4138.

   Concrete Pump Supply       Hendrickson Auxiliary Axle Systems    
Pavement

There is still time to register for Soil Cement & Full-Depth Reclamation with Cement Using a Ready Mixed Concrete Truck, a webinar scheduled for 11 a.m. to noon Eastern time on Tuesday, December 15. This is a great opportunity to learn about a new market available for ready mixed concrete producers. In many areas of the country, producers are supplying cement slurry for soil cement/full-depth reclamation projects, especially in urban areas. In addition to understanding the soil cement/full-depth reclamation process, attendees will learn how to develop a cement slurry mix design, how the cement slurry is placed in field and where the process has been used.

Click here to register or visit the Pave Ahead website. If possible, please forward this information to specifiers and engineers who may have an interest. For more information, contact Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org.

Government Affairs

NRMCA is still accepting entries for its 2021 Kids Art Contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. The theme for the contest is Captain Concrete: My Essential Superhero. 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;
  • Each contestant is limited to one entry;
  • 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;
  • 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 8"x10" 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 attach the 2021 Kids Art Contest form to the back of the artwork. Contact name, address, phone number for both sponsor and artist must be included or entry will not be considered; and
  • Entries must be postmarked no later than Thursday, December 31.

Entries will be divided among 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 place, $50 second and $25 third). Entries will be judged only against others in their respective grade category. They will be judged on originality, effort, creativity, composition and interpretation of the theme.

Winners in each category will be announced at NRMCA’s 2021 Annual Convention, February 28 – March 3 in San Antonio, TX. 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 should be mailed or delivered to Taylor Drzewicki, NRMCA, 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 250 Alexandria, VA 22314. For more information please contact Taylor Drzewicki at tdrzewicki@nrmca.org.

As an NRMCA member, you have a voice in Washington tracking important industry issues and advocating on your behalf – and you also have an opportunity to receive more information about the NRMCA Political Action Committee, CONCRETEPAC. The purpose of CONCRETEPAC is to support Members of Congress and congressional candidates who are pro-business and pro-ready mixed concrete. Without being engaged in the political process, we miss out on the opportunity to impact conversations and decisions about policies that have a significant impact on our industry.

Federal law requires trade associations like NRMCA to first obtain permission from our member companies before sharing important information regarding CONCRETEPAC and before ever soliciting the member for a contribution. As an authorized executive with your company, you are permitted to grant this permission during each calendar year so that CONCRETEPAC may share information with you and solicit you and/or your employees.

Click here today to grant CONCRETEPAC prior authorization online so that we can keep you updated on the political activities of CONCRETEPAC. Your involvement with CONCRETEPAC will help to ensure our future success and the success of CONCRETEPAC.

If you have any questions regarding CONCRETEPAC, contact Taylor Drzewicki at tdrzewicki@nrmca.org.

As Congress reconvenes for the last few legislative days before the end of the year, it is critical that it passes a targeted COVID relief bill. Despite being declared essential in many states, the ready mixed concrete and construction materials industries have been hit hard and it is vital that Congress include key policies to help America’s ready mixed concrete producers – and all small businesses – return to their pre-pandemic levels.

Please urge your Members of Congress to pass a COVID relief package that includes reforms to the Paycheck Protection Program, liability protections for businesses, and emergency funding for state departments of transportation to reinstate canceled and postponed projects. Join us in sending Congress a unified message from the ready mixed concrete industry!

Click here to urge Congress to pass another COVID relief bill and act on ready mixed concrete priorities. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org or 321-229-1785.

   Climate Earth       Penetron USA    

2021
January 11 - 15, Online Course
Dispatcher Training Forum
Email: Mason Jean, 703-706-4852

January 22 – 29, Online Course
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

February 2 – 5, Online Course
CCSP Module III, General Business Knowledge
Email: Mason Jean, 703-706-4852

March 22 - 26, Online Course
CCSP Module IV, Professional Sales Skills Workshop
Email: Mason Jean, 703-706-4852

March 23 – 26, Online Course
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

November 9 – 11, Dallas
Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

Learning & Development

NRMCA’s annual Dispatcher Training Forum will be held online January 11-15 with the same instructors and same material as the in person class. Schedulers and dispatchers focus on how to make the order flow system seamless and productive in your company. Key skills covered are:

• ASTM-C94 and other technical knowledge that assure the order’s materials correct;
• The plant’s production system as well as drivers’ Hours of Service that impact efficient delivery timing;
• Properly handling of technical, practical and customer-service issues;
• Juggling priority customers, advance notices, callbacks, plant managers’ and sales reps’ demands;
• Managing stress, building phone skills and using peer relationships; and
• Dealing with the gazillions of details that can stifle the system’s flow and the bottom line.

Click here to register, more information and staff contact.

Calendar

*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

December 11 – 18, Online Course *Sold Out
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

December 14 – 18, 2020 Online Course
CCSP Module II: Understand the Concrete Contractor’s Business Model
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

December 15 Online Course
Soil Cement & Full-Depth Reclamation with Cement Using a Ready Mixed Concrete Truck
Email: Don Clem, 303-881-5009

   Kryton International       BCMI Corp.