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PACA Develops New Playbook in Pennsylvania
Article by Kevin Yanik | February 7, 2023
Aggregate producers know the value they bring to their communities. The benefits, of course, are aplenty.
Historically, though, producers have not been great at communicating the benefits to those living outside the confines of the industry – the general public, for example, or public officials.
Leaders at the Pennsylvania Aggregates & Concrete Association (PACA) recognized this shortcoming in recent years, though, and they crafted a strategic plan in 2022 that emphasizes communicating the tremendous value the industry provides.
“We use the analogy that water comes from
a faucet and electricity from a socket, but no one knows where infrastructure comes from,” says Jeff Detwiler, president of materials at New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., who is
now chairman of the PACA board of directors. “Society appreciates it, but they don’t know enough about it. We’re essential to everybody, and we need to promote that.”
If Pennsylvania’s aggregate producers don’t effectively promote the benefits
their businesses provide throughout the commonwealth, they fully realize that their ability to operate is only going to get harder.
“We’ve always been a quiet industry, but [communication] has to be a dialogue and not a monologue,” says Bob Housel, president
of Masters RMC who served as PACA board
chairman prior to Detwiler. “Hiring a well-respected communications partner has gone a long way with that.”
Now working alongside La
Torre Communications, a
Pennsylvania-based public
relations and public affairs
firm, PACA leaders feel
they’ve taken a significant
step to bolster their communication objectives.
“The challenge our industry has is the lack of
a narrative,” says Peter Vlahos, president and CEO of PACA. “This is not just within our state, but across the U.S.”
Sustainability Focus
The variety of messages aggregate producers must convey in Pennsylvania is similar to those of other states.
Sustainability, for example,
has become more central to
regulatory discussions in the Keystone State. This is an area where producers must do more to build dialogues, according to Vlahos.
“As you’re talking about CO2 emissions, what’s fascinating is when you look at the market for
a quarry,” he says. “The rule of thumb is to have one in a 50-mile radius. As we’re looking at population expansion that pushes quarries
farther away, not only are you increasing costs because of the transportation component but you’re increasing CO2 emissions.”
Also, misnomers exist about aggregates and their various capabilities. This is another area where producers must speak up, making their voices especially heard with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) officials.
“Pennsylvania has a lot of different types of rock, and they have varying impacts on what we do for concrete and asphalt,” Housel says. “As PennDOT changes their specifications in terms of requiring more things they want to see in their product, they’re selectively eliminating certain aggregate sources in parts of the state. That puts the burden on importing aggregates from another part of the state that’s farther away.”
Eliminating aggregate sources doesn’t have the carbon emissions impact public officials intend to achieve, either.
“That’s another conversation where we have to provide the big picture in terms of aggregate availability,” Housel says. “It’s not just ‘do you have it,’ but ‘do you have the right kind.’”
DOT Developments
Because PACA has a more diverse membership than some state associations – one that includes ready-mixed concrete and cement
Bob Housel, President, Masters RMC, Inc. PACA Immediate Past Chairperson