National Stone Sand And Gravel Association

REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION AGGREGATES INDUSTRY BEFORE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

MEETINGS, EVENTS & MEMBERSHIP:MEMBERSHIPTHE MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT HAD ANOTHER STRONG YEAR FOR NSSGA ON BOTH THE PRODUCER AND M&S FRONTS. PRODUCER MEMBERSHIP WAS UP 6% OVER 2022 AND THE MANUFACTURERS & SERVICES DIVISION WAS UP 4% OVER 2022. ALL TOLD, 472 COMPANIES ARE MEMBERS OF NSSGA, 1.5% OVERALL GROWTH. THIS IS A RESULT OF PROSPECTING, DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH KEY CONTACTS, HAVING ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS IN ADDITION TO THE WORK OF THE ENTIRE ASSOCIATION STAFF AND NSSGA BEING AT THE FOREFRONT OF CRITICAL ADVOCACY ISSUES. MEETINGS/EVENTSNSSGA'S CORNERSTONE ANNUAL EVENTS, ANNUAL CONVENTION, YOUNG LEADERS, LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND LEGISLATIVE & POLICY FORUM EACH BOASTED RECORD ATTENDANCE AND INCREASED MEMBER ENGAGEMENT. IT'S NOTEWORTHY TO MENTION THAT THROUGH THE WORK OF THE VARIOUS PLANNING COMMITTEES, ADDITIONAL BREAKOUT CONTENT IS BEING ADDED TO EACH OF THESE MEETINGS WHICH HAS PROVIDED A VITAL FORUM OF EXCHANGE AND ENGAGEMENT FOR OUR MEMBERS. SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, POLITICAL OUTLOOK, SUSTAINABILITY, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS. THE ANNUAL CONVENTION WAS HELD IN LAS VEGAS AND WAS CO-LOCATED WITH TWO OTHER CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ASSOCIATIONS, THE NATIONAL READY MIX CONCRETE ASSOCIATION AND PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION. CAL RIPKEN KEYNOTED THE JOINT GENERAL SESSION AND WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY. ALL OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES MET DURING THIS EVENT AND CONTINUE TO DO THE IMPORTANT BUSINESS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 2023 IS AN OUT YEAR FOR AGG1 IT IS THE YEAR NSSGA PARTICIPATES IN CONEXPO/CON-AGG. THE YOUNG LEADERS EVENT WAS HELD IN FORT LAUDERDALE AND HAD A LINEUP OF INDUSTRY SPEAKERS, PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS AND ENGAGING BREAKOUT CONTENT. SOME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A WOMEN IN AGGREGATES PANEL, A KEYNOTE FROM OUR MEMBER COMPANY, COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUNG LEADERS TO RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHILE MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. THE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT WAS HELD IN CHARLESTON, SC AND BROUGHT IN A HEALTHY MIX OF MEMBERS AND GUESTS. MANY NSSGA COMMITTEE MEETINGS WERE HAD IN ADDITION TO BREAKOUT SESSIONS ON SAFETY AND HEALTH, COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND WORKFORCE ALL WERE VERY WELL ATTENDED. ATTENDEES HEARD FROM JEFF EGGERS WITH THE MCCHRYSTAL GROUP ON LEADERSHIP AND HOW TO GUIDE A TEAM. THE LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FORUM WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN FRONT OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR STAFF TO TELL THE STORY OF THE AGGREGATES INDUSTRY TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. NSSGA CO-LOCATED HILL DAY WITH THE NATIONAL ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS THE NATIONAL READY MIX CONCRETE ASSOCIATION. ATTENDEES PARTICIPATED IN VARIOUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS, HEARD FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND CHRIS STIREWALT, A POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND ANALYST. NSSGA IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING MEMBERS LEADING EDUCATIONAL CONTENT THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS. WEBINARS AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS CONTINUE TO MEET OUR MEMBERS WHERE THEY ARE THIS OMNI CHANNEL APPROACH CONTINUES TO SEE SIGNIFICANT ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION FROM OUR MEMBER COMPANIES. OUR STRONG NUMBERS OF WEBINAR PARTICIPATION ARE A CATALYST TO CONTINUE TO BRING EDUCATION TO OUR MEMBERSHIP. NSSGA HAS ADDED TWO STUDENT CHAPTERS TO OUR ROSTER COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES AND UK. WE ARE MAKING STRIDES AT SEVERAL OTHER SCHOOLS AND CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE INCREASED PARTICIPATION FROM OUR STUDENT CHAPTERS. NSSGA SUPPORTS OUR STUDENT CHAPTERS BY PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS AND COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION TO OUR CORNERSTONE EVENTS. NSSGA HAS NEARLY TRIPLED SPONSORSHIP REVENUES IN FOUR YEARS AND CONTINUES TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR MANUFACTURERS & SERVICES DIVISION TO REALIZE BRAND RECOGNITION, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACCESS AND PROVIDE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP. NSSGA STAFF WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR M&S MEMBERS TO INCREASE NON-DUES REVENUE WHILE PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS.

GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS:IN 2023, NSSGA ADVANCED AGGREGATES INDUSTRY PRIORITIES AND SECURED POLICY WINS IN VARIOUS AREAS. SOME OF THE MOST NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE ACHIEVED IN THE FY23 OMNIBUS PROCESS TO ADVANCE INDUSTRY PRIORITIES, INCLUDING SECURING FLEXIBILITY FOR COVID RELIEF FUNDS, DEFEATING HARMFUL BILLS, AND PROMOTING MATERIALS NEUTRALITY.FOLLOWING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S FINALIZATION OF THE WOTUS RULE, NSSGA JOINED A COALITION TO OPPOSE IT AND SEEK A STAY, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING A CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT. A SIGNIFICANT WIN FOR THE INDUSTRY CAME WHEN THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN SACKETT V. EPA THAT THE "SIGNIFICANT NEXUS" TEST USED BY THE EPA WAS NO LONGER LEGALLY VALID. NSSGA CONTINUED ITS EFFORTS FOR A CLEAR WOTUS RULE BY MEETING WITH THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET AND WORKING WITH LAWMAKERS TO EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT THE REVISED RULE. NSSGA ALSO ADVOCATED FOR A CLEARER AND MORE ALIGNED INTERPRETATION OF THE RULE. FURTHERMORE, NSSGA ADDRESSED THE CORPS' HALT OF ISSUING APPROVED JURISDICTIONAL DETERMINATIONS AND WORKED TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS ISSUE.INDUSTRY'S VIEWS WERE HEARD AS NSSGA PROVIDED TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON VARIOUS INDUSTRY RELATED TOPICS, INCLUDING WOTUS RULE, IIJA IMPLEMENTATION, DOL REGULATIONS, AND SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES. FOR OVER A YEAR, NSSGA SOUNDED THE ALARM ABOUT THE ORIGINAL FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION DEC. 2021 MEMO, WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM THE INTENT OF THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW. NSSGA SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR CHANGES TO THIS MEMO AND FHWA FINALLY RELEASED A REVISED REPLACEMENT.NSSGA AND ITS PARTNERS SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR A FINAL RULE IMPLEMENTING THE BUILD AMERICA, BUY AMERICA (BABA) SOURCING REQUIREMENTS THAT ENSURES AGGREGATES, CONCRETE, AND ASPHALT SUPPLIED TO FEDERALLY FUNDED CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO NEW DOMESTIC SOURCING REQUIREMENTS. THIS VICTORY COMES AFTER YEARS OF PERSISTENT EFFORTS TO SECURE A LEGISLATIVE EXEMPTION FROM BABA, DESPITE ONGOING ATTEMPTS BY THE ADMINISTRATION AND CERTAIN VOICES IN CONGRESS TO REOPEN DISCUSSIONS AND IMPOSE CUMBERSOME REQUIREMENTS. THROUGH VARIOUS STRATEGIES, INCLUDING FILING COMMENTS, GENERATING GRASSROOTS SUPPORT, AND ENGAGING WITH LAWMAKERS, NSSGA PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN SECURING THIS FAVORABLE OUTCOME.FURTHER CEMENTING OUR ADVOCACY, FURTHER NSSGA ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE DEFEATING HARMFUL BILLS TARGETING AGGREGATES OPERATIONS; PROVIDED COMMENTS ON PROPOSED REGULATIONS RELATED TO THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AMONG OTHER TOPICS; OPPOSED HARMFUL AMENDMENTS IN DEFENSE BILLS; SUPPORTED PERMITTING REFORM EFFORTS; AND ADDRESSED RAIL SERVICE CHALLENGES AND ADVOCATED FOR INCREASED STB AUTHORITY.ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE, NSSGA HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE. SUPPORTING GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH FROM ESTEEMED UNIVERSITIES, ORGANIZING MEMBER WEBINARS ON TOPICAL SUBJECTS AND DEVELOPED AND APPROVED INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION AGGREGATES PCR AND EPDS. WE REMAIN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN STANDARDS COMMITTEES LIKE ASTM, AASHTO, AND ACI, AMONG OTHERS, AND ARE CONSTANTLY PUSHING FOR MORE AGGREGATE RESEARCH FUNDING.NSSGA ALSO PUSHED BACK ON OSHA'S INJURY AND ILLNESS TRACKING RULE AND PARTICIPATED IN MEETINGS ON OSHA HEAT INNLESS RULEMAKING. FURTHER, NSSGA SUBMITTED EXTENSIVE COMMENTS TO MSHA'S NEW RESPIRABLE CRYSTALLINE SILICA RULE BY FOCUSING ON THE NEED FOR MSHA TO ALIGN WITH OSHA, THE SEPARATION OF MNM AND COAL, AND URGED THE AGENCY TO ADOPT INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE BEST PRACTICES.IN 2023, NSSGA'S IMPACT FOR THE AGGREGATES INDUSTRY THROUGH IMPROVING THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT; PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR INDUSTRY MEMBERS TO SHARE THEIR VIEWS AND CONCERNS; CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS; AND ENHANCING THE INDUSTRY'S REPUTATION AND VISIBILITY.

