Page 1 of 7 2014 ICON-XCHANGE AND NCMA CONVENTION RECAP Palm Springs, California Westin Mission Hills Resort February 5-10 The National Concrete Masonry Association convened ICON-Xchange at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Palm Springs, California. More than 450 NCMA members participated in the week’s B2B Exchange, Marketplace, committee meetings and social events that serve as a venue to move the industry forward in 2014 and beyond. For those who missed all or part of the event, some highlights are included in this brief recap. Need more information about anything in here? Just call us or email us and we will get you to the right person for follow-up discussion: 703-713-1900, [email protected]. EVENTS 2014 ICON-XCHANGE AND EVENTS he first inaugural ICON-Xchange included a Business to Business (B2B) format where producer attendees met with associate supplier hosts in scheduled meetings and appointments throughout one day. There were 33 producer companies and 29 associate host companies participating in the B2B. Over 350 unique appointments, each lasting 25 minutes took place over the course of one day. Feedback from the participants was that the new format was a resounding success. An ICON-Xchange Marketplace replaced the traditional tradeshow format and featured as its centerpiece 30-minute education sessions presented in a Knowledge Bar venue in which industry leaders presented best practices in design and construction, new products, equipment and services and industry trends such as sustainability, technology and business management. The Knowledge Bar concluded with a highly popular session on Beer Science 101. BUSINESS LUNCHEON HIGHLIGHTS CMA Chairman of the Board Charles Newsome welcomed attendees to the NCMA Business Lunch. He reminded the audience that he took the chairmanship because he wanted to make a difference in the industry with two initiatives – creating a CMU Checkoff program and regaining Market Share. While his official one- year term has come to an end, he pledged to fight on and encouraged others to “go to war with what we have and with what we need to do.” On behalf of the NCMA Foundation, 2014 Foundation Chairman Keith Haas announced that the Foundation endowment recently exceeded $9 million for the first time and the Board of Trustees awarded $245K in projects including two scholarships during the week’s meetings. Keith concluded with reminding the audience that the support for the foundation is “proactive support of our industry.” With that said, Pat Dubbert stepped to the podium and challenged the audience to pledge funds for the Digital Technologies Program (which will include support for BIM for Masonry), complementing the NCMA Foundation’s current objective of $500K in support over five years. Dubbert was successful in securing over $350K in additional support from members on the spot, well on the way to his stated goal of an additional $500K. NCMA President Bob Thomas took the podium and thanked again the ICON-Xchange sponsors for supporting the entire event. He presented Mark Wilhelms with a Long-Standing Membership Award for Kirchner Brick and Block (now Midwest Brick and Block) for being members for 50 years. T N
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Page 1 of 7
2014 ICON-XCHANGE
AND NCMA CONVENTION RECAP
Palm Springs, California Westin Mission Hills Resort February 5-10
The National Concrete Masonry Association convened ICON-Xchange at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Palm Springs,
California. More than 450 NCMA members participated in the week’s B2B Exchange, Marketplace, committee meetings and social
events that serve as a venue to move the industry forward in 2014 and beyond.
For those who missed all or part of the event, some highlights are included in this brief recap. Need more information about anything
in here? Just call us or email us and we will get you to the right person for follow-up discussion: 703-713-1900, [email protected].
EVENTS 2014 ICON-XCHANGE AND EVENTS
he first
inaugural
ICON-Xchange
included a Business to
Business (B2B) format where producer attendees met with
associate supplier hosts in scheduled meetings and
appointments throughout one day. There were 33 producer
companies and 29 associate host companies participating in
the B2B. Over 350
unique appointments,
each lasting 25 minutes
took place over the
course of one day.
Feedback from the
participants was that the
new format was a
resounding success. An
ICON-Xchange
Marketplace replaced the traditional tradeshow format and
featured as its centerpiece 30-minute education sessions
presented in a Knowledge Bar venue in which industry leaders
presented best practices in design and construction, new
products, equipment
and services and
industry trends such
as sustainability,
technology and
business
management. The
Knowledge Bar
concluded with a
highly popular
session on Beer Science 101.
