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Association & Industry News

NRMCA Adds New Webinars for Architects and Engineers

Build With Strength and Pave Ahead, along with NRMCA, have added new webinars to its free webinar

series for architects and engineers. These additional webinars will feature new topics along with repeats of

its most popular titles. Build With Strength will continue to focus on the design and construction of concrete

buildings and Pave Ahead has added a series of webinars on pervious concrete. Instructors include NRMCA

experts along with guest instructors. Each webinar will offer AIA-CES Learning Units and Professional

Development Hours. The webinars start at 2 p.m. Eastern time and are expected to be about an hour in

duration.

• April 23 - Concrete Pavement Jointing and Details

• April 29 - The Business Case for Building Multifamily Buildings with Concrete

• April 30 - Materials and Construction Specifications for Concrete Pavement Projects

• May 6 - Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Buildings

• May 7 - Concrete Street and Parking Lot Maintenance and Repair

• May 13 - The Balanced Design Approach to Fire Safety: How Concrete Building Systems Can Help

Reduce Risk

• May 14 - Concrete Overlays of Existing Asphalt Surfaced Streets and Parking Lots

• May 20 - The Environmental Impacts of Building Materials: A Primer for Comparing Concrete, Steel,

Wood and Asphalt

• May 21 - Concrete Trail Design

• *New May 27 - A New Generation of Tilt-up Buildings

• *New May 28 - Designing Pervious Concrete

• *New June 3 - Achieving Resilience with ICF Construction

• *New June 4 - Specifying Pervious Concrete

• *Popular June 10 - Concrete Innovations

• *New June 11 - Installing Pervious Concrete

• *New June 17 - Economical Design of Insulating Concrete Forms

• *New June 18 - Maintenance Guidelines for Pervious Concrete

• *Popular June 24 - Specifying Sustainable Concrete

Click here for more information and registration links for Buildings webinars and here for Pavements

webinars. You may also contact Lionel Lemay at LLemay@nrmca.org for buildings and Brian Killingsworth at

bkillingsworth@nrmca.org for pavements.

Ready Mixed Concrete Production Statistics Updated Through December 2019

The estimated ready mixed concrete produced in December 2019 is 24.6 million cubic yards, 8% higher than

that in December 2018. The estimated production in the U.S. for 2019 is 371 million cubic yards, 3.7% higher

than that in 2018.

Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments reported by the U.S. Geological

Survey. More detail, including production by state for 2019, is available for NRMCA members here.

Nominate Your Rising Star for the 2020 Developing Industry Leaders Program

NRMCA encourages today’s rising stars to apply for a unique opportunity that supports their growth in the

ready mixed concrete industry. NRMCA’s Developing Industry’s Leaders (DIL) program is a distinctive,

career-long plan of action where tomorrow’s leaders interact, both professionally and socially, with

established executives, thereby gaining a national perspective about the ready mixed concrete industry.

Candidates must be employed by an NRMCA Producer or Associate member, Bureau member or state

affiliate association. The application period closes Friday, June 12.

Once appointed to the annual DIL cohort, participants will work over the summer via webinars to prepare for

their attendance at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks and National Mixer Driver Championship in Denver from

September 25 - 29. Over the fall and winter months, small teams individually address an industry challenge

under the guidance of senior NRMCA staff and a DIL alumni mentor via conference call. At the March 2021

NRMCA Convention, teams present their findings to their sponsoring committee. They also publish their work

in the industry’s premier journal, Concrete InFocus. Later in Spring 2021, the cohort will gather for a third

time for a multi-day leadership workshop just for them.

DIL exclusive events are the foundation of long-term career support. The most distinguished gathering is the

Chairman of the Board’s Leadership Summit, a two-day DIL alumni networking and leadership conference.

With no age exclusion, middle managers interact with captains-of-the-industry DIL alumni. Additionally, DIL

alumni host receptions at the Annual Convention and ConcreteWorks. Finally, they have the opportunity to

attend the high-profile, annual Spring North American Concrete Alliance Fly-in in Washington, DC.