COMMUNICATIONS:NSSGA COMMUNICATIONS WORKS CONTINUOUSLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR MEETINGS AND GOVERNMENT & REGULATORY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENTS TO REPRESENT OUR ISSUES AND ORGANIZATION TO THE PUBLIC AND TO OUR MEMBERS. WE DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEWS MEDIA COVERING OUR ISSUES TO ENSURE OUR POSITIONS ARE REPRESENTED, AND WE CONTINUALLY DELIVER VALUE TO OUR MEMBERS BY INFORMING THEM OF THE LATEST ACTIVITY AND ARMING THEM WITH THE MESSAGES THEY NEED TO ENGAGE.INFRASTRUCTURETHROUGHOUT THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, NSSGA COMMUNICATIONS KEPT OUR MEMBERS CONTINUALLY INFORMED OF THE STATE OF PLAY. WHEN ACTIONS HAPPENED, WE KEPT OUR MEMBERS INFORMED IN REAL-TIME THROUGH WASHINGTON ALERTS. WE CONTINUED TO KEEP OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH REPORTERS COVERING THE ISSUES TO ENSURE NSSGA'S POSITION WAS REFLECTED IN THE D.C. NEWS COVERAGE.MEMBERSHIP COMMUNICATIONSIN 2023, NSSGA'S COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT SENT OUT 309 E-MAILINGS TO NSSGA MEMBERS. THESE COMMUNICATIONS WERE BRANDED AND SEGMENTED BY TYPE, EVENT AND SUBJECT MATTER, WHICH ARE GROUPED INTO FIVE CATEGORIES: ADVOCACY/NEWS, ASSOCIATION NEWS & INFORMATION, WEBINARS, EVENTS, AND SAFETY. WITH OUR ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL, THIS HAS LED TO OUR AVERAGE OPEN RATE INCREASING TO 34.35 PERCENT FOR THE YEAR.DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS- NSSGA.ORG CONTINUES TO SHOW POSITIVE RESULTS AND INDICATE A POSITIVE USER EXPERIENCE WITH AN INCREASE IN PAGE VISITS, AVERAGE SESSION TIME, ENGAGEMENT AND CLICK-THROUGH RATES. IN 2023, THERE WERE 11,233 USERS ON NSSGA.ORG, LOGGED ON FOR 17,559 SESSIONS/PAGE VISITS. USERS VISITED AN AVERAGE OF 5.25 PAGES PER SESSION.- OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING CONTINUES TO GROW. IN 2023, WE EXCEEDED 5,000 FOLLOWERS ON BOTH FACEBOOK AND X, WHILE GARNERING MORE THAN 8,000 ON LINKEDIN.TARGETED WEBINARSIN CONTINUATION WITH THE BRANDING EFFORTS, WE SOLIDIFIED A ROBUST WEBINAR SERIES, UNDER THE BANNER OF "DELIVERING VALUE." THIS PROVIDES A DIGITAL FORUM TO UPDATE AND INFORM OUR MEMBERS ON A HOST OF PRIORITY ISSUES. THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM SENDS REGULAR EMAIL REMINDERS TO ENGAGE IN UPDATES ON REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE POLICY WHICH ARE COMBINED WITH GUEST SPEAKERS THROUGH OUR "POLICY BRIEFINGS." ADDITIONAL TARGETED PROGRAMMING IS OFFERED IN THE AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL, LEGAL, ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL AND HEALTH & SAFETY TO PROVIDE DETAILED UPDATES AND INFORMATION IN EACH CATEGORY.AWARDS OF EXCELLENCETHE ASSOCIATION ALSO CONTINUED TO RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE AMONG OPERATIONS WITH ITS OWN AWARDS PROGRAM. THESE AWARDS HIGHLIGHT FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. FOR THEIR COMMITMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN COMMUNITY RELATIONS, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. IN ADDITION TO THE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE, NSSGA ALSO AWARDED COMPANY SAFETY AWARDS AND SEVERAL OTHER TYPES OF INDIVIDUAL AWARDS DURING THE VIRTUAL LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FORUM HELD IN SEPTEMBER.STONE, SAND & GRAVEL REVIEW MAGAZINETHE STONE, SAND & GRAVEL REVIEW MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY AND SENT TO A CIRCULATION OF MORE THAN 4,000, WITH EVEN MORE VIEWING AND DOWNLOADING THE DIGITAL EDITION. THE ASSOCIATION'S FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION PROVIDES MEMBERS AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE ADVOCACY AND EVENTS HAPPENING THROUGH NSSGA. THE REVIEW MAGAZINE IS ANNUALLY RECOGNIZED BY OUR MEMBERS AS AMONG THE MOST TRUSTED COMMUNICATIONS THEY RECEIVE.