BUSINESS LUNCHEON HIGHLIGHTS CMA Chairman of the Board Charles Newsome
welcomed attendees to the NCMA Business Lunch.
He reminded the audience that he took the
chairmanship because he wanted to make a difference in the
industry with two initiatives – creating a CMU Checkoff
program and regaining Market Share. While his official one-
year term has come to an end, he pledged to fight on and
encouraged others to “go to war with what we have and with
what we need to do.”
On behalf of the NCMA Foundation, 2014 Foundation
Chairman Keith Haas announced that the Foundation
endowment recently exceeded $9 million for the first time and
the Board of Trustees awarded $245K in projects including
two scholarships during the
week’s meetings. Keith
concluded with reminding the
audience that the support for
the foundation is “proactive
support of our industry.” With
that said, Pat Dubbert stepped
to the podium and challenged
the audience to pledge funds
for the Digital Technologies
Program (which will include
support for BIM for
Masonry), complementing the
NCMA Foundation’s current
objective of $500K in support
over five years. Dubbert was successful in securing over
$350K in additional support from members on the spot, well
on the way to his stated goal of an additional $500K.
NCMA President Bob Thomas took the podium and thanked
again the ICON-Xchange sponsors for
supporting the entire event. He
presented Mark Wilhelms with a
Long-Standing Membership Award for Kirchner Brick and Block (now
Don Foster presented David L. Nickerson with the NCMA
Lifetime Achievement on behalf of the NCMA Council of
Past Chairman of the Board and Board of Directors. As an
active member of the
association for more than 30
years, Dave and his company
CBIS have played an
instrumental role in advancing
the ability of concrete masonry
wall systems to meet the
energy efficiency needs of
homes and buildings. Their
Korfil insulation inserts have been placed in more than 400
million units.
Following this presentation, Bob Thomas gave a brief State of
the Association, recognizing a 2014 budget of $3.7 million
and a stable set of reserves. He highlighted directives in
different market segments: positioning SRWs and ACBs to
compete in transportation markets; innovating masonry
products and preparing our industry to promote masonry as
modern building system; and creating a foundation of
standards and industry guidelines to support growth for the
manufactured stone industry.
CONVENTION CATALYST etworking catalyst and featured Thom Singer
participated throughout the entire ICON Xchange
event and addressed attendees multiple times in
general sessions, providing
strategies to connect with people
in this social media crazy world.
Thom emphasized that to be
successful, people need to pay
attention to people, not just rely
on technology to build
relationships that can translate
into business and personal
success. He provided tips to
attendees for how to get the
most out of the meetings in
Palm Springs and how to
capitalize on created
connections after the meetings.
PRODUCTION BOOTCAMP:
TOOLS OF ENGAGEMENT hat an outstanding level of
participation at this year’s
Production Bootcamp!
Speaker Ron Scherer focused on
teaching mix design techniques utilizing the Absolute Volume
Method to capture and utilize data in a manner which allows
for the potential of better costing and creating scheduling
methods that allow for better efficiencies. As a continuation of
the Production Bootcamp Education Program, sponsored by
Besser, this was a program which provided solid technical
information for our industry’s production specialists.
FEATURED PLANT AND VIRTUAL TOURS: A FRONT
LINE VIEW n the spirit of NCMA’s commitment to embrace new
ideas, ICON-Xchange showcased the Featured Plant and
Virtual Tours: A View from the Front Line via live
streaming video. The innovative approach allowed for
audience interaction with plant personnel from Missouri,
Texas, and Florida. No longer are plant tours confined to
those plants closest to the meeting location, but rather
convention attendees can gain intimate access to the most
modern plants in existence. Pathfinder, Columbia, Besser, and
Hess are all to be congratulated for making this approach
possible under the direction
of the Plant Tour Task Goup
and Chairman Pat Dubbert.
