The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) Annual Meeting last week drew more than 600 attendees to San Antonio.
Hosted at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, TACA’s 70th Annual Meeting featured a variety of speakers and networking opportunities. The meeting theme was “Preserving a Strong Foundation.”
“‘Preserving a Strong Foundation’ pays homage to those who have committed to preserving the environment – well before conservation was in the spotlight,” says Kevin Kipp, president of Few Ready Mix Concrete Co. who served as outgoing TACA chairman at the meeting. “And it underscores one of our most important assets: our people, who will lay the foundation for the next 70 years.”
BuildWitt’s Aaron Witt served as the meeting’s keynote, touching on the industry’s workforce challenges. As TACA describes, 40 percent of the construction industry and 50 percent of the mining industry is now retiring.
“Rather than view this as a catastrophe, we can think of this as the biggest opportunity we’ve had in a long time,” Witt says. “By focusing on being a best-in-class company that attracts the right workforce, we can perform better and serve humanity better. Best-in-class companies take an active role in their future. When needed, they are not reluctant to change course.”
Josh Leftwich, president and CEO of TACA, agrees workforce development is essential to the industry’s success.
“Workforce development is not just about individual skill-building,” he says. “It is also about nurturing a resilient, adaptable and forward-thinking workforce that serves as the backbone of a thriving aggregates industry. Robust workforce development is sculpting a future where every stone of potential is meticulously honed to ensure a strong, resilient workforce ever-ready to build a strong Texas.”
Rob Mineo, managing director at FMI Capital Advisors who contributes each quarter to Pit & Quarry, also served as a meeting speaker, providing an update on the construction materials market.
