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Association & Industry News
NRMCA's English-Spanish Translation Manual should be in the hands of all ready mixed concrete employees. The purpose of this book is not only to serve as an English-Spanish reference book to look up a term when needed, but also as a guide to learn the most frequently used construction terms. This concrete-specific, glove box-sized, English-to-Spanish 96-page booklet addresses communication challenges on the job site. It includes common words, photos and phrases, each with their own phonetic pronunciation, commonly used during a job site pour. The member price is $14. Click here to order, or you can contact NRMCA’s Jacques Jenkins at 703-706-4865 or at jjenkins@nrmca.org. New Foundation name, same great event! The Concrete Advancement Foundation (formerly the RMC Research & Education Foundation) has opened registration for this year’s Walk for Wellness. It will again take place as part of NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2023 and in conjunction with NRMCA’s National Truck Mixer Driver Championship. The Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 1, at 8:30 a.m. (check in starts at 8 a.m.). Participants may pre-register; the registration fee is $25 and is tax deductible as a donation to the Foundation. We hope you will join us for this very popular event. The sponsorship program for the Walk has expanded. Sponsoring the Walk for Wellness is a terrific way to demonstrate your or your company’s support for the Foundation and the industry. Thank you to Chryso/GCP Applied Technologies, Heidelberg Materials and Master Builders Solutions for sponsorsing this year's event. For more information, please contact Foundation Senior Director Jennifer LeFevre at jlefevre@concreteadvancement.org or at 571-235-6247. NRMCA is still looking for individuals to serve on its Board of Directors. Serving on the NRMCA Board is a rewarding opportunity to give back to the industry. NRMCA represents a broad range of ready mixed concrete companies across the U.S. and its success is a direct result of the skills and expertise of its professional staff working in conjunction with Board members. 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.Nominees are vetted by the Nominating Committee which consists of the current chairman of the Board, the immediate past chairman of the Board and past chairs for the previous seven years who are still active in the industry. The selected slate of nominees is then presented to and elected by the general membership and will serve a three-year term that begins immediately following the Annual Convention in 2024.
Monday’s Skate4Concrete webinar has been recorded; it includes information about outreach to schools and related organizations, feedback from educators who have taught the certification and state association success stories. Future webinars with best practices and related experiences will be produced and additional materials, including a media guide, videos, information about the certification and available jobs in the industry, are also available from the Skate4Concrete website. For more information, please contact Concrete Advancement Foundation Executive Director Julie Garbini at jgarbini@concreteadvancement.org. 
Buildings
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) 323 Low-carbon Code Committee convened on July 12, focusing on the development of code language establishing performance of low carbon concrete to NRMCA benchmarks. Attended by industry experts, the meeting was held at ACI headquarters in Farmington Hills, MI, and marked another significant step toward defining low carbon concrete and promoting sustainable practices within the concrete construction sector, reports NRMCA Director, Sustainability, Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, PE. The ACI 323 Code Committee is one of several technical committees playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable concrete construction through consensus-based standards and technical guidelines. With sustainability at the forefront of global concerns, the committee's latest meeting focused on addressing the environmental impact of concrete buildings, sitework, transportation structures and other concrete elements. Ms. Reed-Villarreal was joined at the meeting by her colleague Shamim Rashid-Sumar (seen here, with Ms. Rashid-Sumar at left); their participation underscored the industry's commitment to advancing sustainable concrete practices and leveraging their expertise to contribute to the concrete code development process. For more information on sustainability codes and standards advocacy efforts, contact Tiffany Reed-Villarreal at treedvillarreal@nrmca.org. Concrete is unique among building materials. Design professionals and contractors have a greater influence on concrete’s product formulation than they do with other building products. Concrete can be made stronger, lighter, more flowable, stiffer, less permeable and more sustainable depending on performance needs using performance specifications. This session will explore how concrete can be specified for durability and resilience while reducing carbon emissions. Register now for Concrete Innovations Learning Session 14 to be held Wednesday, August 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time. Presenters include:
Visit www.concreteinnovations.com for upcoming sessions. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-922-7995.  On July 20, the American Institute of Architects' New Jersey Chapter and the Committee on the Environment (COTE) hosted the East Coast Green Conference which brought together industry professionals from numerous industry segments to discuss the future of design in an age where wellness and climate change demand equal attention. East Coast Green presents some of the most prominent regional players in sustainability, to speak on a wide variety of topics of interest to the design and construction industry with 12 speakers and 12 hours of environmentally related programming.
Gensler, the world’s largest architecture firm, recently joined forces with Build With Strength’s Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray, to publish a guide and perspective article on the use of low carbon concrete in data center design. Data centers form the backbone of the modern digital age and it is anticipated that construction spending on these facilities will grow from $32 billion in 2022 to $49 billion by 2030. Wray notes that there is a large push from the wood industry to step into the industrial and data-center space and, as such, vigilance is needed to retain market share. Data center design and construction is notoriously difficult to decarbonize as build strategies, accelerated schedules and location all complicate the sustainability equation. With early collaboration between the design team and the concrete producer, the success and efficiency of low carbon concrete can help owners achieve their sustainability goals. The Gensler Research Institute article can be downloaded here. For more information, contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org.
