Happy New Year and welcome to 2020, the beginning of a new year and a new decade!
By way of introduction, my name is Fred Grubbe, and I am privileged and honored to take the reins from Ty Gable as just the fourth President of the National Precast Concrete Association since its founding in 1965. In the months leading up to this day, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of our organization’s leaders and members, and I’m looking forward to meeting you.
In the coming months, I will hit the road to attend and represent NPCA at industry trade shows and events, including World of Concrete and the Northeast Precast Concrete Association’s (NEPCA) annual meeting. I also plan to visit a number of plants, as I’ve already received several kind invitations. I am eager to learn, and I will look to you to help provide some of that education.
NPCA is comprised of and led by outstanding people. Our Board, chaired by Jon Ohmes, provides the organization with a rich blend of experience, leadership, wisdom and passion for our industry. On the staff side, Ty Gable assembled a top-flight professional team that brings to life NPCA’s many programs and services, and I’m excited to join the team as its leader.
President Harry S. Truman once said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” I strongly believe in those words and do my best to abide by them because I realize the strength of the team, rather than of one individual, ensures collective success. The NPCA team – the members, the Board, the committees and the staff – has worked together successfully for more than 50 years to bring the organization to its present stage. And now, in this new decade, we will look to add to this legacy.
With opportunity comes responsibility, which is why I’m grateful for the opportunity before me. I embrace the responsibility, and I am bullish on our future. With your help and support, I will provide honest, strong leadership and vision to the organization, while ensuring that NPCA successfully continues to lead, represent and respond to the needs of its members and the industry.
Before I sign off, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate Ty Gable on his retirement and to thank him for his nearly 26 outstanding years as NPCA President. NPCA has thrived under Ty’s steady hand, and I want to wish him well as he moves on to write the next chapter in his life. A job well done, Ty, and thank you for everything!
Let me close with a favorite quote from Mark Twain: “A little more kindness, A little less speed, A little more giving, A little less greed, A little more smile, A little less frown, A little less kicking, A man while he’s down, A little more “We”, A little less “I”, A little more laugh, A little less cry, A little more flowers, On the pathway of life, And fewer on graves, At the end of the strife.”
Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to a prosperous, healthy 2020!
Fred Grubbe
President, National Precast Concrete Association
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