“Each committee used to put on their respective seminars/meetings,” he continues. “It was very inefficient for the association and was very cumbersome for members to attend all of the meetings or some of them. We streamlined it when we put AGG1 together,” Feltes says. “But when we did this, we did away with the committee structure for obvious reasons. As a result, we lost the input from member companies and their employees like we did in the old days.”

To get the best of both worlds — the efficiency and practicality of one yearly show instead of 13 smaller conferences and the valuable input these provided — Feltes says NSSGA has embraced social media. “We are trying to take advantage of social media to re-establish these valuable connections to members through SharePoint, Facebook, Twitter, [and other mediums] to create that buzz we had with the committee structure.”

Discussions via these social mediums are being used to garner input on education topics, Feltes explains. “Social media is the next step in trying to grow the participation level in NSSGA and AGG1,” he says.

For the Aggregates Manager show preview on AGG1, go to

www.aggman.com/agg-1-preview.

To register for NSSGA’s Annual Convention, go to

www.nssga.org/choice. To register for the AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo, go to www.AGG1.org/Attendees/index.asp.

AggBeat to Go

To get daily news updates, enter http://www.gettag.mobi into your smart phone browser and download the free app. Then scan this tag to access AggBeat Online and keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the aggregates industry

Fox News Analyst AGG1 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Nina Easton

Nina Easton, Fox News political analyst and Fortune magazine’s Washington columnist and senior editor, will be the keynote speaker at the 2012 National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Annual Convention scheduled at the Westin-Charlotte hotel in Charlotte, N.C., March 11-14. The convention is being held in tandem with the AGG1 trade show, which is co-located with World of Asphalt.

Easton will discuss the current political landscape and presidential election campaign, as well as her thoughts on economic recovery, according to the NSSGA.

Nina Easton covers politics and economics in the nation’s capital for a readership of more than 5 million as Fortune’s Washington columnist and senior editor. Her column appears regularly in the magazine and online at Fortune.com. She also co-chairs the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.

Small Mines Office to Stay Open

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) officials have indicated that the agency has had a change of heart over its plan to close the Small Mines Office (SMO). According to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), the agency will maintain the SMO in its current format.

The Obama administration had pushed for the closure of the office for several years, and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joe Main had indicated that he planned to move SMO resources to district offices, prompting concerns among operators that educational resources might share operator concerns with compliance personnel.

“We are very pleased that a bipartisan mix of congressional leaders who deal with MSHA policy and budget appropriations recognize the critical importance of the agency’s robust compliance assistance to small aggregates facilities so that operators can optimally manage the safety and health of their employees,” said NSSGA President and CEO Joy Wilson in a written response. “Further, given the Mine Act’s requirement that the government should provide effective compliance assistance, we see this move as imperative… Congratulations to MSHA for this sound decision.”

–Therese Dunphy

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