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Association & Industry News
Make sure your company is represented at this year’s in-person NRMCA’s National Mixer Driver Championship, taking place October 2 in Kissimmee, FL (metro Orlando). The competition is a highlight of the year and now is the time for your company to be part of it. With the continued growth of the championship program, there are fantastic sponsorship opportunities for all members. Don't delay; click here to review sponsorship program opportunities. NRMCA encourages you to circulate them within your company and help support the ready mixed concrete industry. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or 703-706-4865. NRMCA represents a broad range of ready mixed concrete companies across the United States and its success is a direct result of the skills and expertise of the professional staff working in conjunction with the 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 while operating in accordance with NRMCA’s Strategic Plan and Vision 2030 objectives. Employees of NRMCA Producer members in good standing are eligible to serve and self nominations are accepted. Click here to review the NRMCA Board Job Description. To nominate a candidate, please complete and submit this form to Heather Houck at hhouck@nrmca.org by Friday, July 23. The 2021 Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Program Fundraising Auction is scheduled for Wednesday, June 9, and once again there are items for everyone – many ready-mix specific (mixer truck, cement, fly ash, aggregates, plant equipment and more), some for contractors and other industry segments, and a number of fun items such as trips, game tickets and tech that anyone would want. Participation is a great way to support this important industry initiative while purchasing items you need for your business and yourself. The funds raised go directly toward the unique industry engagement available to the CIM majors at Middle Tennessee State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University – Chico, Texas State University and, beginning later this year, our newest program at South Dakota State University. Bidding for items will take place on your mobile device through auction partner Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers' Timed Lot Auction System so you need not be present to make any purchases. Bidding will open at 8 a.m. Pacific time on Monday June 7, and lots will close in order beginning at 11:15 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, June 9. Click here to learn more about the items available and how to register to bid. For more information, contact Nicole Maher at nmaher@nrmca.org or 703-706-4858. 
Buildings
The fire that would devastate Paradise was ignited in the early morning hours of November 8, 2018; it became the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history and the most expensive natural disaster in the world in 2018 in terms of insured losses. At its peak, the fire spread at the rate of 80 football fields a minute, taking only four hours to engulf the town's boundries. Some 85 people lost their lives in the fire and 18,800 structures were destroyed, the vast majority of them - almost 14,000 - were residences. Around 30,000 people lost their homes.
The Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce held an open house at the ICF Garden View build site. NRMCA is a “Pathfinder Sponsor” for the Paradise Ridge Chamber’s 80th anniversary. Local dignitaries presented Habitat for Humanity with certificates of appreciation. Those in attendance included Paradise Mayor Jim Crowder, State Senator Jim Nielson, representatives from U.S. Congressman Doug LaMalfa's office, Doug Guerrero board chairman, patrons that included CSU-Chico, CIM program and other local elected officials. BWS would like to thank those firms whose in-kind donations of resilient building materials (and time and energy) made the Paradise Habitat for Humanity build a heartwarming success: Teichert Materials/Matthews Ready Mix's Dana Davis, Christian Brown and Nick Steinberg; Fox Blocks, Michael Kennaw and Mike Dalzell; Bob’s Pumping, Jerry Henderson; A&A Ready Mix, Jaret Ramirez; Steve Venolia and Joel Slak, CalCIMA; Robert Dugan, Green Building Products; Dennis Speer, Boral Roofing; ICF-MA and Tom Tietz, CA/NV Cement Association. A special thanks also goes to Mike Dalzell with Fox Blocks for his expertise, training and patience with us “in the hole,“ Mike Philipps, Gregg Lewis and Patrick Matsche from NRMCA, Tarek Khan at Master Builders, Patrick and Moses from CSU-Chico's CIM program and Chelsea Irvine, a Habitat for Humanity Butte County Chapter Board member and all the many Habitat for Humanity, Butte County board members and others who assisted in the build. After a successful week in which the ICF and concrete walls were placed and ready for the next building phase to begin on two of the first three homes, and with three more homes to follow, Ms. Bateman thanked the BWS team, stating, “We could not have done this without your support. Thank you. We owe all of you a huge debt of gratitude for introducing and training us on concrete builds. This has been an awesome week for our affiliate and one that I will have fond memories of. Thank you for sharing your time and expertise with us” To learn more about these programs, please contact Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275.
