The 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference is a wrap, with aggregates industry leaders gathering Tuesday and Wednesday for education and networking at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.
The annual meeting attracted more than 80 registrants. Roundtable discussions explored the current business environment, equipment and technology innovations, safety and health, and how geopolitical events may impact the industry.
“We were proud to bring together so many leaders from across the industry for this year’s Roundtable,” says Rob Fulop, group publisher of Pit & Quarry. “With significant changes shaping the sector, the event provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate where we are today and consider what lies ahead alongside those helping drive the industry forward.”
What speakers shared
The 2026 Roundtable featured three speakers: the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Evan Bender, Ogletree Deakins’ Bill Doran and FMI Capital Advisors’ George Reddin. Bender and Doran each shared their expertise during individual Q&A sessions with Pit & Quarry‘s Kevin Yanik.
Bender, who serves NSSGA as director of government affairs, shared perspective on the association’s leadership transition. He also touched on the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) and how NSSGA is approaching the next bill as IIJA is set to expire this September.
“I would expect we see a highway bill in either late April or early May,” Bender says. “[IIJA] expires on Sept. 30, so it’s critical that Congress gets moving if we want to see a new bill this year. That’s what we’re pushing for.”
Doran, meanwhile, focused his comments on Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) developments. Doran, who is a workplace safety lawyer representing mining companies, reflected on the MSHA environment right now. He provided updates on the agency’s respirable crystalline silica rule and what producers can expect now that Wayne Palmer heads MSHA as assistant secretary.
“We’ve only had a small sample size of what Wayne Palmer can do because he’s only been assistant secretary since October,” Doran says. “We’ve seen certain things that demonstrate what Palmer has already emphasized – more cooperation and collaboration with mine operators and not writing citations just for the purpose of padding statistics. We’re still waiting to see how that’s going to look numbers-wise.”
In another presentation, Reddin delivered a construction materials market outlook for 2026, providing insights on industry trends – including mergers and acquisitions.
“2025 was a record year for both deal count and deal value,” Reddin says. “In North America, we have a very similar story and consolidation is continuing. In our space, I’ve said volumes are anemic. This is driving the need to grow, not just because [producers] stock prices are doing well and their earnings are good, but because they need to keep Wall Street happy. They have to keep growing.”
Producer contributions
Additionally, three aggregate producers contributed to the educational program, sharing their experiences and outlooks during a panel discussion titled “Beyond the Machine: AI, Autonomy and the Future of Operations.” The producers who served on the panel were Thomas Haun (Turner Staffing Group), Bryan Scepaniak (WD Scepaniak) and Tim Theobald (Kraemer Mining & Materials).
With operations still piloting AI and autonomous tools, the three panelists were asked how they decide which processes to pursue and which technology partners to select. Haun pointed to the back office as ripe with opportunity.
“There’s a lot happening on the back-office side where software can make a big impact,” says Haun, president of Turner Staffing Group. “It may not always be field-ready, but these platforms can give you data on everything. Implementing that is an interesting way to impact operations.”
In addition to hearing from the panelists and featured speakers, Roundtable attendees had the opportunity to share their own views during a pair of concurrent roundtable-style discussions that covered a range of topics.
What else you missed
A golf outing at LaPlaya and a cocktail reception welcomed attendees to Naples.
Look for more coverage from the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference in the magazine’s May edition. Additional Roundtable content will be published in summer editions of the magazine.
Related: Find out what Roundtable panelists shared on AI, automation and more