This Featured Plant and
Virtual Tour was a first and
similar future tours are
expected to only get better.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVE
CONCEPTS FORUM his year’s Product Development and Creative Concepts
Forum was standing-room only at NCMA’s ICON-
Xchange. Deb Ramsey of Hanson Inc. gave a
presentation on the role of Auditors in Plant Certification
Programs. The presentation complements the development of
an NCMA Plant Certification Program initiative scheduled to
be introduced in 2015. In the second presentation, Bo Boylan
of Solidia Technologies introduced the audience to a new
cement product which utilizes carbon dioxide as a catalyst for
hardening concrete products.
SMALL/FAMILY BUSINESS FORUM he Small/Family Business Forum is a vibrant forum
that facilitates the exchange of information and ideas
between the representatives of smaller operations and
family-owned companies in the industry. Some of the topics
discussed at this session included the impact of robotics on our
industry in the future and the capital investment requirements
for the smaller companies to stay competitive. The group also
discussed the demands that Environmental Product
Declarations (EPD) will place on small businesses and how
these companies can start collecting the data that will be
required to complete an EPD. A personal perspective and an
open discussion on financial and estate planning also took
place. Contact Clare Ramminger at NCMA for additional
details about the Forum outcomes and opportunities to
participate in future programs.
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NCMA PAC RECEPTION ore than 70 members and guests joined great
fellowship, excellent food, door prize drawings, and
lively festivities at the traditional NCMA PAC
Reception on Friday evening. All proceeds from the record-
setting evening benefitted the NCMA PAC. Several new
members joined the exciting new NCMA PAC Club, which
has raised more than $40,000 in vital funding since August to
support NCMA’s political outreach in a
very busy election year. Members and
friends who missed this event can still
join the PAC Club and participate in
the the next PAC Reception at
NCMA’s Midyear Meeting at Park
City on August 1.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
MEMBERSHIP DUES & BYLAWS COMMITTEE he Membership Dues & Bylaws Committee met to
continue several dues restructuring initiatives and to
review the implementation of several bylaw changes
approved by the Board of Directors last fall. A 2% dues
increase on block producer and associate member categories
of membership resulted in a nominal $35k positive impact to
dues revenue for the coming year and has been favorably
received by the membership. Work continues on how to
standardize dues calculations and policies across all categories
of membership.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMITTEE he Education and
Training Committee
reviewed draft concept
outlines for NCMA online
education modules for industry
training and AIA-LA/CES
continuing education
courses. This concept consists
of a four to five level training
program for each of the three
product lines within NCMA
concrete masonry systems,
hardscapes, and manufactured stone veneer. Each module will
be prerecorded and uploaded into NCMA’s online learning
platform for 24/7 access. Modules are lumped into tracks and
organized by level beginning with basic introductory concepts
and progressing into more advanced topics. As new topics are
identified, they can be added to the curriculum. At the
conclusion of each module, attendees will be offered a brief,
multiple-question exam. Upon successful completion of the
exam, attendees are issued a certificate of completion of the
module. Successful completion of the four to six modules
within each track results in recognition of the personal
accomplishments. Successful completion of all the tracks
within a discipline results in the title of certified technologist
for that discipline.
Qualified NCMA member
company employees can also
become an “NCMA continuing
education facilitator” allowing
them to offer these same
courses and continuing
education credits using
NCMA’s AIA/LA provider
number. Companies with their own AIA or LA provider
numbers can integrate any of these presentations into their
own continuing education programs without becoming an
NCMA continuing education facilitator. Look for more
information as this program rolls out later this year.
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS
COMMITTEE his was the first official gathering of the Production
Technology and Operations Committee since its
inception as an NCMA Committee at last year’s
NCMA Midyear Meeting in Chicago. Along with the purpose
of sharing new production technologies and methods of
operations management, the Production
Technology and Operations Committee has also
been charged with developing NCMA’s Plant
Certification Program by 2015. Currently the
certification is on track to be revealed for review
at this year’s Midyear Meeting. Production
Technology and Operations Committee also
oversees the following Subcommittees and task
groups:
Environmental Health and Safety Subcommittee:
Completed the first Safety Data Sheet (as
required by OSHA’s Global Harmonization
System initiative) template for member use. This will
replace the current Material Safety Data Sheets which are
used by our customers as a communication tool.
