Names Officers, Presents Awards for Outstanding Industry Service
Alexandria, VA – March 31, 2026
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association held its 2026 Annual Convention earlier this month in Las Vegas, NV, electing a new slate of officers for its 2026 – 2027 term while also presenting a number of awards for outstanding industry service.
Succeeding G. Carlton Golden, Jr., president of Builders Supply Company, Inc., a CRH Company, Bossier City, LA, as chairman of the Board of Directors is Scott Brewer, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Dolese Bros. Co., Oklahoma City. Elected vice chairman was Henry Batten, president of Concrete Supply Co., LLC, Charlotte, NC and elected secretary/treasurer was Charlie Rohde, president of King’s Material, Inc. and chief executive officer of the Dakota Red Corporation, Cedar Rapids, IA.
In addition, the following individuals were elected to serve on the NRMCA Executive Committee: Sarah Beasley (Capital Concrete, Inc., dba Vulcan Materials Co.), Chris Hobby (Heidelberg Materials), Michael LeMonds (Amrize), Andrew Lester (MMC Materials, Inc.), Victor McMillan (B&B Concrete Co., Inc.), Bill Mullen (CalPortland Co.), David Nabavi (Cemex) and D. Van Smith, Jr. (Van-Smith Concrete Co., Inc.). Scott Parson (CRH Americas Materials) was selected to serve as the past chair representative.
Brief summaries of each award presented at the convention are listed below. Please click here to access more background on the recipients and the awards themselves.
Robert A. Garbini Chairman’s Award – In recognition of his dedication and leadership, Henry Batten was named the recipient of the prestigious 2026 Robert A. Garbini Chairman’s Award. Having previously served as NRMCA Board chairman in 2009 and stepping forward to serve as vice chairman in both 2025 and 2026, Mr. Batten has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the industry and the Association. He is someone who consistently has answered the call when the organization needs him most and his steady leadership and thoughtful perspective helped guide NRMCA through a particularly complex year.
Over the years, Mr. Batten has served on nearly every NRMCA Standing Committee and has chaired many of them. He has also served on the NRMCA Board of Directors and the Executive Committee multiple times. This award is a reflection of the respect he continues to earn from across the organization and is a testament to Mr. Batten’s steadfast service to NRMCA and to the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole.
State Association of the Year Award – The 2025 winner was the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association in recognition of its Emerging Leaders Program which was launched in 2024 to address one of the industry’s most critical needs: developing the next generation of leaders for the concrete and construction sectors. In addition, CRMCA’s Technical Support Program delivers tangible value to members across North and South Carolina through specification review, sustainability education, research partnerships and collaborative policy development.
A key milestone within CRMCA’s 2025 promotion strategy was integrating NRMCA programs and services into its outreach efforts. This included elevating awareness of Design Assistance, specification review and curated educational offerings to ensure consistent, aligned messaging between state and national initiatives. By embedding these services into CRMCA’s promotional framework, the association strengthened value delivery to members while amplifying the reach and impact of NRMCA resources.
Richard D. Gaynor Award – The 2026 award was presented to Teck Chua, director of technical services for Vulcan Materials Company. Mr. Chua has been active in the concrete industry for 40 years with experience in companies involved in precast/prestressed, aggregates and ready mixed concrete. With Vulcan Materials and preceding companies, he has been active in the Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland region. He is a graduate of Purdue University where he received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering.
Mr. Chua is a Fellow of ACI and has been an active member on Committees 301 Specifications for Structural Concrete, 207 Mass and Thermally Controlled Concrete and 211 Proportions for Concrete. He has also been active on ASTM and involved in the local ACI chapters and state associations to lead and support local initiatives impacting the industry. He has supported an annual interlaboratory strength testing program in the Washington, DC, area for more than 35 years.
Mr. Chua has served on the NRMCA Research, Engineering and Standards (RES) Committee for several years, supporting committee initiatives on developing publications, resources on quality, performance-based specifications and other initiatives. He has supported NRMCA education programs by presenting at courses and is an approved inspector for the NRMCA plant certification program.
The award is named for Richard D. Gaynor who served NRMCA for more than 40 years until he retired in 1997 as the executive vice president of the Engineering Division.
William B. Allen Award – The 2026 William B. Allen Award was presented to G. Carlton Golden, Jr., president of Builders Supply Company, Inc., a CRH Company, Bossier City, LA and immediate past president of the NRMCA Board of Directors. In receiving the award, Mr. Golden was praised for representing the best of the ready mixed concrete industry, including financial acumen, family tradition and customer service.
