Education & Certification

Overview

Education is vital to growing the market for concrete and training is vital to attract as well as retain a quality workforce. Certifications are a crucial part of keeping our current workforce up to date and they are an important part of attracting and retaining our concrete industry workforce. TCA is very active in both. TCA is the statewide Local Sponsoring Group for both NRMCA and ACI.

ACI Certifications and Review Classes

2025 was a robust year for ACI certifications, with TCA maintaining near-record levels of both sessions and attendees. We offered 14 different Certification and Review sessions in 2025, hosting 121 exam and review sessions, and serving a record 954 examinees. Sessions were held across Tennessee, with certification sessions taking place every month of the year. Tennessee is one of the leading Local Sponsoring Groups for ACI by number of certifications offered annually.

NRMCA Training and Certification

Certified Concrete Sales Professional (all four modules) – while this course has been phased out, 32 students attended TCA’s final sessions of CCSP classes in early 2025.
NRMCA Volumetric Operator Certifications was offered twice in 2025 with a total of 12 people attending and taking the exam.

Seminars, Presentations and Trade Shows

Coal Combustion Resource Group – bi-monthly calls with Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Conservation, and Tennessee Department of Transportation to increase the beneficial use of fly ash at TVA plants across the state.
Chattanooga Development Symposium
Tennessee Building Officials Association
Tennessee Public Works Institute
Knoxville and Nashville ICF Symposiums
- TCA presented at each event, hosted by TCA member Tremco/Nudura.
Exploring Nano-Silica Concrete Presentation and Demonstration Event
Type 1L Cement Seminar and Panel Discussion, in person at TCA office.
Exhibit and Sponsor for Tennessee Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Conference and Trade Show in Memphis.
Tennessee Engineer’s Conference
High School Career Fairs and Outreach and Onsite Instruction and Hand-On Concrete Days
Collaborated with SEEED Knoxville and TCA members Ready Mix USA and G.E. Mitchell Concrete Contractors to deliver hands-on concrete training while supporting a community nonprofit and workforce pathways.

University Partnerships

Vanderbilt University
- John Pearson was an official advisor for several student teams working on concrete-related projects during both the Spring and Fall semesters in 2025.
MTSU
- TCA was the first, AND ONLY, State Association to make a $50,000 pledge to the new building on the MTSU campus.
- TCA’s Tennessee Concrete magazine features a regular column on the MTSU CIM program.

Research

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- TCA is part of a coalition that kicked off a HFLW (High Filler, Low Water) research project.
TCA Carbonation Research Study
- Funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation, TCA is conducting a long-term carbonation study comparing a standard 4,000 psi commercial concrete mix and a low-embodied-carbon 4,000 psi mix—both commonly used on Middle Tennessee projects. Specimens were placed in slabs and walls on the TCA Campus in 2024 and exposed to varying interior/exterior conditions, orientations, and sealer applications.
- In 2025, TCA completed the first round of carbonation readings and shared initial findings with members through Tennessee Concrete magazine. Additional readings will be taken at two, three, five, and ten years to better understand how mix design and exposure conditions impact carbonation over time.
Concrete Durability Research Slabs
- In July 2025, TCA placed two new research slabs at its Nashville campus to study real-world concrete durability factors, including curing methods, finishing techniques, sealing, and deicer exposure. Developed in collaboration with the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), this project supports both state and national efforts to better understand long-term concrete performance.
- The slabs represent common Tennessee mix designs and placement practices and will be monitored over multiple years. TCA will share annual findings with members and industry partners, with particular focus on surface durability and deicer impacts beginning in winter 2025–2026.