Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/420189
11 AGGREGATES MANAGER December 2014 highly regarded, sites to host the Automation Conference. Throughout his tenure, Feltes has been an active industry leader. He served as chairman of what is now the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association's Government Affairs Committee and was named chairman of the board in 2005. "As a former chairman of NSSGA's Board, Rick Feltes is one of the incredibly committed leaders who devote significant time to the health of this industry by guiding and broadening the col- lective power of the association," says Joy Pinninger, former NS- SGA president and CEO. Once his tenure as chairman came to an end, Feltes found new opportunities to help the organization and the industry continue to grow. "During my chairmanship, it was apparent to me and others that the association needed to change the way it handled educational programs due to the number of topics that were presented throughout the year," Feltes recalls. At that time, more than a dozen different events were being hosted. This created a heavy burden on the association staff re- sponsible for coordinating all of the events, as well as operators who bore the impact of sending employees to numerous events around the country. At the same time, the market was slipping from its 2006 peak, mergers and acquisitions continued to con- solidate companies and impact NSSGA revenues, and the need for sophisticated education continued to grow as the twin drivers of fewer employees and greater use of technology became more common across the industry. The result? AGG1. "The future of industry education…became a strategic consid- eration," Pinninger says. "How, and if, NSSGA continued to of- fer education as a core mission without increasing dues became hugely important. Rick embraced the challenge with enthusiasm (and) took the time to visit one-on-one with company leaders on his own time, continued to put ever more attention and guid- ance to the complexity of the relationships between exhibitors and producers, between educators and students, between indus- try sectors and associations, never losing sight of the importance that AGG1 must work for all sizes of companies." "After serving as NSSGA chairman, he chose not to rest on his laurels, but to redouble his efforts to better this organization and the aggregates industry," Johnson adds. "He understands that growing the scope and influence of this organization will ulti- mately benefit the entire industry. Rick has the vision to see the importance of growing educational opportunities and exposing producers to the latest technologies, innovations, and equipment through AGG1. Rick sets a high bar to which all of our members can aspire." As changes were taking place within the association, major changes were also happening with the family business. In March 2007, Feltes Sand & Gravel was acquired by Lafarge North America. "Shortly thereafter, Lafarge representatives came to me and asked if I would stay on for a year to get AGG1 off and running," Feltes recalls. According to association bylaws, as- sociation participants must be employed by one of its member companies, so he had to be employed by an operator to help launch the show. Feltes credits Lafarge's Tom Farrell and John Stull with allowing him to continue as chairman of the AGG1 Management Committee. "I believe Rick has demonstrated his leadership by his direct involvement in the leadership of NSSGA as an officer of the as- sociation and, most recently, by his leadership of AGG1 from the concept stage to implementation in establishing it as the lead program for showcasing our industry," says Jerry Geraghty, president and CEO of Rogers Group Inc. "His great business acumen, friendly and open personality, and his drive are a major factor why AGG1 has become the premier annual event for our industry." "Rick has been a driving force behind AGG1," adds Mike Hin- AGGMAN OF THE YEAR 2014 "Most of the time, when someone sells his business, they head off into the sunset. Rick stuck around and made AGG1 a success," says Bill Schneider, former president and CEO of Knife River Corp., recalling the launch of 2009 launch of AGG1. "Everyone really respects that."