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Association & Industry News
On behalf of the entire NRMCA team, we’d like welcome and recognize our new and rejoining Producer members for the month of January. We’d also like to offer a warm welcome to our new and rejoining Associate members across our three membership divisions. We appreciate your continued support to our members and the ready mix industry and look forward to serving you through all of 2024.
The early bird registration deadline for the NRMCA 2024 Annual Convention is tomorrow. Register online by close of business on Thursday, February 1, to save $130 off the regular registration fees. The convention will take place March 18 - 21 at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street in Tampa, FL. NRMCA has contracted a block of rooms at the hotel at a discounted rate of $349/night plus applicable taxes. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations online. The hotel reservations cutoff date is Tuesday, February 27, or when the block sells out, whichever occurs first. NRMCA’s discounted rate is based on availability: Sunday, March 17, through Thursday, March 21. Should you wish to extend your stay beyond these dates, contact the hotel directly at 813-221-4920 to arrange additional nights based on hotel’s availability and prevailing rates. Click here for the convention website homepage which contains all relevant registration links and more. For more information, please contact Senior Director of Meetings Jessica Walgenbach. 
Buildings
On January 23, Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association's Craig Dauphinais, MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub's Randolph Kirchain, NRMCA’s Shamim Rashid-Sumar and Frank Mruk, and Tenax Strategies' Matthew McKenna discussed the benefits and opportunities of reducing concrete's carbon footprint before senior level officials at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, including Undersecretary Johannes Buchanan, and staff from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. The Build With Strength team recommended life-cycle cost and sustainability analysis for any project that receives state funding. The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting government at the cutting edge of industry best practice. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. NRMCA Spotlight
NRMCA has named Richard (Ricky) Fulda of Producer member Dickinson Ready Mix the 2024 Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year. A national panel of industry judges selected Mr. Fulda as the top driver from a near record number of outstanding applicants from across the U.S. Mr. Fulda, whose home plant is located in Dickinson, ND, was honored for his career achievements, outstanding safety record, professionalism, driving competency and customer service skills. His extraordinary safety record includes a 36-year career with no on-the-job accidents and no at-fault rejected loads. Ricky also drives a front-end loader, snowplow, excavator, backhoe, dump truck, roll-off truck and is a certified NRMCA Concrete Delivery Professional.
The leading economist for the cement, concrete and construction industries anticipates the U.S. economy will gradually weaken during the first half of 2024 but will likely slowly recover in the second half. Ed Sullivan, Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) chief economist and senior vice president of market intelligence, made that prediction and others for the industries earlier this month at the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas.
Government Affairs
NRMCA joined more than 160 pro-business organizations in supporting a bipartisan tax package passed by the House Ways and Means Committee on January 19 that is now being considered for a full House vote. The business portions of the package include provisions that NRMCA has long championed, including:
Click here to read the letter that was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee. The NRMCA staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell.
Last week in Washington NRMCA’s CONCRETEPAC held a fundraiser for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. The event raised more than $150,000 and showcased the concrete, cement and related industries support for the Speaker and his team and provided industry attendees an opportunity to visit with the Speaker and discuss the issues facing the industry.
SEO
NRMCA's 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 2023. 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 by Friday, April 5. Click here for more information and to download the entry form. The staff contact is Gary Mullings. The 2024 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 question 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 Fleet Benchmarking 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. The deadline for e-mailing entries to fleetbenchmark@nrmca.org is Friday, April 19. Click here for more information and to download the survey entry form. The staff contact is Gary Mullings. Don’t miss out on the sponsorship opportunities for the 18th National Mixer Driver Championship being held this fall at ConcreteWorks. Review what’s available and lock in your spot today. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. February 5 - 9, Oklahoma City *Sold Out February 13 - 15, Denver *Sold Out February 20 - 22, Nashville, TN February 20 - 23, Philadelphia *Sold Out February 20 - 21, Alexandria, VA *Virtual attendance is sold out; in-person seating is nearly full February 27 - 29, Orlando, FL *Sold Out March 5 - 7, Nashville, TN March 18 - 21, Tampa, FL March 26 - 28, Denver *Limited Seating April 16 - 18, Nashville, TN April 23 - 25, Orlando, FL April 30 - May 2, Mendota Heights, MN October 10 - 14, Aurora, CO 
Pavement
NRMCA Manager, Codes and Sustainability Programs, Matthew Lemay provided a general session presentation titled Carbon Footprint & EPDs followed by a breakout session presentation titled Low Carbon Performance Specifications at the 44th Annual Workshop sponsored by the Nebraska Concrete Pavement Association (NCPA). In addition, Lemay's colleague, Vice President, Local Paving, Don Clem, presented on concrete overlays, one that featured the Denver Pikes Peak Parking Lot Concrete Overlay project and a second an overview of the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots (National Concrete Pavement Technology Center; publication funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation). NCPA Executive Director Bruce Grupe served as the master of ceremonies for the 2-day conference, which drew 424 attendees, including more than 100 Nebraska Department of Transportation staff. For more information, contact Matthew Lemay at mlemay@nrmca.org or Don Clem at dclem@nrmca.org.  Responding to requests from NRMCA members and by direction from the Promotion Committee, the Pave Ahead team has developed a new promotional flyer titled Concrete Overlays for Intersections. The one-page flyer highlights the benefits of a concrete overlay versus the typical flexible pavement mill and overlay. It features a photo of a 3.5” concrete overlay in Pleasant Gap, PA, that was placed in 1996 and is still in service today. The flyer is the second of three topics requested by Promotion Committee members. The first, Concrete Intersections, was released last year. NRMCA Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Phil Kresge reports that the team is currently developing the third piece which will promote concrete roundabouts. The publications can be found at paveahead.com/resources under the Concrete Streets tab. For more information, contact Phil Kresge at pkresge@nrmca.org. Registration for NRMCA’s 2024 Spring Safety Course being held 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, much more. Click here for location details and registration information. The staff contacts are Gary Mullings and Kevin Walgenbach. 
Business Advancement
Registration for virtual attendance of NRMCA’s flagship financial performance education course, Think Like an Owner, taking place February 20 - 21 is sold out. In-person registration is nearly full (this course is offered in a hybrid format, with both in-person and live virtual participation supported). The in-person portion of the course will be held at NRMCA’s headquarters in Alexandria, VA, and will run concurrently with the online portion. This course is intended to empower participants to understand the drivers of financial performance and improve their management with an eye to the 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. View the LinkedIn post and additional course information and registration link. The staff contact is Andrew Tyrrell. 
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