NRMCA Elects Board Chairman, Officers at Annual Convention

 The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has elected the following slate of officers during its annual convention held earlier this month in Houston. The Association’s new chairman is Rodney Grogan of MCC Materials, Inc, Ridgeland, Miss.. Grogan succeeds Scott Parson of Staker Parson Companies and Oldcastle Materials Co., Ogden, Utah. Elected vice chairman was William Sandbrook of U.S. Concrete, Inc., Euless, Texas, and the secretary/treasurer is John Carew, Carew Concrete & Supply Co., Appleton, Wis.

Each of the three new officers has begun serving a one-year term which concludes at NRMCA’s 2019 convention. In addition to the Board election, the Association presented the following awards during the convention:

William B. Allen Award – William J. Sandbrook, NRMCA vice chairman, president and chief executive officer, U.S. Concrete. Sandbrook was appointed president of Oldcastle Materials’ West Division in 2003. In July 2006, he was promoted to CEO of Oldcastle Architectural responsible for the group’s U.S. and Canadian operations as well as CRH’s businesses in South America. In June 2008, Sandbrook was named CEO of Oldcastle’s Americas Products & Distribution with continued responsibility for architectural products in addition to all precast, glass, metals and distribution businesses.

The Allen Award is given for a lifetime commitment and recognition of outstanding leadership to promote the success of the ready mixed concrete industry and to improve the financial health, performance and sustainability of the industry. The Allen Award is named after one of the ready mixed concrete industry’s most distinguished and accomplished figures, Bill Allen, who had more than 55 years of concrete and aggregates-related experience, and had long been involved with many NRMCA activities and events.

John Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion – Larry Gibbes was recognized for his leadership, dedication and achievement in support of concrete promotion. Throughout his career, Gibbes was supportive of NRMCA, the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association and many other industry organizations. As an example of his promotional ability, in 2009 he was instrumental in convincing the City of Charlotte Engineering Department to accept a concrete paving alternate for a new local road which was already designed in asphalt. Charlotte had not built a new concrete road in 28 years. Gibbes took the city engineers on a tour of old concrete roads and provided decades of concrete road maintenance records in his convincing argument. As a result, the road was converted to concrete and over 14,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed.

Promoter of the Year – Buildings – Drew Turner, director of business development, Concrete Supply Co., LLC. Turner has aggressively engaged with a wide variety of project stakeholders across the Carolinas in an effort to promote the use of concrete in buildings and paving. Because of his vigilance, NRMCA was able to present concrete options for upcoming multifamily projects to the largest multifamily developer in Charlotte, Childress Klein. Turner also helped convince the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to consider concrete and insulating concrete forms for its upcoming school projects.

Promoter of the Year – Pavements – Andrew Lester, product development and promotion manager, MMC Materials, Inc. As promotion manager for MMC Materials, Lester understands that promotion is a long-term endeavor requiring multiple visits with the same individual and developing relationships with these individuals over an extended period of time. He has established a reputation with specifiers, contractors and testing companies as a go-to source for technical support and innovative mix designs. Lester has utilized the resources of NRMCA in his promotion efforts which include conducting concrete pavement contractor training to develop a win-win partnership with capable contractors that will provide a complete paving solution to our customers. He has utilized the NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program (DAP) with great success: in the last three years, he has submitted 36 separate projects for DAP review and has a nearly 50% success rate in conversions.

State Affiliate Promoter of the Year – Craig Dauphinais, executive director of the Massachusetts Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association. Dauphinais has worked tirelessly with NRMCA, the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) and other state affiliates to develop life-cycle cost legislation that will ultimately lead to the use of concrete. He routinely meets with and presents to MassDOT, the Bay State Roads program, the University Training Center, more than 50 towns and cities, as well with state legislators. In November 2017, he was able to arrange for the concrete industry to testify before a panel of legislators in support of Bill S1966, legislation relative to life-cycle costs for long-term pavement solutions. Dauphinais was able to coordinate testimony that included representatives from ACPA, the Michigan Concrete Association, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Teamsters union and NRMCA.

Chairman’s Award – Tom Harris, McNeilus Companies. Harris has been a foundational member of the concrete mixer industry and an integral member of the McNeilus leadership team since joining the company in 1979. Beginning in the 1980s, he was an integral part of the invention and introduction of extended axle mixer trucks. In the 1990s, he helped invent the Sliding Mixer System (SMS), a trailer mixer which became highly popular. Then, in the early 2000s, Harris helped introduce composite drums to the industry. He has served in many capacities and roles within NRMCA and the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. He was recognized by NRMCA in 2013 with the Joseph E. Carpenter Award for Outstanding Contributions to the OES Committee.

State Association of the Year – Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association. CRMCA was chosen for the second year in a row for highlights that include, but not limited to, holding five Build With Strength seminars attended by more than 250 industry personnel; helping to conduct an annual industry tour with federal and state legislators; providing ACI Field 1 Concrete Testing Technician certification through a partnership with Colorado State University; collaborating with the Metropolitan Government Pavement Engineers Council to update common mix design requirements for area municipalities and developing a video for concrete field testing education.