Government Affairs
This year, NRMCA will partner with the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and the National Asphalt Pavement Association for the Legislative and Policy Forum 2023 held from September 25 - 27. This is an opportunity for NRMCA members to come to Washington to hear from national leaders and meet with their Members of Congress and key congressional staff to build and develop relationships with policy makers who represent ready mixed concrete constituencies. There are a number of critical issues facing our industry in Washington, including continued infrastructure funding, resilient construction, workforce policies and the implementation of the industry’s materials exclusion from expanded Buy America procurement requirements. Registration is open for the Legislative and Policy Forum; click here for more information and to register. NRMCA members can register under the NRMCA or NAPA Hill Day rate. The staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell.
SEO
This year, the week of August 7 - 13 is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Safe + Sound Week. This program encourages creation and use of workplace safety and health programs. As an official supporter of OSHA’s Safe + Sound Program, NRMCA joins OSHA in highlighting the importance of workplace safety through NRMCA’s Think First safety program. Both programs aim to increase the level of participation among all levels of workplace management and employees to improve workplace safety. Safe + Sound also provides resources to help employers create and bolster their own safety programs and connect with other like-minded organizations. This year’s program will also focus on mental health and well-being. Click here for more information on OSHA’s Safe + Sound Program and here for more information on NRMCA’s Think First safety program. The NRMCA staff contacts are Gary Mullings and Kevin Walgenbach. NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay participated in a workshop last week in Pittsburgh hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) that focused around two key technologies: carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) at cement plants and alternative cement such as blended cements, low carbon cements and supplementary cementitious materials. DOE funds many research projects through universities and private companies as part of the federal government's effort to help decarbonize the industrial sector. Many of the research teams presented their ongoing research and several cement companies presented their progress toward implementing CCUS at cement plants. In addition, several companies presented their progress on developing alternative cements, including prototype manufacturing facilities. Lemay participated on a panel to discuss some of the challenges to implement new technologies in the concrete industry and explored how performance specifications will help the industry achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. August 16, Free Online Webinar August 28 - 31, Waldorf, MD *Sold Out September 11 - 15, Columbia, MD September 13, Free Online Webinar September 29 - October 3, Nashville, TN October 11 - 13, Centennial, CO October 17 - 20, Denver October 18, Online Course November 7 - 9, Charlotte, NC *Sold Out November 14 - 16, Dallas November 15, Free Online Webinar November 28 - 30, Orlando, FL *Low Capacity December 12 - 15, Orlando, FL *Sold Out December 12 - 14, Denver December 13, Online Course
ConcreteWorks
Early bird registration for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2023, scheduled for September 29 - October 3 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN, ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time this Friday, July 28. Register by the deadline to save $100 from your registration fee. The conference is the venue to explore the latest and greatest industry products and services in the exhibition hall, join in on the National Mixer Driver Championship activities and, of course, have tons of fun reconnecting with your peers. Due to the overwhelming response for this year’s event, the original hotel room block has already sold out. A limited number of rooms are being added to the block this week, so you should be able to make reservations again within 24 - 48 hours. Keep in mind, these rooms will likewise sell out quickly, so don’t delay in making your reservations. Once these additional rooms are gone, we will share information about alternate hotels within just a few miles of the Gaylord. For updates about the room block status, please visit the hotel Information page of the event website. For more information, please contact Senior Director of Meetings Jessica Walgenbach. Click here to access registration, hotel reservation information, the exhibitor prospectus and more. Now is the time to secure your spot on the expo hall floor at ConcreteWorks 2023. NRMCA’s largest event of the year will feature a wide variety of companies that support the ready mixed concrete industry and will be showcasing their newest products and services. Reserve your space in the expo hall now by downloading and completing the Exhibitor Space Application and Contract. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at 703-706-4865 or at jjenkins@nrmca.org. 
Engineering
The NRMCA Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Program (Short Course) is scheduled for September 11 - 15 at the Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel in Columbia, MD. Interested persons are encouraged to register now since the number of available slots is limited. The Technical Short Course provides a fundamental understanding of concrete, aggregates and concrete-making materials; requirements in industry codes and standards; and proportioning concrete mixtures. Attendees have the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized NRMCA certifications: NRMCA Level 2 and 3 Concrete Technologist certification. The Short Course is intended for quality, sales and other personnel with a technical role with ready mixed concrete companies and suppliers to the industry. New hires in these roles can also benefit from attending. A significant amount of technical content is covered that requires the attendees to have a basic concrete technology background and at least a high-school level of math. Registrants will be provided with pre-course study content about three weeks before the course to prepare. Information on the NRMCA Short Course is available here. Contact Jeff Bowers if you need assistance registering for the course. 
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