Please note that the DIL program is NOT a short-term perk. After the two-year formal program ends, DIL

alumni are expected to make long-term commitments to move their team’s initiative(s) forward by joining, and

attending, the appropriate NRMCA committee’s meetings twice a year as well as participate in annual DIL

alumni events. They are also asked to mentor new DIL. Finally, they may attend NRMCA’s semi-annual

Board meetings to observe senior level executives deliberate and make both short- and long-term strategic

decisions that impact the industry.

If your company has a rising star who is ready to work on a national level and will be given the time to

participate in the required activities over the length of his/her career, please submit his/her application no

later than Friday, June12.

Click here and scan to the bottom of the web page to learn more and download the application form. For

more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.

NRMCA, Allied Organizations to Present Webinars on Paving, Infrastructure Markets

PCA, ACPA, NRMCA, and the CP Tech Center invite you to attend their upcoming webinar sessions focused

on the paving and infrastructure markets. These free, one-hour webinars will cover topics that include the

benefits, applications, design, construction, testing and performance of various cement-based solutions.The

links below will provide further information on the specific webinars happening each week.

• PCA Infrastructure Webinar Series

• ACPA/CP Tech Center Webinar Series - Concrete Overlays

• NRMCA Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

For more information, please e-mail pcamarketdevelopment@cement.org.

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Government Affairs

Senate Reaches Deal to Replenish Small Business Loan Fund; House Expected to

Follow Shortly

The Senate voted on Tuesday to approve additional funding for the Small Business Administration (SBA)

loan programs included in the CARES Act. The package includes a $320 billion increase to the Paycheck

Protection Program and a $60 billion increase to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, both of which

ran out of funding last week. The House is expected to approve the package this week. Passage comes after

a week of negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Senate passed the bill by voice

vote on Tuesday and the House is expected to pass the legislation without objection this week, probably on

Thursday. Since the House is not in session, the legislation must pass by unanimous consent.

The House is considering remote voting procedures, such as teleconferencing or proxy options. If the House

adopts remote voting procedures, unanimous consent may not be required in the future, allowing future

legislation to pass under a suspension of the rules with two-thirds majority vote. There is no indication as to

whether or how quickly the remote voting will be adopted.

If you expect to need an SBA loan, but have not yet applied or one, we urge you to speak with your lender as

soon as possible. The additional funds may be exhausted quickly. NRMCA has joined a broad effort to

support additional funding for the SBA loan programs, joining NSSGA and PCA, as well as dozens of other

trade associations, in sending a letter to Congress.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.

Construction Industry Receives Most SBA Loans Related to CARES Act

In a big win for NRMCA and our allied associations, the construction industry has become the largest

recipient of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans authorized by the CARES Act. The SBA loan

programs began accepting applications on April 3. Leading up to this date, NRMCA Government Affairs staff

repeatedly urged its members to begin having conversations with their lenders and prepare to apply quickly

for loans. NRMCA hosted two webinars and staff sent multiple updates to provide members the necessary

resources to secure SBA funding.

The Paycheck Protection Program loans are intended to allow companies to keep employees on payroll

through the COVID-19 pandemic and can provide businesses with up to $10 million in funding. Amounts

spent on payroll, rent and mortgage obligations can be forgiven at the end of the loan, provided companies

do not reduce payroll. Thanks to the effective and preemptive communication from NRMCA, many NRMCA

members have reported receiving funds from SBA in a timely manner and the construction industry has

received more loans than any other sector in the country. Special thanks to NRMCA Government Affairs

Chairman Nathan McKean for helping to educate NRMCA members and provide insight into the application

process.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.

NRMCA Rallies Support for Including Non-Profits in SBA Loan Programs

NRMCA last week urged state affiliates to support advocacy efforts asking Congress to include additional

non-profit organizations, including 501(c)6 membership organizations, in future funding of Small Business

Administration loan programs. Under the CARES Act, only 501(c)3s and 501(c)19s (veterans’ organizations)

were eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans while organizations that engage in lobbying

are not eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Consequently, state affiliates, local and state chambers

of commerce, and national trade associations like NRMCA, NSSGA and PCA are ineligible for PPP loans.

