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Association & Industry News
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which provides workspace and related services for over 100 federal client agencies serving more than one million workers, is seeking your input on the availability of low-embodied-carbon concrete for upcoming building and paving projects. It is surveying the market with the intent of developing revised sustainability specifications. NRMCA has been working with GSA, the nation’s largest public real estate organization, to influence specifications through our sustainability team and through our Build With Strength and Pave Ahead teams on specific projects. We encourage NRMCA members to respond to GSA's Request for Information by filling out this online form by COB Tuesday, March 1. You are not required to answer all the questions, but the more information GSA receives the better its understanding of the market. For more information, contact either Lionel Lemay at Llemay@nrmca.org or Tien Peng, TPeng@nrmca.org.
Sponsorships are now available for NRMCA’s new Concrete Innovations Learning Center and Award Program. Join NRMCA, Build With Strength and Pave Ahead for Concrete Innovations in helping to provide outstanding opportunities to promote innovative products and services that help improve concrete performance while reducing concrete’s carbon footprint. By becoming a sponsor for the Learning Center and Award Program you will enhance your visibility and demonstrate your dedication to concrete innovation and sustainability. Learning Center: Concrete Innovations Learning Center is designed to bring practitioners, researchers and policy makers together to exchange the latest ideas, knowledge and tools for sustainable concrete design, construction and manufacturing. Award Program: The Concrete Innovations Award Program recognizes outstanding achievements in improving concrete performance and sustainability through improved products and processes. By sponsoring Concrete Innovations, your organization will be promoted in conference marketing materials, website, e-mails and social media. There are three main levels of sponsorship: Platinum, Gold and Silver with varying levels of benefits, including opportunities to present your products on the Learning Center and be recognized during the Award Ceremony. For details, download the sponsorship brochure. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995. SEO
NRMCA's annual member survey to measure regulatory action within the industry is still seeking submissions. The survey is used to determine regulatory trends on specific issues, issue types and in geographic regions. This year’s survey also includes specific sections related to COVID-19 regulatory enforcement. This information, while strictly confidential, will help NRMCA to better tailor its actions to address and combat any such issues, and to keep a finger on the pulse of when, where, how and why regulatory agencies are targeting and levying enforcement actions against the industry. NRMCA urges you to take the survey as soon as possible; it will be held open until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, February 25. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey has for years been a safety performance and incentive/award program aimed to foster safe practices at ready mixed concrete plants across the nation. The survey is a per-plant contest open to facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2021. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location. Entries must be e-mailed to safetycontest@nrmca.org no later than Friday, April 1. Click here for more information and to download the entry form. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org.
Engineering
After a two-year absence caused by the pandemic, NRMCA offered its Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Program as a face-to-face course from January 31 to February 4 just outside Baltimore to 36 attendees. The certification results have been finalized and are being communicated to attendees. The NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 2 certification was obtained by 25 people and Level 3 by 19. Patrick Chybowski with Bowser-Morner Laboratories achieved the highest score on the Level 2 exam and Sydney Wilson with CalPortland Company and Michael Dickey with Geiger Ready-Mix Co., Inc., obtained the highest scores on the Level 3 exam. Attendees are congratulated for going through the course and engaging in the learning process. The next course will be scheduled in November either online or face-to-face. When finalized, information will be posted on the NRMCA website. For more information, contact Colin Lobo at clobo@nrmca.org. Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site. March 1 - 3, Centennial, CO *Sold Out March 1, Mesa, AZ March 15 - 18, San Antonio, TX March 22 - 24, Smyrna, TN March 22, Pearl, MS March 22 - 25, Boston April 4 - 8, 2022 Online Course April 19 - 21, Smyrna, TN April 19 - 21, Online Course September 29 - October 3, Aurora, CO The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), put into law in 1986, requires industries to report on the “storage, use and releases of hazardous chemicals (and materials) to federal, state, and local governments.” This specific reporting requirement under EPCRA is commonly referred to as Community Right-to-Know (CRTK) reporting, Tier II reporting, and/or Section 311/312 reporting. This year, the reporting deadline is Tuesday, March 1. Click here to learn more about EPCRA, chemical/material thresholds and how to report. For more information, you may also contact either Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. The 2022 Fleet Benchmarking Survey is filled out by industry fleet managers and/or financial managers early each year, based on data gathered from the previous calendar year’s performance. This year’s form includes new questions on mixer drum composition, idle time and types of fuel being used. The survey is used to establish industry benchmarking norms and procedures. Information gathered from the annual survey is published in a full report in Concrete InFocus magazine each autumn. A shorter Executive Summary of the survey is also made available to all. Please submit completed entries to fleetbenchmark@nrmca.org by Friday, April 22. Government Affairs
Two industry groups will host fly-ins in coming months, providing industry participants an opportunity to come to Washington, DC, to lobby Members of Congress and staff on issues critical to the cement, concrete and construction industries. The North American Concrete Alliance will host its annual Cement and Concrete Fly-In April 26 - 27 in Washington, DC; the Portland Cement Association is organizing the event on behalf of NACA members. You can register for this fly-in here. The Transportation Construction Coalition will host its annual fly-in May 16 - 17. Registration is not yet open but will be published when it is available. For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org. Learning & Development
Registration opens tomorrow, Thursday, February 24, for NRMCA’s financial performance education course, Think Like an Owner to be held in Las Vegas, NV, April 5 - 6. This course is intended to empower participants to understand the drivers of financial performance and improve their management with an eye to profitability of their business center. Crafted and taught by Bob Capasso, CEO of Concrete Financial Insights, the course is based on insights gleaned from the NRMCA Performance Benchmarking Survey and seeks to address the issue of declining profits in a growing market. Participants will learn how to read financial statements, measure performance, examine elements of profit and loss, and think in terms of economic profit. This course is a must-attend for industry participants, from plant managers to company presidents, who want to run their operations profitably. Additional course information is available here and registration and hotel information will be available here starting Thursday, February 24. |
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