Pit & Quarry, May 2018

PITANDQUARRY COM An Inside Look IS NSSGA MERGING rade associations like all organizations merge from time to time The National Stone Sand Gravel Association NSSGA for example officially came to be 17 years ago when the National Stone Association NSA and National Aggregates Association T NAA merged Could the national association representing the aggregate industry again be headed down the merger road Merger was a buzzword at this years NSSGA Annual Convention specifically the notion of consolidating NSSGA with four other organizations including the American Concrete Paving Association ACPA the National Asphalt Pavement Association NAPA the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association NRMCA and the Portland Cement Association PCA According to multiple sources NSSGA outlined its merger idea at a meeting in Houston making the case that pooling resources and dollars would give the greater construction materials industry more clout on Capitol Hill Advocacy as a number of NSSGA members see it is job number one of the association NSSGA ramped up its advocacy efforts by launching the Legislative Policy Forum last fall In addition ROCKPAC continues to provide a means to influence legislators But in a consolidating industry is our collective voice being heard in Washington Its a question the decision makers at NSSGA are obviously exploring as they ponder merging with like minded associations The major producer acquisitions that occurred in 2017 likely spurred some of this new thinking Vulcan Materials bought Aggregates USA and Martin Marietta purchased Kevin Yanik EDITOR IN CHIEF Bluegrass Materials Acquisitions like these reduce the number of dollars we can contribute through the PAC In turn our collective voice diminishes Through advocacy the goal is to put in place a highway bill that ultimately elevates demand for aggregate But President Trump does not expect Congress to pass his grand infrastructure plan before Novembers midterm elections These are our realities Merging NSSGA with organizations like ACPA NAPA NRMCA and PCA is easier said than done though When NSA and NAA finally merged to form NSSGA in 2001 a deal wasnt struck overnight That merger evolved after discussions that stretched back two decades and the two organizations that united then were more alike than the five discussed in Houston NSSGA made it clear at its convention however that it would like to have something done by January 2019 The likelihood of completing a merger by then is probably low and any merger that involves NAPA will be a challenge According to one source an NSSGA representative approached a NAPA representative in Houston about being part of a collective merger The NAPA rep indicated that NAPA was not aware of any desire for such a merger and that NAPA adamantly would not want to be a part of any merger More on any merger is likely to surface in the months to come Well keep you up to speed of any new details that develop P Q North Coast Media LLC 1360 E Ninth St Suite 1070 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