
Jim Nickolas, executive vice president and CFO of Martin Marietta, took over as chairman of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) during its Annual Convention in Nashville.
All States Materials Group’s Seth Hankowski, the outgoing chairman of NSSGA, joined Nickolas for the traditional gavel exchange during the annual board and membership meeting of the association.
“It’s an exciting time to be in aggregates,” says Nickolas, who offered P&Q an industry outlook and his list of priorities as NSSGA chairman prior to the Annual Convention. “The stone, sand and gravel industry is the foundation for so many products we use every day. The nation’s infrastructure, including roads, dams and pipelines, depends on the materials we provide.”
While thanking NSSGA members and fellow leaders for their commitment to the organization, Nickolas spoke about the importance of working together as one group to continue the momentum NSSGA and the industry have experienced in recent years.
Acknowledging that the country’s political environment is often divided, Nickolas says he would strive, as NSSGA’s leader, to further the view that infrastructure investment is a non-partisan issue that affects every American. Nickolas also says he would work to unite all material providers around NSSGA’s mission.
“My goal is to work across the industry until 100 percent of producers are active members of NSSGA,” Nickolas says. “No matter our size, we face many of the same challenges. We must seek solutions as one. Among our many shared tasks is to make our value clear. The most effective way to do this is to share our recent successes while emphasizing that we are stronger together.”
Nickolas’ leadership experience spans more than 23 years and includes roles with Caterpillar and J.P. Morgan Securities. He joined Martin Marietta in 2017.