Richard D. Gaynor Award – Gene Daniel, long-time veteran in the concrete industry. Daniel has been a principal in a firm that was involved in a wide range of design and construction activity; owner of a drilled shaft foundation construction company; served as an expert witness for attorneys in construction litigation and has had a leadership role in a construction materials testing company for several years. In 1988, Daniel joined Beaver Lake Concrete, a regional ready mixed concrete company in NW Arkansas and SW Missouri that included eight concrete plants and two sand and gravel pits. He worked his way through roles in operations, safety, technical services, and ultimately as president until he retired in 1997.

During his tenure at Beaver Lake Concrete, Daniel was an active member of the NRMCA Research, Engineering and Standards Committee. He served as the chair of the task group on plant certification and also served on the NRMCA Board of Directors. The award is named for Dick Gaynor who retired as the executive vice president of NRMCA’s Engineering Division.

Joseph E. Carpenter Award – John Richardson, founding principal of John Richardson & Company, Inc. The award is named in honor of Joseph E. Carpenter of Rinker Materials, West Palm Beach, Fla., who was instrumental in the formation and early operation of the NRMCA Committee on Maintenance. Richardson, now semi-retired, has spent a great deal of his time bringing great ideas to the OES Committee. He was instrumental in the development of NRMCA’s CDP program and served as chairman of the safety task group and vice chaired the environmental task group. He has also been instrumental in the early success of the NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship. As a senior executive, he has consistently developed and executed improvements in crucial human capital management and asset optimization systems.

Driver of the Year – Leonard “Glenn” Brown. He is a mixer driver for Martin Marietta’s Rocky Mountain Division. His home plant is the Chambers facility in Aurora, Colo. Martin Marietta’s Plant Manager Doug Berger wrote in Brown’s contest entry form, “Glenn’s attitude is matched by his outstanding performance as one of the most consistent top-performing drivers with Martin Marietta. In the almost 40 years driving a mixer truck, Glenn has had no on-the-job accidents and no vehicle accidents where he was at fault. Additionally, he delivers a quality product always within specifications, resulting in a career without a driver error rejected load.” Brown has driven a concrete mixer for an impressive 38 years. In 2017, the Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association named Brown Driver of the Year for the State of Colorado.

The judges also selected two runners-up. In alphabetical order, the first is 34-year veteran mixer driver Henry Craig, from Concrete Supply Company, Charlotte, N.C. Driving out of the Seneca, S.C, plant, Craig has an impressive safety record - never having an accident on or off-road. He is also the recipient of the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Associations 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. Also honored as a runner-up is 33-year veteran mixer driver Frank Padilla, of Central Concrete Supply Company, a U.S. Concrete Company business unit. Driving out of the Pleasanton, Calif, plant, Padilla has a memorable safety record - never having an accident on or off-road while amazingly delivering an average of 15,500 cubic yards annually over the past three years.

Concrete Cares Award – Concrete Supply Co., LLC, Charlotte, N.C. In 2017, Concrete Supply Company’s efforts were employee-driven. Its outreach of “Rock. Solid. Support!” began with its annual drive supporting United Way, for which Concrete Supply has been a Pacesetter business since the mid-1980’s. In 2017, its employee contributions rose 32% across 22 counties, all while United Way’s business donations continued to fall. Due to Concrete Supply Company’s employee contributions, $138,000 was pledged through employee and corporate contributions. The company also gives two-paid community service days to all employees annually, giving each person the ability to decide when and where they want to give back to their local communities. Concrete Supply Co. has also made financial contributions to charities and other non-profit services beyond its United Way program, with additional cash donations of $24,000 and $58,000 in donated concrete.

Children’s Art Contest – NRMCA received 92 entries to its fifth annual contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. Entries were judged only against others in their grade category on originality, effort, creativity, composition and interpretation of the theme. This year’s theme was “Make America’s Roads Great Again.” The winners were:

Pre-K-K Grade Winners

1^st: Owen Burkholder, sponsored by Chad Troxell, Champion Concrete, Inc., Iron Mountain, Mich.

2^nd: Chloe Adcock, sponsored by Kenneth Pooser, Builders Supply, Bossier City, La.

3^rd: Cash Skulick, sponsored by Tony Skulick, CEMEX, El Dorado Hills, Calif.

1-3 Grade Winners

1^st: Kensey Skulick, sponsored by Tony Skulick, CEMEX, EL Dorado Hills, Calif.

2^nd: Jayden Burkholder, sponsored by Chad Troxwell, Champion Concrete, Inc., Iron Mountain, Mich.

3^rd: Hadley Hash, sponsored by Dennis Strange, Irving Materials, Inc., Ind.

4-6 Grade Winners

1^st: Brian Poon, sponsored by Tung Pang Poon, Right Away Redy Mix – A U.S. Concrete Co., Calif.

2^nd: Peyton Burkholder, sponsored by Chad Troxell, Champion Concrete, Inc., Iron Mountain, Mich.

3^rd: Jada Harding, sponsored by Mark and Victoria Harding, Knife River Materials, Central Point, Ore.

7-12 Grade Winners

1^st: Kirsten Moskal, sponsored by Chris Moskal, Prairie Materials, Votorantim Cimentos North America, Pingree Grove, Ill.

2^nd: Ashlynn Skulick, sponsored by Tony Skulick, CEMEX, El Dorado Hills, Calif.

3^rd: Gisele Molina, sponsored by Miguel Amaya, Right Away Redy Mix – A U.S. Concrete Company, Calif.