Those of you who attended the Fall Convention at The Greenbrier had the opportunity to hear directly from new NRMCA President Michael Philipps. He was kind enough to join us and share his vision for the association. And one thing was very clear – NRMCA’s partnerships with state affiliates are an important key to their overall success. 

With that in mind, the two organizations met early in December at the new NRMCA headquarters in Alexandria, VA to discuss various avenues available to further enhance the existing partnership and grow the market share of concrete within Virginia. NRMCA attendees included Frank Gordon (Senior Director, Building Innovations), John Loyer (Senior Vice President of State and Local Government Affairs), Nicole Maher (Chief Operating Officer), and Mike Philipps (President). Joining them were Doug Easter (VRMCA Executive Director), Jennifer Greenwood (VRMCA Marketing Director), Todd Martineau (VRMCA Promotions Committee Chair), Hessam Nabavi (VRMCA Promotions Director), Christina Sandridge (VRMCA Associate Director), and Jeff Slagle (VRMCA Secretary/Treasurer). The group was joined via conference call by Gregg Lewis, Executive Vice President, Promotion Strategy and Communications with NRMCA.

The conversation covered a number of different topics including:

• coalition-building opportunities
• exploring non-traditional influencer partnerships
• a joint 3-year marketing/promotions plan
• how to best approach hosting a roundtable event in Virginia
• identifying favorable market segments (net zero schools, affordable housing)
• key messaging addressing carbon emissions and cross-laminated timber

While the discussion was diverse the takeaway was clear: the two groups are interested and willing to share information and ideas to build a stronger partnership with the goal of promoting the ready mixed concrete industry. 

Keep an eye out for additional information as specific action plans solidify.