This award is named after one of the ready mixed concrete industry’s most distinguished and accomplished figures, Bill Allen, who served the concrete and aggregates industries for more than 50 years.
Promoter of the Year Award – Buildings – Jim Little, director of technical sales, National Ready Mixed Concrete Company Mr. Little was honored for his three decades of hands-on experience in the construction and materials industry where he holds primary responsibility over the company’s sustainability opportunities and overall concrete promotion. He has been instrumental in bridging gaps and breaking down barriers that have previously hindered the advancement of low carbon concrete and other industry innovations.
Through countless lunch and learns and consulting opportunities at such firms as ARUP, Gensler, Walter P. Moore, Saiful Bouquet and numerous others, Mr. Little has brought perspective and tangible specifications into the modern age of performance-based design and carbon budgeting. In addition to his direct involvement with specifiers and users of concrete, he has also been a critical leader in advancing the use of ASTM C595 blended cements. His efforts have resulted in the usage of approximately 1.5 million tons of National Cement’s PLC in the California market over the past year.
Promoter of the Year Award – Pavement – Corey Zollinger, director of sustainable infrastructure solutions, at CEMEX. Mr. Zollinger was praised for working with public and private owners, engineering consultants and contractors on optimizing concrete pavement designs for initial cost, life cycle cost, construction expediency, performance and life cycle environmental impact. Part of his responsibility is to teach engineers how to provide better consulting to their clients and, where necessary, train contractors, inspectors and owners regarding these solutions.
He was also instrumental in developing and founding the Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement Promotion and Research Council with the mission to build awareness of RCC pavements, support and advocate for research and partner with allied industry groups, government agencies and other decision makers to improve and promote the use of RCC. And besides co-chairing the NRMCA Promotion Committee, Mr. Zollinger is also chair of the Environmental and Sustainability Committee for the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association.
State Affiliate Promoter of the Year Award – Oliver “Skip” Dulle, executive director emeritus, Concrete Council of St. Louis. Mr. Dulle has selflessly supported the industry, mixing old school relationship building with cutting edge digital promotion reporting and management techniques to successfully advance concrete promotion for pavements and buildings throughout metro St. Louis.
He has championed campaigns leading to over 1 million square feet of concrete parking lot overlays, extensive local preference for concrete residential streets and effective growth of insulating concrete form construction citywide. He has created Promotion Books where project examples and testimonials put a face on concrete benefits, making them more relatable to potential customers. Combined with his “Snack Box” giveaways for agency or owners’ breakrooms, these leave behinds have fostered follow up meetings and project success with key decision makers.
Mr. Dulle has developed an elaborate reporting system to measure and share promotion effectiveness with the Council Board. By tracking direct contact hours, he can continually assess program value. A digital promotion management program automatically generates weekly activity schedules, resulting in timely follow up to maintain Council effectiveness.
John W. Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion – Daniel DeGraaf, past executive director of the Michigan Concrete Association since its merger with the Michigan Concrete Paving Association in October 2009 until his retirement on December 31, 2023.
Mr. DeGraaf graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and began his career with Eisenhour Construction. He moved to Colorado upon Eisenhour’s westward expansion and later worked for Kiewit on various projects throughout the western states. After returning to the Midwest, specifically with Rieth-Riley and then Hunt Paving, both in Indiana, he began working as a concrete paving contractor. Mr. DeGraaf joined the Michigan Concrete Pavement Association in 2000 as a promoter for the western part of the state. He was able to flip local resurfacing projects to intersection whitetopping, giving the area ready mix suppliers additional work and yardage to quote.
He took over as executive director of MCPA in 2006 and successfully led the organizations through and past the merger, resulting in a unified and robust concrete association that promotes and supports all uses of concrete in the state of Michigan, with a strong focus on infrastructure. Mr. DeGraaf helped ensure that the merged association was stronger and had a wide range of revenue streams so that dues and non-dues revenue were balanced and multiple dues categories ensured that a downturn in one segment of the industry would not negatively impact the association.
This award was named in honor of former NRMCA Chairman John Watts Roberts who over a 76-year career was a leader in both the industry and his community.
Concrete Cares Award – The Manufacturers, Products & Services Division of NRMCA recognized three member companies: one winner and two honorable mentions. The first honorable mention recipient was Dolese Bros. Co.; $500 was donated to the American Cancer Society’s Chad Richison Hope Lodge. The second recipient was Wayne Davis Concrete; $500 was donated to the Tanner Health Foundation.
