From President and CEO Nick Rhoad
As I complete my first full year serving as President and CEO of our NPCA, I can honestly say this past year has been one for the books! I’m grateful to each of you for your support, collaboration and dedication to moving our association — and our industry — forward.
A big area of growth for NPCA in the past year has been workforce innovation. You told us that attracting and retaining skilled employees is the biggest challenge you face. In response, we have expanded our education offerings in high-demand areas like employee recruitment and retention and will soon be announcing a year’s worth of webinars and online learning tools to meet your needs. We launched our first student mentoring program, pairing 10 enthusiastic students with seasoned NPCA member mentors. We’ve also begun planning C-suite education, recognizing the importance of strong leadership at every level. Looking ahead, we’ll soon announce strategic partnerships with top providers in leadership and workforce education, offering discounted resources exclusively to our members.
We rolled out a new look at the end of 2024, and if you were at TPS you saw our new branding on full display. The change has been met with enthusiasm and many positive comments. Our new, bolder brand is just one step in telling the story of the importance of precast to more people in new ways.
One of those ways is through stronger advocacy efforts. In continued partnership with PCI, we have hired a new lobbyist, and we’re increasing our surveillance at the state level to ensure our industry’s voice is heard. Meanwhile, our soon-to-launch precastlife.com will educate specifiers, students, legislators and the public about the vital role precast concrete plays in modern life. We hope you will use the site to share with others what you do and why it’s so important.
In addition, NPCA has obtained SMaRT certification for all its members this past year, giving producer members a credential they can use when bidding on projects that include green initiatives. And there’s more to come — this year we’ll be piloting a new personnel certification program to further elevate professional standards.
These are just a few of the things NPCA has accomplished with and for its members in the past year. Thank you for an incredible first year. Together, we will continue advancing the precast industry.