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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, info@ncma.org.

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.

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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:

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

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MARKETPLACE