Government Affairs
Last week, Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a proposal to reauthorize America’s surface reauthorization. The Republican plan, called the STARTER Act 2.0, would provide $400 billion and reauthorize our surface transportation programs for five years. The package focuses on core infrastructure functions, including investments in highways, bridges, transit and rail, as well as a focus on rural infrastructure needs and resilience. While the package will not gain the support of the committee, it is a positive reflection of bipartisan commitment to making significant investments through surface reauthorization funding levels. You can read the text here, a section-by-section here and an opinion article supporting the proposal here. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee will consider legislation to reauthorize America’s surface transportation programs on Wednesday, May 26. The proposed legislation, introduced over the weekend, will commit $303 billion over five years to funding highway programs. This represents a nearly 35% increase in funding above FAST Act levels. The legislation includes dedicated funding for grant programs to repair and replace bridges; increases an off-system bridge set-aside in another grant program; provides funds to promote resiliency in federal projects and leaves out a number of harmful provisions found in last year’s House bill, including a ban on construction of new capacity, rollback of hours of service rules and an increase in minimum truck insurance. The bill is bipartisan and was introduced by EPW Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Subcommittee on Transportation Infrastructure Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Ranking Member Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Barring last minute changes, the bill will be considered and passed by the EPW Committee on Wednesday, May 26. The EPW bill is the first step in an involved process of reauthorizing the surface transportation programs. The Senate Banking Committee is responsible for producing a bill to reauthorize transit programs; the Senate Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over safety programs and the Senate Finance Committee is tasked with figuring out how to pay for it all (it held a hearing on this last week). In 2019, the Senate EPW Committee passed America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act in July and no other Senate committee produced corresponding legislation; the House passed its version of a surface reauthorization bill nearly a year later, in June 2020, and no agreement was reached before the expiration of the FAST Act, resulting in a one-year extension that expires September 30. The committee action comes as bipartisan talks between Senate Republicans and the White House appear to be stalling. Senate Republicans, led by Senator Moore Capito countered President Biden’s $2.25 trillion proposal with a $600 billion plan that focused more narrowly on traditional infrastructure, including $300 billion for roads and bridges, $60 billion for transit and $20 billion for rail. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
SEO
Early survey numbers are grim; what we don’t know is if they are an accurate precursor. Half way through the survey window, participation is a third of what it was last year- and last year’s participation was down 20%. Therefore, we need your help. Please forward our participation request to the appropriate person in your company. To date:
Please help NRMCA give you accurate stats for your strategic planning. Click here to fill out the 2021 Mixer Driver Recruitment and Retention Survey. The deadline for submittal is Friday, July 2. Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2021 survey for your use. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Annual Safety Award acknowledges the significant contribution that safe work practices gives to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole. The 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. Nominees could also 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 criteria would be an individual’s involvement in community safety activities. This 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. Finally, 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:
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) or a high resolution company logo and any other relevant images. Entries must be e-mailed to gmullings@nrmca.org by Friday, June 25. Click here for more information and staff contact. NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers 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 Awards Luncheon at NRMCA‘s ConcreteWorks this October in Orlando, FL. Winners will also be featured in a 2021 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 23. Click here for more information, to download the entry form and staff contact. 
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 second of four installments of the CRMCA Virtual Concrete Pavement Design and Maintenance Series. NRMCA Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem presented Concrete Trail Design, based on The Guide to Concrete Trails developed in 2019 and funded by the RMC Research & Education Foundation but tailored to the needs of the Carolinas. The program was coordinated by Caroline Sutton, CRMCA executive director, and CCPA Director Greg Dean who also assisted in fielding questions. There were 58 attendees, with representatives from the North Carolina and Virginia DOTs and numerous cities, including Atlanta, Raleigh and Durham, as well as many civil engineering consultants. "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. This month, NRMCA has launched a new course, Concrete Pathways to Net Zero: Part 1, Embodied Carbon, on the popular Hanley Wood University continuing education platform. The course analyzes concrete’s role in achieving net zero carbon emissions by assessing material innovation, the impact of prescriptive and performance specifications on the environment, and the use of whole building life cycle assessments to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. Register free here. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. NRMCA will offer two free webinars on June 2, co-sponsored by several key affiliates and partners:
For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at Llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. 
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Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. Thursday, May 20, Free Online Webinar Thursday, May 27, Free Online Webinar June 2, Webinar Series June 2, Free Online Webinar June 3 - 17, Online Course June 3, Free Online Webinar Thursday, June 10, Free Online Webinar June 15 – 17, Smyrna, TN Thursday, June 17, Free Online Webinar June 21 - 24, Online Course Thursday, June 24, Free Online Webinar August 3 - 5, Smyrna, TN September 29 - October 3, Kissimmee, FL November 9 – 11, Dallas |
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As lumber prices skyrocket, Nicole Bateman, executive director of Habitat’s Butte County, CA, commented, "In 2018, our homes cost around $200,000. Today with the cost of lumber, those costs have increased to over $250,000. We switched to ICF’s which are well insulated and building in a fire zone the concrete solution makes total sense, as well as using ICF’s to build housing in hurricane and tornado areas so houses won’t be destroyed.”
