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Association & Industry News
 

NRMCA has named Julian Mills-Beale director, codes and standards, as the newest member of its Codes and Standards team. Based in Pennsylvania; he will work with national building codes and standards organizations to advocate for and promote provisions favorable to the concrete industry in building codes, legislation and regulations at the national, state and local levels.

Dr. Mills-Beale has approximately 15 years’ experience in engineering and academia and has been involved in sustainable materials, green infrastructure, materials specifications and standards, and life cycle analysis. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in Ghana, and his master's degree and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Michigan Tech. Dr. Mills-Beale worked previously with Sci-Tek Consultants Inc. in Philadelphia, where he was as a senior civil engineering associate and worked on several projects in concrete foundation design and geotechnical and concrete pavement investigations, including projects at the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh International airports. Before that he was an associate civil engineering professor at California Baptist University.

Julian Mills-Beale can be reached at jmills-beale@nrmca.org or 484-633-7452.

The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in November 2022 is 34 million cubic yards, 1.7% lower than that in November 2021. The estimated production in the U.S. through November is 380 million cubic yards, approximately 4.4% higher than that during the same period in 2021.

Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. More detail for NRMCA members can be accessed here under Production Statistics.

   WAM USA, Inc.       CarbonCure Technologies Inc.    

Premiere Sponsorships for NRMCA’s upcoming Annual Convention being held March 10 - 13 in Las Vegas are still available. Act fast to secure your Premiere Sponsorship before it’s too late! With only a few weeks remaining until the start of the convention now is the time to make sure your brand is listed as an NRMCA Premiere Sponsor.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for our fall event, ConcreteWorks 2023 and the National Mixer Driver Championship. You can find all of these specific sponsorship opportunities here.

Sponsorship opportunities are limited and sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, please contact Jacques Jenkins 703-706-4865 or jjenkins@nrmca.org.

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Buildings

NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche, Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar and Executive Vice President, Pavement Brian Killingsworth will present on multiple topics at the Utah Ready Mixed Concrete Association (URMCA) & ACI Intermountain Chapter’s 2023 Concrete Conference being held in Layton on February 9. Topics covering various aspects of concrete paving, concrete construction and concrete codes with a special focus on sustainability will be discussed.

The event is hosted by ACI Intermountain Chapter’s Tammy Meldrum and URMCA’s Brad Stevenson. The keynote speaker is Carmen Swanwick, Utah Department of Transportation’s director of project development. Ms. Swanwick will discuss UDOT’s budget and the effects of inflation on the project pipeline. Topics will be presented by representatives of PCA, the National Concrete Paving Technical Center, ACI and AGC in addition to local industry leaders. The event will provide 5 Contractor CEUs, 5 PDHs, & 5 ICC CEUs

Click here for more information on the conference and here to register. The NRMCA staff contact is Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275.

In mid-January, NRMCA presented at the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council (CCPC) member breakfast meeting that took place in Wethersfield. It was hosted by CCPC Executive Director Dominic Di Cenzo along with NRMCA/Build With Strength's Frank Mruk and Derek Torres. There were more than 20 attendees, including from NRMCA members from Holcim and Tilcon Connecticut. Among the topics discussed were construction projects through Connecticut, including a New Haven-focused concrete hotel tour, and Habitat for Humanity site builds.

The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting concrete promotion in New England. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org.

The Northeast CIM Patrons will hold a benefit dinner and accompanying wine tasting on Saturday, February 18, in New York City beginning at 7 p.m. to mark the 12th year of the Concrete Industry Management Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Tickets are available; there are a number of pricing categories. For more information, contact Bill Layton at 609-392-2332.

   Euclid Chemical Company       Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc.    
   Master Builder Solutions Admixtures US LLC       Sika Corporation    
   BCMI Corp.       MAPEI    
SEO
  
NRMCA has named Robert Hackney of Ernst Concrete Inc., the 2023 Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year. A national panel of industry judges selected Mr. Hackney as the top driver from a near record number of outstanding applicants from across the United States. Mr. Hackney, whose home plant is located in Troy, OH, was honored for his career achievements, outstanding safety record, professionalism, driving competency and customer service skills. His extraordinary safety record includes a 28-year career with Ernst Concrete with no at-fault accidents, no on-the-job accidents, no dash-cam events and no at-fault rejected loads. 

With March’s Plant Manager Certification class already sold out, the last two 2023 classes are now open for registration. They will be held May 16 - 19, in Albany, OR, and December 12 - 15, in Orlando, FL. NRMCA’s Plant Manager Certification Course has become a powerful tool for producers to increase their productivity and efficiency. It is also a required certification in the US Army Corps of Engineers' contract specifications; so we suggest that those interested register as soon as possible.

