Well, here we are. Halfway through 2020 and what a year it’s been! I hope each of you – and all those around you – are staying safe and healthy. While there’s no doubt it has been a challenging year, we as an industry have seemed to fare a bit better than others. Trucks are still running, delivering concrete to various job sites across the state and Building Virginia Strong! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s a good time to be in the concrete business!

As we enter the second half of the year, I wanted to take a minute to share a few thoughts with you and provide a few updates. First and most importantly, I wanted to thank you all. We have faced some uncertain and difficult times the past few months. We recognize everyone is just trying to keep things moving forward, keeping employees safe and taking care of day-to-day business challenges. Yet your support for our association hasn’t wavered. Yes, interactions have changed; face-to-face meetings have been put on hold for the time being. But know we’re still here working to make sure you have a voice within Virginia. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.

So what exactly has been going on the past six months within our association? Well, many hours were spent talking with legislators to make sure our industry was considered essential in Virginia. This was a big win for all of us. It meant we were able to continue doing what we do best while much of the state was shut down.

Our marketing and promotional efforts have continued in earnest. Promotional conversations are taking place daily with our industry partners and meetings that were originally scheduled to take place in April are now being rescheduled as online events. Speaking of online events, something that was new to our marketing efforts this year – even before COVID-19 hit – were Webinars. To date we have held three; one for membership and two for key outside audiences. You can read more about the Webinars in this newsletter.

We’ve also held discussions on planning for our VRMCA 2020 Fall Convention. At this point we are cautiously optimistic we will be able to gather at the Greenbrier in late October. Planning is moving forward but please know that things may change based on safety concerns. We’ll be sending out information as soon as we can so keep an eye out for an email with details.

A quick plug here for the various VRMCA Committees. Now is a great time to get involved! Are you passionate about safety? Maybe you have an interest in all things technical. How about a background in marketing or promotions? There’s a committee for each of those and more! We’re always interested in hearing fresh perspectives. I encourage you to reach out if you’d like to participate.

I’ll close with this: Let’s not forget to take a minute to celebrate the work we do and the people who work with us; especially during this crazy time. We have an excellent opportunity to share that information with the community-at-large via our VRMCA social media pages. I encourage you to support the “I Build Virginia Strong!” campaign which just hit its first full year, or send along information about a project you’re involved with right now so we can do a quick write-up. This information helps reinforce the important role we plan in Virginia, highlights those that work in our industry and promotes the various projects you all are involved with across the state.

Together, let’s Build Virginia Strong!