2017 CRMCA and CSSGA Board Members.
Hello CRMCA members. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. The turkeys that survived the day can rest easy for a while……….. but enough about me. With this blog, I would like to recap the Annual Conference we held in Colorado Springs in conjunction with CSSGA.
First off, thanks to all of you who participated. Our attendance was great and sponsorships were at an all-time high. Here are a few highlights:
Thursday, November 16
- The conference opened with the Annual Members meeting on Thursday, Nov 16, where members approved the 2018 Financial Budget and selected 2018 Board Members and Officers. The new member to the board is Tod Knudsen with Action Ready Mix, and we are pleased to have his input. Your officers for 2018 include President, Dana Rotkovich; VP, Cole Jacobs; Treasurer, Abbott Lawrence; Secretary Dan Corneau; and Ex Officio, Rich Umbel. I look forward to working closely with this dedicated group, and all board members. Thanks for serving.
- The Annual Associate Member Meeting immediately followed, where the group agreed on areas of focus for 2018. Thanks to Tom Cummings for again agreeing to chair this committee.
- A great networking reception was held that evening with CSSGA members. This interaction between producer and associate members is critical to CRMCA and CSSGA, as people from all companies can discuss business related issues, new or updated products, or technology that will affect our industry.
Friday, November 17
- Our full day was November 17 where Rich Umbel, 2017 President, kicked off the session with an Overview of 2017, and a look ahead at focus areas for the coming year.
- This was followed by 3 concrete related presentations including “Build with Strength” by Oliver Brooks, outlining our successes in the first year of implementing the program, and our involvement moving ahead. This was followed by Josh Schultz presenting on “How OSHA’s New Silica Rule will Affect your Operations.” A very timely topic that will likely impact every one of our members. Lastly, JT Mesite presented on progress made with our “Adherence Program and Concrete Testing Procedures.” Again, thanks to these 3 for not only presenting, but for their work all year long on these issues.
- The following meetings included a breakout session where attendees viewed “Conflict Resolution” by Renee Smit with the Employers Council or “Do’s & Don’ts of Hiring & Firing” by Dana Svendsen with Jackson Kelly. This was followed by a great update on NRMCA by Scott Parson, current Chairman of the Board for NRMCA. In addition to focus items regarding NRMCA, Scott presented on the RMC Research & Education Foundation. If you need more information on this important foundation, please let us know.
- Our lunch speaker included Laura Beverage with Jackson Kelly discussing “Current Administration’s Effect on MSHA & OSHA.” This was followed by an award presentation recognizing the outstanding leadership and dedication to our winners and committee chairs. Congratulation to all those recognized and thanks for your contributions.
- The late afternoon and evening included the “Spouse Event” where bowling was the main attraction. This was followed by the reception and President’s Banquet, where the gavel was transferred from Rich Umbel to incoming President Dana Rotkovich. The evening was concluded with guest speaker Stacy Pederson discussing lessons learned in life.
I want to end by thanking several people. One is Rich Umbel, who just completed 3 years as President of CRMCA. We determined from looking at the records that 1960 was the last year anyone served that long as Board President. Rich, to your leadership and dedication, THANK YOU!
Last, but not least, I want to thank the CRMCA staff, Emma Dolan and JT Mesite, and especially Annelise Shepherd, who organizes all aspects of this annual conference. Many details go into the event, and we are all lucky to have her making it happen! Have a great rest of the year and best wishes on the upcoming Christmas season. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check us out at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Todd R. Ohlheiser
Executive Director
Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association
