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Association & Industry News
Beginning in 2024, NRMCA has promoted a number of staff members in various departments as a reward for superior performance.
Karthik Obla has been promoted to senior vice president, technical services. Mr. Obla has been with NRMCA for almost 20 years, representing the ready mixed concrete industry in the standards arena on supplementary cementitious materials, performance requirements, durability, acceptance testing and other issues.
Attendees at NRMCA’s 2024 Annual Convention will hear from keynote speaker Andrew Busch, a former first chief market intelligence officer for the U.S. government and economic futurist. Mr. Busch was charged with improving and enhancing the government’s understanding of the markets and the economy. His job was to take news, information and data on the economy and markets and condense them into easily understood research that could then be communicated to the government and public. He provided economic and market briefings to the White House, Congress, Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of the Treasury on a wide range of issues, including interest rates, China’s influence on trade and the impact of technology on the economy.
Buildings
On Friday, January 5, NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk updated the Northern New England Concrete Association (NNECA) membership on NRMCA and Build With Strength's partnership with Habitat for Humanity, with an emphasis on nationwide success stories using Insulated Concrete Forms. Mruk (seen here being introduced by NNECA Executive Director Jon Kuell who is behind the podium) accepted the Habitat For Humanity 2023 Residential ICF Award on behalf of the H4H Rutland County, Vermont, chapter, and Executive Director Rebekah Stephens who could not attend the event. The gala took place at the Regency Hotel in Portland, ME, and featured keynote speaker Mikel Bowman. More than 120 NNEC members attended the event. The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting Northern New England concrete contractors at the cutting edge of industry best practice. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Concrete Cares Award celebrates Producer members’ dedication to supporting their local communities through a wide range of charitable endeavors. If your ready mix company gives back to your community, please let us know. Winning companies receive a donation to the nonprofit organization of their choice and NRMCA will also feature your work on NRMCA social media outlets throughout 2024. Click here to access the nomination form; you may nominate your own or another company. The deadline for submittals is Monday, January 15. For more information, contact Amanda Muller at amuller@nrmca.org.
The Materials Division of NRMCA established the Shydlowski – Turner Materials Leadership Award to honor and recognize an individual who as a materials supplier to the ready mixed concrete industry exemplifies leadership, commitment and support for the ready mixed concrete industry and the initiatives and activities of NRMCA. The award is named in honor of L. Michael Shydlowski and Robert P. Turner, both of whom served as a past chairman of the Materials Division. Candidates must be a current or former employee of a NRMCA Materials Division member company. Click here to access the 2024 application; the deadline for submittals is Monday, January 15. For more information, contact Amanda Muller at amuller@nrmca.org or 703-706-4838. 
The NRMCA Promoter of the Year Awards for Buildings and Pavements recognize the contributions and promotional efforts of individuals from the ready mixed concrete industry. Nominees must be employees of an NRMCA Producer member and must have worked in the industry for at least five years. The State Affiliate Promoter of the Year Award recognizes outstanding concrete promotion contributions by an employee of one of NRMCA’s state affiliate partner organizations. Nominees must be current employees of a state affiliate who have worked in the industry for at least five years.Please submit a nomination of no more than two pages detailing the nominee’s promotional efforts over the last five years, with particular emphasis on contributions during the past 12-18 months in some or all of the following performance categories:
SEO
Federal Random Alcohol and Drug Testing Requirements for Commercial Drivers Remain Unchanged in 2024
Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the percentage of drivers that employers shall randomly test for both alcohol and controlled substances throughout 2024. Those rates remain unchanged from prior years; employers of drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) will need to randomly test 10% of those drivers for alcohol and 50% of those drivers for controlled substances through the course of 2024. According to FMCSA, “the Administrator must increase the minimum annual random testing percentage rate when the data received under the reporting requirements for any calendar year indicate that the reported positive rate is equal to or greater than 1.0 percent.“ The most recent data available places the positive rate above 1%, which is why the rates will remain at 10% for alcohol and 50% for controlled substances for 2024. Click here to review the DOT’s rates. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Don’t miss out on the sponsorship opportunities for the 18th National Mixer Driver Championship. Review what’s available and lock in your spot today. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org. Registration for NRMCA’s 2024 Spring Safety Course, scheduled for April 30 - May 2 in Mendota Heights, MN, is now open. This 2.5-day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, beginning with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about the new silica rule, electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, emergency action plans, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety and much more. Click here for location details and registration information. The staff contacts are Gary Mullings and Kevin Walgenbach. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. January 16 - 19, Los Angeles *Sold Out January 16 - 19, Nashville, TN February 5 - 9, Oklahoma City *Sold Out February 13 - 15, Denver *Sold Out February 20 - 22, Nashville, TN February 20 - 23, Philadelphia February 27 - 29, Orlando, FL *Sold Out March 5 - 7, Nashville, TN March 18 - 21, Tampa, FL March 26 - 28, Denver April 16 - 18, Nashville, TN April 30 - May 2, Mendota Heights, MN October 10 - 14, Aurora, CO 
Pavement
The Cement Council of Texas is hosting an Industrial and Non-traditional Pavements workshop in San Antonio on Tuesday, January 30. Earn PDHs at this free event while learning about parking lots design, jointing, overlays, Portland Limestone Cement and roller compacted concrete along with other relevant topics. The course is intended for civil and geotechnical engineers, architects, landscape architects, public works officials and others who design parking lots and similar hardscaping. Contractors, product suppliers and land developers will also benefit from this seminar. Five professional development hours can be earned by attending this event. Registration is limited, register now. For more information, contact Amanda Hult at ahult@nrmca.org. 
Business Advancement
Registration opened this week for NRMCA’s flagship financial performance education course, Think Like an Owner. It is scheduled for February 20 - 21 and will be offered in a hybrid format, with both in-person and live virtual participation. The in-person course will be held at NRMCA's office in Alexandria, VA. 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 centers. 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 and registration link. The staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell. Engineering
Thirty five industry personnel attended the online offering of the NRMCA Concrete Durability Course during the week of December 11. The course was taught by Kevin Folliard of the University of Texas at Austin; Anton Schindler with Auburn University and NRMCA's Colin Lobo. Course attendees provided good reviews for the administration and content of the course. The results of the certification exam were sent to attendees last week. The exam was attempted by 31 attendees with 24 earning a passing grade for a pass percentage of 77%. NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 4 certification was awarded to 18 individuals. Level 4 certification is awarded to those who achieved the NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 2 and 3 certification at the NRMCA Technical Short Course. Congratulations to all who attended the course, and to those passed the exam and obtained this industry-recognized certification. Griffin Hahn with Hahn Ready Mix of Davenport, IA, is recognized for obtaining the highest score of 96% on the exam. The next NRMCA Concrete Durability Course will be scheduled as an in-person offering, likely in May; location and dates will be finalized soon. Contact Colin Lobo for more information. 
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