March 23, 2023 – I was very sad to learn about the passing of Chris Upp, vice president and general manager at Conco Companies. He died after a long battle with kidney cancer, only 49 years old. Chris was not only an amazing member of the aggregates industry community he was flat out a great guy. He was one of the young stars of the industry, graduating from the University of Missouri-Rolla and making a name for himself as a knowledgeable and insightful student of aggregates production. He came up through the Young Leaders program and was a constant presence at National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association meetings. He always had his eye on the ball when it came to the aggregates business, but even more, he was a passionate St. Louis Cardinals fan. I remember many times discussing baseball with him and his joy when the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers. He liked golf and having a cold drink, but what he liked even more was talking about his family, and he always asked about mine. This is a tough one. My condolences go out to his family and all of his industry colleagues.