December 2017 Executive Directors Blog

Hello members of CSSGA. Soon Christmas will be upon us and it’s that time of year for me to start thinking about that joyous time we anxiously await, and dearly enjoy …………. you know, CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! The hustle and bustle of the shopping mall, no parking spaces, and then you can’t find your car when you come out (only to be doored), whining and spoiled kids, can’t wait! Is it any wonder Amazon CEO, Jeffrey Bezos, just became the richest person in the world? Shopping from home, how great is that? Anyway, enjoy the season. Here is the latest CSSGA news.

I want to start by thanking those of you who participated in the Annual Conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in conjunction with CRMCA. Our attendance was great and sponsorships were at an all-time high. The highlights include:

Thursday, November 16

The conference opened with a great networking reception Thursday evening. This interaction between producer and associate members is critical to CSSGA and CRMCA, as people from all companies discuss business related issues, new or updated products, or technology that will affect our industry.

Friday, November 17

Our full day was November 17 where Garrett Varra, 2017 President, kicked off the session with an overview of 2017, and a look ahead at focus areas for the coming year.
This was followed by an update by Annelise Shepherd, Bill York-Feirn with DRMS and Tom Woerdeman with Transit Mix, rolling out or new on-line Learning Management System. This on-demand MSHA safety training is truly state of the art, and these 3 played huge rolls in developing and launching this tool. Thanks for all your efforts!
The Annual Members meeting followed where members approved the 2018 Financial Budget and selected 2018 Board Members and Officers. The new member to the board is Matt Noteboom with LG Everist, replacing Denny Fields, who has been part of our board for 14 years. Thanks, Denny, for all your input and dedication. We also confirmed the new officers: President, Mark Ewald with Trinity ES&C; VP, Zane Luttrell with Rocky Mountain Aggregates; Treasurer, Alex Schatz with Brannan, Mark Gardner with Whitewater Building Materials, and Garrett Varra, who moves to Ex-Officio. I want to thank Garrett for his leadership over the past 2 years and I look forward to working closely with all board members. Thank you for serving.
The following meetings included breakout sessions where attendees viewed “Dos & Don’ts of Hiring & Firing” by Dana Svendsen with Jackson Kelly, “Lessons in Land Use Permitting” by Tom Hesemann with Tetra Tech, and “Conflict Resolution” by Renee Smit of The Employers Council.
Our lunch speaker included Laura Beverage with Jackson Kelly discussing “Current Administration’s Effect on MSHA & OSHA”. This was followed by an awards presentation recognizing the outstanding leadership and dedication of the honorees and committee chairs. Congratulations to all those recognized and thanks for your contributions.
The late afternoon and evening included the “Spouse Event” where bowling was the main attraction. This was followed by the reception and President’s Banquet, where the gavel was transferred from Garrett Varra to incoming President Mark Ewald. The evening was concluded with guest speaker Stacy Pederson discussing lessons learned in life.

I want to again thank Garrett Varra for serving as CSSGA President for the last 2 years, and to the entire CSSGA Board. We are fortunate to have this dedicated and focused group keeping us headed the right direction. Last, but not least, I want to thank Annelise Shepherd, who organizes all aspects of this annual conference. Many details go into the event, and we are all lucky to have her making it happen! Have a great rest of the year and best wishes on the upcoming Christmas season and in setting up your Amazon account! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check us out at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Todd R. Ohlheiser

Executive Director