Click here for registration options, NRMCA staff contact and more information.

The 2023 NRMCA 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 Fleet Benchmarking Survey is used to establish industry benchmarking norms and procedures. Information gathered from the survey is published in Concrete InFocus magazine each autumn. A shorter Executive Summary of the survey is also made available to all.

Completed entries must be e-mailed to fleetbenchmark@nrmca.org by Friday, April 21. Click here for more information and to download the entry form. The staff contact is Gary Mullings.

NRMCA’s Think First monthly safety initiatives feature different industry-specific safety items relevant to seasons, current topics or industry concerns. The initiatives are meant to be shared, used as a training tool, printed, posted or distributed, all of which are encouraged. This month’s issue, pictured, here, is titled Electrical Safety – It’s Shocking!

Click here to view this month’s and all previous issues. For more information, contact either Gary Mullings or Kevin Walgenbach.

   MESA Systems Co.       Penetron USA    
   C&W Manufacturing & Sales Co.       Specialty Products Group    
Business Advancement

NRMCA's Effective Supervisor Course will be held April 18 - 20 in Los Angeles. With mixer driver hiring and retention of paramount importance, it is critical that ready mixed concrete front-line supervisors understand the scope and tasks they are expected to execute. Therefore, the class content supports plant, operations dispatch, fleet and driver managers and supervisors as well as QC supervisors. Content includes industry-specific, hands-on exercises to develop solid procedures to increase efficiency and profitability using better communication skills with front-line employees.

Click here for registration options, NRMCA staff contact and more information.

Registration is now open for NRMCA’s financial performance education course, Think Like an Owner, to be offered in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 20 and 21. 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. 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.

Click here for more information and here to register. The NRMCA staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.

Engineering
 
The Winter 2023 newsletter of the National Concrete Consortium has the following items:

• Concrete Overlays: Background & Benefits - The Winter 2023 NC² Moving Advancements into Practice (MAP) Brief from the NC² Resource Library provides brief background information, technical resources, performance studies and key benefits for concrete overlays to argue that they should be considered a long-life preservation treatment for aging roadway facilities.
   Allen-Villere Partners       Sicoma North America    
Calendar

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

February 6 - 10, Orlando, FL *Sold Out
NRMCA's Regional Short Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

February 14 - 16, Dallas
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

February 20 - 21, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Think Like an Owner Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

February 21 - 23, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module II: Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

March 10 - 13, Las Vegas, NV
NRMCA’s 2023 Annual Convention
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

March 14 - 18, Las Vegas, NV
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Email: Nicole Maher, 703-706-4858

March 21 - 23, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

March 21 - 24, 2023 Columbus, OH *Sold Out
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

March 28 - 30, Dallas
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

April 4 - 6, Orlando, FL
CCSP Module II: Understanding the Concrete Contractors Business (FC&PA)
Sponsored by Florida Concrete & Products Association, Inc.
Email: Tracy Leighton, 407-895-9333

April 18 - 20, Nashville, TN
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association
Email: Darla Sparkman, 615-360-7393

April 18 - 20, Oklahoma City
NRMCA Safety Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

April 18 - 20, Los Angeles
NRMCA's Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

April 25 - 27, Manchester, NH
CCSP Module II: Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business
Sponsored by Northern New England Concrete Association
Email: Jon Kuell, 888-875-3232

May 9 - 11, Orlando, FL
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge (FC&PA)
Sponsored by Florida Concrete & Products Association, Inc.
Email: Tracy Leighton, 407-895-9333

May 16 - 19, Albany, OR
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

May 23 - 25, Manchester, NH
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Sponsored by Northern New England Concrete Association
Email: Jon Kuell, 888-875-3232

June 6 - 8, Orlando, FL
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills (FC&PA)
Sponsored by Florida Concrete & Products Association, Inc.
Email: Tracy Leighton, 407-895-9333

June 20 - 22, Manchester, NH
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Sponsored by Northern New England Concrete Association
Email: Jon Kuell, 888-875-3232

September 29 - October 3, Nashville, TN
NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2023
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

November 7 - 9, Charlotte, NC
The Effective RMC Supervisor Course
Co-located with CRMCA
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835

December 12 - 15, 2023 Orlando, FL
NRMCA's Plant Manager Certification Course
Co-located with Florida Concrete & Products Association
Email: Jeffrey Bowers, 703-706-4835