October 2017 Executive Director’s Blog

Hello CSSGA members.  We are already well into October and staring at Thanksgiving next month.  2017 is moving fast!  I am sure everyone is busy with your businesses and so is the association.  Here is what we have been up to and the items being focused on the remainder of the year.

• The CSSGA Fall Networking Event was held in Fort Collins this year, and was highly attended by board members, producers and associate members.  Additionally, State Representative Jeni Arndt (House District 53 which includes Fort Collins) was on hand to address the crowd and provided her thoughts on the upcoming legislative session.  Thanks to those of you who sponsored, which include: 4 Rivers Equipment, Elrus Aggregate Systems, Loveland Ready Mix Concrete, Martin Marietta, Oldcastle SW Group.  I appreciate their dedication to the association and the aggregate industry.
• This completes our Networking Events for 2017, as we have held 3 successful events including Denver, Grand Junction and Fort Collins.  As noted in last month’s update, our West Slope Industry Tour also occurred in August with site tours at Oldcastle and Whitewater Building Materials operations.  With the commitment of our board of directors, and the involvement of our members, our efforts toward being a truly “statewide” association continue to make progress.
• Our next important event is Industry Roundtable Session, as part of the CSSGA Land Use & Environmental Committee meeting.  This will be held from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 20 at the Applegate Group office – 1490 West 121st Ave., Ste. 100, Denver, CO 80234.  Similar to previous roundtable meetings, we will use this as an opportunity for discussion between the invited agencies and CSSGA members. The goal of the meeting is to continue to promote proactive discussion and open communication with industry and regulatory bodies.  Key employees of these agencies, including DRMS, CDPHE’s Air Pollution Control Division, CDPHE’s Water Quality Control Division, and the State Engineers Office are expected to attend.
• I am very excited to announce the Mine Safety Institute, our brand new “Learning Management System” which allows us to offer MSHA New Miner Training on-line!  This program is a partnership between CSSGA and the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) and is a complete overhaul and advancement of our previous Part 46 safety training program.   This on-demand computer based training will be shown to the CSSGA board of directors in late October and is anticipated for full release this fall.  I believe you will be impressed with the content and overall program, as we all work towards more effective ways to train employees and drive safety.   Annelise Shepherd and the entire Joint Safety Committee have done a great job on this project and once you see it, you will agree!
• Lastly, the joint CSSGA/CRMCA Annual Conference is scheduled for November 16-17 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.  It is open to all members and is a great opportunity to network and keep up to speed on the aggregate industry and association news.  We are currently working on details for great speakers and a fast paced event.  Hope to see you there.  Use this link to register for the event (note, the registration page is hosted on crmca.org and may require you to create a new username and password).

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check us out at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Thanks for supporting your CSSGA!

Todd R. Ohlheiser

Executive Director