TCA continues to include a spot for a national update on our Annual Convention program. We appreciated having Julia Garbini of the RMC Foundation with us to provide our national perspective in 2020. 

 

TCA staff attended the NRMCA Annual Convention in person in March of 2020 and participated in the Virtual ConcreteWorks later in the year. TCA continues to participate in NRMCA’s social media program for state associations and regularly uses content from this monthly service for postings on our various social media platforms. 

  

TCA partnered with NRMCA for events in 2020:

• TCA was scheduled to host an NRMCA Concrete Specifications seminar (featuring Dr. Karthik Obla) in Nashville. This in-person event was first rescheduled but ultimately cancelled for 2020. 

• Frank Gordon helped TCA launch a private LinkedIn group for TCA members interested in accessing Dodge Pipeline data to help identify Tennessee projects where the utilization of concrete might be increased.

• In May, Director Sparkman presented for an NRMCA webinar titled “Learn How and When to Influence Design Teams to Use More Concrete”.  Content for this topic was drawn from the Certified Concrete Sales Professional curriculum (Module 2). Bill Larson, Cal Portland participated and had this to say about the session: 

 

Alan - I enjoyed your webinar yesterday very much! Hanging around in this industry for so long, you think that you’ve heard it all but I wanted you to know that I found several valuable nuggets throughout your presentation that have caused me to rethink portions of my technique when promoting to designers.

 

I enjoyed the time you spent talking through the construction phases very much, recalling many face to face meetings from year’s past as you described some of your techniques.

 

I just wanted you to know that you did a terrific job presenting such a complex concept through a webinar. I could envision your personality and antics that I have enjoyed over the years as you embellished some of the topics. Well done!

 

Best regards,

Bill

 

• In September, TCA held our Safe Room in a Single Day event on our new campus with excellent support from Frank Gordon who documented the event in pictures and video while fielding numerous questions from attendees about ICF’s and concrete. NRMCA and DDC are using this video and interviews done at the event to produce a video case study.

• In November, TCA held our Virtual Conference and provided both NRMCA and Build With Strength complimentary virtual booth space in the convention hall. Amanda Hult and Frank Gordon manned the booths, and Frank provided one of our seminar presentations for the Conference. 

• TCA promoted NRMCA’s excellent webinar series to our members throughout the year, and participated as a sponsor for the Global Concrete Summit as 2020 drew to a close. 

 

As part of our overall certification program, TCA again offered the NRMCA Certified Concrete Sales Professional classes in Nashville in 2020, taught by Executive Director Alan Sparkman. We were able to hold all four sessions in person, with 28 attendees in total. 

 

TCA held five sessions for the NRMCA Pervious Installer Certification in 2020, including a session at the World of Concrete, with a total attendance of 29. 

 

TCA held two sessions for the new NRMCA Volumetric Operator certification in 2020, with 7 operators attending to earn this certification that is now required by TDOT for all state projects using volumetric mixers to produce concrete.

 

2019 marked a significant milestone for the Tennessee Concrete Association as we completed the sale of our property located in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood of Nashville. TCA subsequently purchased a five-acre tract (still in metro Nashville) and initiated the design process for constructing a new home for the association. 

 

In 2020, TCA was able to complete the design process for our new office with final plans being reviewed for permitting as 2020 drew to a close. The project is still on track to achieve full Living Building Challenge certification and construction is expected to begion in early 2021. NRMCA continues to provide support for marketing and communication of this landmark building project to demonstrate that concrete can be used as the primary building material at the highest levels of sustainable construction. 

 

Executive Director Sparkman continues to serve on the NRMCA Workforce Development Committee (WDC) and the Financial Performance Task Group. 

 

We value our relationship with NRMCA and look forward to continuing our work together as we strive to make the concrete industry better and more prosperous in the coming year!