Also in line with the new Global Harmonization Standard
is a requirement for product labeling which communicates
potential hazards and methods of safe handling.
Safety Awards Subcommittee
The subcommittee processed a change to the Milestone
Award to now be awarded after five years plus service as
opposed to the previous requirement of 5,8, and 10 year
marks.
Plant Certification Task Group
Bruce Loris of Oberfields LLC, is now the acting chair of
the Plant Certification Task Group. Bruce’s experience as
a current NPCA Certified Plant manager is recognized to
be an asset to the continued momentum of putting
NCMA’s Plant Certification Program in Place.
MASONRY COMMITTEE he Masonry Committee continues to review the
Association’s objectives to advance markets for
concrete masonry construction. Key activities and
discussion focused on developing solutions to effectively
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contend with competing systems while targeting markets with
high growth potential for concrete masonry. A new task group
was created to explore opportunities to use dry-stack masonry
construction in single family and light commercial
applications – specifically in applications currently dominated
by light frame construction. Also created was a new
subcommittee charged with understanding competing systems
and developing strategies to address both technical and
promotional issues relative to each system and market
segment. To support these initiatives, the Masonry Systems
Selling Task Group has been charged with defining and
packaging the opportunities and message points to promote
concrete masonry systems as the most durable, energy
efficient, sustainable, fire resistant building system available.
This spring a new Product Category Rule (PCR) for concrete
masonry and segmental retaining wall units will be submitted
to ASTM for finalization. Once complete, companies can
begin the development of
Environmental Product
Declarations (EPDs).
NCMA continues to
collaborate with the Mason
Contractors Association of
America (MCAA) to create
and update national masonry
construction education
curriculum, strategies to
support producer and mason
coalitions, and ways to coordinate workforce activities. Rocky
Jenkins of CEMEX takes over the Committee from Midwest
Block and Brick’s Mark Wilhelms.
MANUFACTURED STONE COMMITTEE he Manufactured Stone Committee continues to refine
priorities and initiatives to accomplish this market
segment’s goals and objectives. Beginning in 2015, the
group will initiate participation in the cost versus value study
being coordinated by Remodeling magazine. This summer, the
recently published ASTM standards covering manufactured
stone veneer unit properties and minimum installation
requirements will be submitted to the appropriate model
building codes and standards for adoption. The Committee
also approved to the finalization and publication of the 4th
Edition Installation Guide for Adhered Manufactured Stone
Veneer systems. A new task group has been formed to explore
opportunities related to
product and installation
certification programs,
with recommendations to
be discussed at the
NCMA Midyear Meeting
this summer. David
Mariner of Boral has
taken over as Chairman of
the committee.
SRW AND HARDSCAPE PRODUCTS COMMITTEE he SRW and Hardscape Products Committee continues
to advance the association’s objectives to increase
market share for SRW and Hardscape products in
transportation and engineered project markets. Key activities
and discussions focused on continuing to monitor ASTM
standards for the ACBs and SRWs. The committee recognizes
the importance of working with and educating SRW
contractors and installers through webinars and classes that
will encourage them to continue using SRWs. The SRW
Marketing subcommittee will continue to promote the use of
SRWs and ACBs and develop materials that highlight the
versatility of these products. The Committee is developing
new design methodologies, promoting improvements to the
freeze-thaw durability of units, pursuing opportunities in
possible federal transportation funding authorization
legislation, and educating government officials.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP (YPG) CMA’s Young
Professionals
Group enjoyed
another successful
meeting with 20 members in attendance, and four new
members present at the meeting. The group discussed
NCMA’s social media plan, coordinating marketing
efforts with other NCMA committees, and plans for the
coming year. In addition, they recommended creating
YPG liaisons to various NCMA committees, as a way to
both create a line of communication with YPG and to
provide mentoring opportunities for those interested in
being more involved in committee activities.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE he Government Affairs Committee and politically
engaged industry guests heard an increasingly
optimistic prognosis from region champions and staff
guiding our industry’s full-court press at getting the heck-off
bill passed this year. Currently there are more than 150 Senate
and House cosponsors, and the bill is positioned to move. The
Committee also discussed stepping up NCMA’s legislative
and regulatory outreach with more and broader thrusts in an
expected post-Check-off scenario, including additional SRW
Transportation initiatives.
