The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association’s 2018 Young Leaders (YL) Annual Meeting, held April 25-28 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., was a great success with more than 200 people in attendance. The meeting helped attendees improve professional and personal skills through development sessions, networking opportunities, and community service and teambuilding projects.
Rock Products Associate Editor Josephine Patterson was on hand to present the Mark S. Walsh Award to Josh Swank of Philippi-Hagenbuch for his continued commitment to YL and the industry. Swank’s moving acceptance speech showcased the value of being a YL member and the lasting relationships that are formed through the group.
The Mark S. Walsh Award is sponsored by Rock Products.
This year’s general session speakers included Randy Lake, president of CRH Americas Materials; Gary W. Hambly, president and CEO of the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA); Ted Baker II, founder and president of Bluegrass Materials, Darin M. Matson, president and CEO of Rogers Group; and John Albright, president and general manager, Caldwell Stone Co.
Lake, who is also the incoming chairman of NSSGA, stated that “not only [is he] optimistic about [CRH Americas Materials] future, but also the industry as a whole.” He also said it was the responsibility of industry members to educate policymakers on the importance of infrastructure.
As part of the YL event, Vulcan Materials Co. hosted a trolley tour of its Chula Vista Quarry. The San Diego County operation mines a unique deposit of andesite, a durable volcanic rock, which is used to make high-strength, high-performance concrete. The quarry also produces a wide range of aggregates used for asphalt, as well as riprap and railroad ballast.
Attendees also took part in a community service project, creating care packages to benefit pediatric cancer patients in partnership with the Emilio Nares Foundation.
NSSGA’s Young Leaders is a group of industry professionals 40 years old and younger. Held each spring, the group’s keystone event is the YL Annual Meeting. Education sessions and networking help to develop leadership and management skills, address industry positions, build a national network of industry professionals, exchange ideas and discuss areas of mutual interest that will help them and their companies become more successful in the aggregates industry.