State associations, local and state chambers of commerce, and national associations serve America’s small

business community. The vast majority of NRMCA’s members and our state affiliates members are small,

family-owned businesses. Making 501(c)6 organizations eligible for future SBA funding would help ensure

that many of the organizations that support our members are able to continue to function and provide the

information, education, technical assistance and expertise that members rely on to run their businesses.

• Click here to read the Chamber of Commerce’s sign-on letter.

• Click here to read the American Society of Association Executives’ letter.

• Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) has circulated a letter supporting expanding SBA funding to local and

state chambers of commerce.

• Reps. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) led a letter signed by 63 House members

supporting expanding SBA funding to chambers of commerce and other 501(c)6s.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.

Pavement

Growing Interest Seen in Concrete Pavement Education Webinar Series

Interest in the NRMCA Concrete Pavement Education Series continues to grow as the third installment, Soils

101: What to Know for a Successful Paving Project, drew a record number of registrants, causing the

webinar to reach full capacity at 500 attendees! Local Paving Division Head Brian Killingsworth, P.E. and

Senior Director Luke McHugh, P.E. co-hosted the presentation.

“The response to this program has been phenomenal,” said Senior Vice President, Local Paving, Phil

Kresge. “We are averaging about 80% participation of total registrants. But more importantly, we are running

nearly 92% interest from attendees during the programs.”

The audience has predominantly been a mix of engineers from both the public and private sectors, along

with contractors, ready mixed concrete producers and other industry representatives. The weekly programs

are held each Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern time and are free to attend. The fourth webinar in the series,

Concrete Pavement Jointing and Details, presented by Paving Team members Don Clem, P.E. and Amanda

Hult, P.E., will take place Thursday, April 23 (click here to register).

Upcoming webinar topics include Materials and Construction Specifications for Concrete Pavement

Projects, on April 30; Concrete Street and Parking Lot Maintenance and Repair, May 7 and Concrete

Overlays of Existing Asphalt Surfaced Streets and Parking Lots, May 14. The webinars provide American

Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Learning Units as well as Professional Development Hours

(PDH) credits.

Click here for a listing of all Pave Ahead webinars or contact any member of the NRMCA Pave Ahead team.

SEO

Deadline Extended for 2020 Fleet Benchmarking Survey Entries

The 2020 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

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 submitting completed entries to fleetbenchmark@nrmca.org is now Friday, May 1. Click

here for more information and to download the entry form.

NRMCA Extends Deadline for 2020 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey

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 Safety Contest

& Benchmarking Survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies

in good standing in 2019. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks

to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location.

Entries will now be accepted at safeycontest@nrmca.org through Friday, May 1. Click here for more

information, staff contact and to download the entry form.

EPA Smart Sectors Program Releases Cement/Concrete Snapshot

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Smart Sectors Program released “Sector

Snapshots” for eight different industries, including cement and concrete. The snapshots are “a web-based

tool that shows historical environmental and economic performance on a sector basis. Users can interact

with data that include a range of up to 30 different combinations of environmental and economic parameters

to view trends over time.”

Commenting on the release, NRMCA’s Gary Mullings said “EPA’s Smart Sectors Program highlights the

ability of the Executive Branch to work with industry and to showcase the benefits industry brings to our

communities. The Smart Sectors’ snapshot is a great tool for educating these same communities about how

industry plays a part to better our built environment.”

Click here for the Snapshots' press release; here to review the cement and concrete sector snapshot and

here for more more information on the Smart Sectors Program itself. You may also contact Gary Mullings at

gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

EPA Long-Awaited Final "WOTUS" Definition Takes Effect in June

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) released the effective date of the final rule of

the long-awaited rewrite of the Obama Administration’s definition of “Waters of the United States,” also

known as WOTUS. The rewrite is considered a huge win for the ready mixed concrete industry; the new rule,

titled the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), outlines in clear terms what EPA’s jurisdiction is over

what waterways within the U.S. The NWPR becomes effective June 22.

The impact to the industry is positive because it largely maintains an industry status quo of disallowing

releases of process water and non-permitted stormwater into a WOTUS. The NWPR also limits the previous

administration’s regulatory expansion and uses clear language allowing for water accumulations the industry

may have at concrete plants to NOT be covered by the new rule. NRMCA has been continually advocating

for this clarity and outcome since the finalization of the contentious Obama Administration’s WOTUS rule in

2015.

