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14 • ROCK products • May 2015 www.rockproducts.com CHARLES LUCK IV INTERVIEW leaders to ensure the long-term health of NSSGA, the indus- try and the country. We are setting up a task force to study our board governance and see if any changes need to be made to more closely align with our strategy. By mid-year, we will have recommendations that we can put into effect in 2016 to guide us over the next 10 years. Communications efforts are much more of a priority now, how can NSSGA ramp it up to an even higher level? Communications are key to our initiative to grow both the scope and the influence of the aggregates industry and NSS- GA. We have already taken substantial steps to become more effective in communicating the things we are doing with in- ternal and external audiences. Since its launch this past November, the Digital Aggre- gate (DA) newsfeed has become a significant resource for news and information for our members. The reaction has been resoundingly positive. The goal is to show NS- SGA's value to our members and the industry – another key component of the strategic plan. They can see – in real time – what NSSGA is working on, what they need to know about industry trends, information on upcoming events, important policy (i.e. MSHA and EPA) and other industry updates. The response to DA is significant and NSSGA will be utilizing the channel more to grow our con- nection to our members. Since the website relaunch in January 2014, NSSGA has im- proved the user experience by continually adding new fea- tures and content. Charts, infographics and video are the predominant and most effective communications tools in today's world. NSSGA is developing more and more content in these visual formats to advance the association's goals. There is also a greater emphasis on "earned media and pub- lic relations" both inside and outside of Washington, D.C. One of our key communications goals is to partner with the media to advance our policy and membership goals. What more can aggregates producers do at the grass- roots level to move transportation funding legislation through Congress? Recently, NSSGA led the Transportation Construction Coa- lition Fly-In April 14-15 to highlight the need for Congress to address the anticipated insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. More than 500 participants sought to convince Con- gress to pass a fully-funded, long-term reauthorization bill. During the fly-in, NSSGA members met with a record num- ber of congressional leaders and spoke about the impact of federal transportation policy, as well as the need for an ef- ficient, safe and well-maintained system of roads, highways and bridges to grow our nation's economy. NSSGA has also been building stronger coalitions with like-minded groups and strengthening ties to our allied or- ganizations, as well as with state associations. We've initiated transportation stakeholder meetings to promote collabora- tion and cooperation in efforts to achieve success in passage by Congress of a long-term surface transportation funding mechanism, including the TCC, Americans for Transporta- tion Mobility, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Associa- tion of Manufacturers, Building America's Future, American Highway Users Alliance, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Infrastructure Alliance, National Governors' Con- ference and the National Association of Counties. We also know that success in the policy arena requires strong grassroots and political involvement. The more who join NSSGA and participate, the more we can influence fed- eral laws and regulations. Our Rocks Build America strategic plan calls for NSSGA to grow ROCKPAC more aggressively and to become a $2 million PAC in the next several years. How important is state and national association mem- bership to business success? State aggregates associations are our key partners in our ef- forts to grow the industry. To be successful, we must work hand-in-hand to ensure that our issues are heard at every level of government. Many times what starts at the state level will eventually be- come a federal issue. So our state associations are valuable sources of information and grassroots efforts. I cannot stress enough the importance of joining and par- ticipating on both the national and state level. Membership offers many benefits, the greatest of which are the chance to influence legislation and the ability to network with fellow professionals and industry leaders. As with any association membership, the greatest benefit comes from committed participation in association gover- nance and activities. United and focused on our goals, we can accomplish amazing things to grow the industry and the country. Your own company is known for using technology to its advantage. How can today's producers expand their use of technology? You have to empower your associates to think big, to go above and beyond by creating a culture that fosters inno- vation. Our people are the heart of innovation and moving technology forward. Then you have to be inspired by your customers – listen to them. They want more than stone, sand and gravel at an af-