I hope as you read this you are doing well in the New Year. There is always something special about a new year in the ability to leave behind things and the hope it brings of future possibilities. We continue to work for the needed infrastructure funding, but this year we need to turn to our greatest opportunity in the Build with Strength (BWS) campaign.
We all know by now how many of these 2 concrete podium decks with 5 levels of wood (2 on 5) structures we have going up all over town. These have been the greatest single loss to the ready-mixed industry over the years. We launched our campaign in 2017 and have made great progress over this time. We now have created a brand with Build with Strength, which is know by our organizations and in our local communities and nationally. Last year we did 12 presentations to associations and councils of professional engineers and architects, such as AIA, ACEC, CSI, and US Green Building Council. We had 15 potential projects referred to the NRMCA Design Center and they are pursuing 10 quality leads for converting projects from wood to concrete.
We are very proud of our success so far and need this to be a rallying cry to all our members. Whether you are an associate, producer, lab, or contractor member this campaign needs your help and your company will benefit from your assistance. We need people to continue to move our BWS campaign forward. We are not asking a lot, just 2-3 hours a month to help advance our industry through converting wood structures back to safer concrete structures.
We are in an important stage of preparation for the NRMCA to come to Denver and help us create code change for these mid-rise wood structures. If we can get code changes in Denver, it will have a ripple effect to the surrounding cities and regions to make changes. This requires us to lay some important foundations for the work they are going to help us do. The first step is every company within the Denver metro area needs to join the Denver Chamber of Commerce. You can fill out an interest form at https://denverchamber.org/join, call 303.534.8500, or email membership@denverchamber.org. It only cost $500 for the basic Bronze level and this will be enough for the basic needs of the campaign. Please do this right away.
Please look at where you might be able to dedicate someone in your organizations time this coming year and call CRMCA to get them involved. Their involvement in CRMCA is something your company will endlessly reap the benefits of, and this year has some great possibilities with your help. Thank you for everything you do to make our association great!
Dana Rotkovich
CRMCA Board President
Sales Manager / Bestway Concrete & Aggregate