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) he NCMA PAC Committee reviewed, immediately
following the Government Affairs Committee meeting,
NCMA’s investments in support of the political
process and the need to increase revenues to support NCMA’s
political outreach. Outgoing NCMA Chairman Charles
Newsome challenged the Committee to redouble efforts to
raise needed funds as the industry approaches the finish line
for passing the Check-off bill, “We’re doing a lot with a little,
and we need to keep expanding the PAC to do even more,”
says Charles.
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NCMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS he Board met on Monday, February 10, at the
conclusion of all other association meetings. The
Board acted upon 34 action and advisory items from
committee reports and recommendations. Specific highlighted
actions are reported in this meeting recap under each
individual committee. The Board reaffirmed a balanced
budget and work plan for 2014. The following were seated as
new members of the NCMA Board of Directors:
Jason Schmitz, York Building Products (Region 1)
Tim Ortman, Oldcastle (Region 2)
Bob Goldman, County Materials (Region 3)
Darryl Winegar, Midwest Block and Brick (Region
4)
Brian Austin, Oldcastle (Region 5)
Phil Bonnel, Basalite Concrete Products (Region 5)
Bobby Correia, Rinox (Region 6)
Bill McHugh, Grace Construction Products
(Associates)
James Hammer, Westblock Systems (At Large)
The new officers of the Association were elected as follows:
Chairman of the Board: Dale Puskas, Basalite
Concrete Products
Chair-Elect: Joe Bowen, Mutual Materials
Past Chair: Charles Newsome, Johnson Concrete
ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIVISION BOARD he Associate Member Division Board invited all
members of the National Concrete Masonry
Association’s Associate Member Division (AMD) to
an open Associate Member Division Town Hall Meeting on
Friday, February 7, to educate Associate members about the
AMD Board and how members can become more involved.
The session was
moderated by AMD
Board Chairman, Jeff
Speck and preceded
the Associate Member Division Board meeting. Jeff plans to
conduct similar associate discussions during future NCMA
Annual Conventions.
During the Associate Member Division Board meeting the
committee discussed the success of the 2015 ICON-Xchange
format and encouraged the continuation of the B2B Exchange
and related events. There was a preference to locate next
year’s event in San Antonio, TX.
NCMA FOUNDATION he NCMA Foundation awarded five new grant requests
and two $2,500 scholarships at their Board of Trustees
meeting. Funding to support the following projects and
or research was approved:
12th
North American Masonry Conference – The
Masonry Society
“Masonry Designer’s Guide” – The Masonry Society
Design Framework for Geosynthetic Reinforced
SRW based on Limit Equilibrium Analysis
Residential Wall Type Selection Impacts – Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory
A Combined Numerical And Experimental Study:
Structural Behavior of Dry-Stacked Systems –
Clemson University
Scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year were awarded to
the following outstanding students:
Paul & Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student
Scholarship – Elizabeth Wheeler, Clemson
University
John & Marlene Heslip Architectural Student
Scholarship – Kristen Weigel, Roger Williams
University
The following individuals were elected to the Board of
Trustees for 2014:
Keith Haas, Chairman of the Board
Don Lampus, Chairman-Elect
Rick Roach, Secretary
Mike Finch, Director
Tim Ortman, Director
Ed Watson, Director
Rick Muth, Director
The deadline for receipt of grant applications to be considered
at the 2014 Midyear Meeting is May 30, 2104. Application
deadlines for the Lenchuk and Heslip scholarships for the
2015-2016 school year is December 1, 2014 for consideration
at the 2015 Annual Meeting. Application forms and more
information is available on the NCMA Foundation website.
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Outgoing committee chairs were
thanked for their leadership this year.
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NCMA Thanks Generous Sponsors for the 2014 Convention NCMA thanks all of its generous sponsors for their support. The sponsors of this year’s event were: