NSSGA’s Young Leaders keeps on growing

By |  May 2, 2023
Jeska Brodbeck of Be Light Consulting visited with the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s Young Leaders during a general session. Photo: P&Q Staff

Jeska Brodbeck of Be Light Consulting visited with the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s Young Leaders during a general session at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. Photo: P&Q Staff

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Young Leaders Annual Meeting continues to be a highly popular draw, setting an attendance record last week with more than 325 industry professionals on hand in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Learning opportunities were aplenty at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, with leaders inside and outside the industry addressing attendees.

Martin Marietta’s Ward Nye delivered a keynote address during one general session, and a panel consisting of All States Materials Group’s Seth Hankowski and three NSSGA employees discussed advocacy in another.

Another speaker who addressed the entire Young Leaders group was Justin Patton, an executive coach who challenged attendees to use their presence to communicate with stronger trust. Jeska Brodbeck of Be Light Consulting, meanwhile, shared her research on flow state while offering solutions in stress management.

“I think this has been a fantastic year,” says Ericka Baxter, operations manager at Capital Materials who served as chair of the Young Leaders Steering Committee for this year’s meeting. “I’m super excited about the amount of people we have and, as I’ve been talking about all year, the engagement. I think our sessions have been the best attended, and the amount of first-timers is amazing. We’ve done some things differently this year to help pull them in. I think it’s worked really well.”

Other educational offerings

FMI Capital Advisors’ Rob Mineo delivered a presentation titled “Economics and Future Drivers for Construction Materials,” offering insights about the current state of the industry. Photo: P&Q Staff

Says FMI Capital Advisors’ Rob Mineo: “The construction materials industry is less likely to feel a significant slowdown in the same way that other industries will.” Photo: P&Q Staff

The Young Leaders Annual Meeting presented additional learning opportunities in the form of breakout sessions. FMI Capital AdvisorsRob Mineo, for example, offered insights about the state of the economy and factors impacting the construction materials industry.

“All in all, I think you can say that a recession appears to be coming for the general economy,” says Mineo, who serves FMI as director. “That said, the construction materials industry is less likely to feel a significant slowdown in the same way that other industries will.”

According to Mineo, the construction industry tends to lag the economy by about eight to 12 months.

“It’s not in a bad way, it’s just something that happens to trickle down,” Mineo says. “If you have what I’ll call a ‘normal historic recession’ that only lasts eight to 12 months, it’s a lot easier to go into one already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So, if it’s only an eight-month recession, you still have to suffer through it, but you don’t have to panic and start replanning. You know both when it’s coming and when it will likely end.”

Other breakout sessions held during the Young Leaders Annual Meeting centered on ESG (environmental, social and governance), federal-aid funding, workforce culture, leadership and women in aggregates.

“When you typically think about this industry, we don’t get touchy-feely at all,” says Baxter, when asked about topics like trust and flow state that were on the educational slate. “That’s something that I think is a generational thing that may be changing. We’re really trying to speak to those differences, [such as] being a woman in the construction work. As we draw more of them in, that provides that diversity and maybe a different view for people who might not think that way traditionally.”

Other meeting takeaways

Cemex utilizes a dozen 150-ton haul trucks per shift at its FEC Quarry in Miami. Photo: P&Q Staff

Cemex utilizes a dozen 150-ton haul trucks per shift at its FEC Quarry in Miami. Photo: P&Q Staff

While education was a core component of the Young Leaders Annual Meeting, attendees also had the opportunity to tour Cemex’s FEC Quarry in nearby Miami.

A variety of networking opportunities were available to NSSGA’s Young Leaders, as well, including organized dinners, meet and greets, receptions and a karaoke night. Also, a golf tournament, a deep sea fishing getaway and an Everglades tour provided opportunities for Young Leaders to visit with one another.

Additionally, a series of beach games provided a chance for Young Leaders to further network and team build.

Kevin Yanik

About the Author:

Kevin Yanik is editor-in-chief of Pit & Quarry. He can be reached at 216-706-3724 or kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

Comments are closed