Why batch plant owners need to get involved in a State Concrete Association

Beginning last year, our state concrete association opened its committee meetings to any interested members. I at­tended out of curiosity and was hooked almost immediately. I had not realized the extent of the efforts being put in by concrete producer members and associate members to keep con­crete top of mind at our state’s DOT and to promote concrete to municipalities, builders, and end users.

State concrete associations vary in size and effectiveness. The associa­tion nearest to our main office, Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) www.pacaweb.org is one of the very best, along with several other state associations we’re proud to be affiliated with (see their logos at the bottom of the home page at www.maconcrete.com)

Did you know that:

• Pennsylvania faces a 70% in­crease in freight traffic over the next 10 years, with no funding in place to meet the need.

• Over 7000 miles of Pennsyl­vania highways are in mediocre or poor condition.

• 26% of our bridges are struc­turally deficient and another 18% do not meet modern stan­dards for design and utility.

• 3147 state and local bridges are posted with weight limits or closed altogether.

Inflation in the transportation construction sector has grown more than 60% in the last 5 years. It’s highly likely that your state is in a similar pickle. If this isn’t motiva­tion enough to join a group that influences legislation affecting your state’s budget, I don’t know what is. Out of all of PACA’s hard-working groups, the one that interested me the most was the concrete promotion committee. We talked about subjects pertaining to pro­moting the concrete industry.

Needless to say, we discussed pervious concrete, insulating con­crete forms, roller-compacted concrete (RCC), white topping, the durability and longevity of concrete parking lots, and other innovations that will grow and change our industry.

Now more than ever, with business being elusive, it is important to promote the attributes of concrete over other building and paving materials. The basic idea is a no-brainer: share the advantages that concrete has so that when funding opens up, that choice is seriously considered.

At the meeting, I was very much impressed with the level of commitment by members. These concrete producers and vendors have day-to-day operations of their own, yet their work as PACA members accomplishes critically impor­tant things that benefit not just themselves, but the entire industry. Why does membership matter at a time when it’s a struggle to stay in business? If I need to answer that question you’re reading the wrong article. Seriously, you’re help­ing to lay the groundwork so that when the economy revives, con­crete is the construction material of choice. Also, with business down, you should find it easier to get away than when the barrels are spinning overtime.

Finally, I have to assume that when things are slow around a concrete plant, people have more time to read and seek out new concepts and opportunities. There may be a few more open minds out there—let’s fill ’em with concrete.