Click here for more information; here for NWPR factsheets and here to to review the final rule. You may also

contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

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Buildings

NRMCA, BWS Active in New Thermal Bridging Standard

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) writes Standard

90.1 governing building design for energy use. The committee has released the latest version of the thermal

bridging appendix for a second public review. This appendix would change the way the ready mixed concrete

industry designs anything that penetrates into the building envelope, including balconies and floor/roof to wall

connections. Build With Strength (BWS) and NRMCA oppose adoption of this appendix as it is excessively

difficult to apply to real-world buildings and may require details that cannot be built. Anyone may submit a

public comment and the appendix is open for comments through Monday, May 4. BWS and NRMCA are

actively involved in opposing this measure through participation on the governing committee and close

coordination with our industry allies.

For more information contact Scott Campbell at scampbell@nrmca.org.

Calendar

A Look Ahead

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

Web site.

April 23, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Concrete Pavement Jointing and Details

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

April 28, Free Promotion Webinars

Market Activity and Communication of EPDs

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

April 28 – May 1, New Orleans *Postponed

NRMCA Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

April 29, Build With Strength Webinar

The Business Case for Building Multifamily Buildings with Concrete

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

April 30, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Materials and Construction Specifications for Concrete Pavement Projects

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 5, Free Promotion Webinars

Industry Advances in Carbon Reduction—Successfully Communicating our Message

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

May 6, Build With Strength Webinar

Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

May 7, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Concrete Street and Parking Lot Maintenance and Repair

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 12, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series

Understanding the Guide to Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Parking Lots

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 13, Build With Strength Webinar

The Balanced Design Approach to Fire Safety: How Concrete Building Systems Can Help Reduce Risk

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

May 13 – 15, Glendora, CA *Postponed

Concrete Safety Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

May 14, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Concrete Overlays of Existing Asphalt Surfaced Streets and Parking Lots

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 19, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series

Overview of Guide to Concrete Trails

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 20, Build With Strength Webinar

The Environmental Impacts of Building Materials: A Primer for Comparing Concrete Steel, Wood and Asphalt

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

May 21, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Concrete Trail Design

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 26, Concrete Paving Promotion Webinar Series

Partnering with Contractors & Engineers for the Pursuit of Paving Projects

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

May 27, Build With Strength Webinar

A New Generation of Tilt-Up Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

May 28, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Designing Pervious Concrete

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

June 2, Free Promotion Webinars

Emerging Trends in Building Codes

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

June 3, Build With Strength Webinar

Achieving Resilience with ICF Construction

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

June 4, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Specifying Pervious Concrete

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

June 10, Build With Strength Webinar

Concrete Innovations

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

June 11, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Installing Pervious Concrete

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

June 16 – 18, Nashville, TN – Sponsored by Tennessee Concrete Association

Certified Concrete Sales Professional (CCSP) Module III Course

Email: dsparkman@tnconcrete.org, (615) 360-6670

June 17, Build With Strength Webinar

Economical Design of Insulating Concrete Forms

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

June 18, Concrete Pavement Webinar Series

Maintenance Guidelines for Pervious Concrete

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 210-508-4923

June 24, Build With Strength Webinar

Specifying Sustainable Concrete

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

July 14 – 16, Nashville, TN – Sponsored by TCA

Certified Concrete Sales Professional (CCSP) Module IV Course

Email: dsparkman@tnconcrete.org, (615) 360-6670

September 25 – 29, Denver

NRMCA's ConcreteWorks

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

October 8, Nashville, TN

Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

October 20 – 22, Mendota Heights, MN

Concrete Safety Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

November 17 – 19, Glendora, CA

Environmental Course for the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

December 15, Charlotte, NC

Improving Concrete Quality Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

December 15 – 18, Phoenix

NRMCA Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 703-706-4852

*If you wish to be added to the wait list for sold out courses, please send your request to

meetings@nrmca.org.

NRMCA

66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 250

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-706-4800 | Fax: 703-706-4809

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