The overall winner was CalPortland Company. In 2025, company employees supported more than 40 education programs and 300 community initiatives, reaching more than 178,000 people through hands-on service, partnership and generosity. CalPortland supported food banks, foster youth, senior citizens, veterans and children with special needs. The company made an 800 cubic yard donation of concrete to support Angela’s House in Portland, OR, to help create a new home for woman and children needing a fresh start. A $1,000 donation was made to Union Gospel Mission to support Angela’s House.
Shydlowski-Turner Materials Leadership Award – Doug Acker, Great Lakes regional manager, Euclid Chemical Company is responsible for promoting admixtures, fibers and construction products throughout the Midwest. In this role, he and his team work closely with concrete producers, contractors, distributors and A&E firms. Mr. Acker was praised as one who embodies Euclid Chemical’s core values, including the belief that trust is earned and “doing business with us should be easy.”
This award is named in honor of L. Michael Shydlowski who spent 35 years in the concrete industry, retiring in 2007 after serving as president of Master Builders/BASF Admixtures and Robert P. Turner who spent 34 years with W.R. Grace, retiring as vice president/general manager of the Global Construction Chemicals sector in 1999.
Nathan McKean Winners Award for Leadership in Advocacy – Scott Olin is the first recipient of this award which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to NRMCA’s political and advocacy programs and is named after past Board chairman Nathan McKean who left a legacy of engagement, leadership and support for the Association’s advocacy efforts.
Mr. Olin retired in December 2025 after a 45-year career at NRMCA Producer member Dickinson Ready Mix Co. in North Dakota. He has served multiple terms on the NRMCA Board of Directors and was recognized twice with national awards, the 2020 National Pavement Promoter of the Year and the 2022 Bruno Benna Award for his work on the Government Affairs Committee. In addition, Mr. Olin was elected to serve as an NRMCA Honorary Board Member for life during the spring NRMCA Board of Directors’ meeting.
Membership Excellence Award – Ric Suzio of The L. Suzio Concrete Co., Inc. was honored for championing NRMCA and its members while serving as a steadfast partner and supporter of Association staff behind the scenes. In recognition of his efforts, the award will now be formally named The Ric Suzio Award for Membership Excellence.
Mr. Suzio has long been a dedicated and influential leader within NRMCA, serving as Board chairman in 2015 and helping guide the Association through a period defined by stronger collaboration and meaningful progress on key strategic priorities. He is a highly engaged and widely respected member who has consistently contributed to NRMCA’s governance with steady leadership, thoughtful insight and a readiness to step in whenever support is needed.
He has been a trusted voice and mentor to many, generously sharing his time, perspective and encouragement with both peers and staff. His commitment to advancing the ready mixed concrete industry has always been deeply personal, grounded in a genuine belief in the Association’s mission and the people behind it. Known for his collaborative spirit and unwavering support of those around him, Mr. Suzio has left an enduring mark on NRMCA. His legacy is one of dedication and heart, an example of the kind of leadership that not only moves an industry forward, but also strengthens the community at its core.
Carpenter – Mullings Award – Max Stephens was recognized for outstanding lifetime contributions to the ready mixed concrete industry in the fields of operations, environmental and safety. Mr. Stephens’ father founded the Stephens Manufacturing Company in 1957; growing up, Max Stephens built concrete equipment, operated heavy machinery, made sales calls and delivered equipment, among many other duties. Under his leadership, the company expanded significantly, implementing innovative technologies and expanding its workforce. Max Stephens is now the president and CEO of Stephens Manufacturing with over 50 years of service to the company and is widely recognized for his longstanding participation in NRMCA committees and Board positions throughout his career.
This award is named in honor of Joseph E. Carpenter of Rinker Materials who was instrumental in the formation and early operation of the NRMCA Committee on Maintenance, and Gary M. Mullings of NRMCA for his more than 50 years of service to the industry. The award was instituted in 1988 and is presented annually to person(s) who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime contributions to the ready mixed concrete industry in the fields of operations, environmental and safety.
NRMCA Staff Award for Distinguished Service – The staff of NRMCA presented an Appreciation Award to Joe Roche in recognition of his exceptional leadership and service during a pivotal time for the Association. In October 2024, the Executive Committee asked Mr. Roche to step in as interim president to provide stability and guidance during a period of transition. While continuing to serve as chief financial officer for both NRMCA and the American Cement Association, he took on the additional responsibility of leading the Association’s day-to-day operations.
Throughout his tenure as interim president, Mr. Roche has provided steady leadership and reassurance to both staff and members. By guiding the Association through a challenging period while maintaining his financial leadership responsibilities, he has helped position NRMCA for continued success and a smooth transition to its next chapter.
Driver of the Year Award – This award was announced in early February. The winner was Bruce Mitchell of Ozinga. Complete details of Mr. Mitchell and the runners-up can be found here.