The RMC Research & Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees has announced the establishment of the Robert P Turner Center for Professional Excellence. The Center will include an endowed fund within the RMC Research & Education Foundation specifically to fund education and recruitment courses and tools for the industry. It will also feature an area within the Foundation’s website to serve as a clearinghouse for the recruitment, education and training resources funded by the Foundation.
Who is Robert P. Turner?
Robert P. Turner was instrumental in the development of the RMC Research & Education Foundation as a lasting industry resource for research and education. He was a passionate supporter of the Foundation and its sister organization the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. He also supported the ready mixed concrete industry overall. During his career, Bob was an executive with W.R. Grace and he continued his active industry involvement well into his retirement. Bob Turner passed away on July 14, 2021.
Longtime industry leader Thomas Baird, III, noted, “Bob was a wonderful mentor to so many in this industry. He believed strongly in recruiting, cultivating, and investing in good people. I think it is a wonderful tribute to his legacy that the Foundation has established this Center.” Baird, also a longtime Foundation donor and friend of Bob Turner, has generously pledged up to $25,000 personally for the Center’s endowed fund. He also challenged the industry to match the pledge on at least a 1:1 basis. “I think it’s important to continue to recruit and develop talent for this great industry, at the same time we honor the incredible talent we had in Bob Turner and all he did to advance the industry.”
2021 Foundation Chairman Don Ingrassano, Titan America, further explained the Board’s move commenting, “Workforce development resources for the industry are more important than ever. By creating this designated fund, we both place an additional emphasis on the education part of the Foundation’s mission, and further memorialize Bob Turner’s many contributions to the growth and success of the ready mixed concrete industry.”
How to contribute
Contributions to the Robert P. Turner Center for Professional Excellence may be made securely online via the Foundation’s website at www.rmc-foundation.org/contribute. Please include in the notes that it is in memory of Robert P. Turner. Checks may be mailed to the RMC Research & Education Foundation, Robert P. Turner Center for Professional Excellence, 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 250, Alexandria, VA 22314. All contributions are fully tax deductible (Federal Tax ID 52-1680963). Bob’s family will be notified of all contributions. Additionally, all past contributions in his memory will automatically be added to the fund. For more information, visit rmc-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RobertTurnerCenter-Announcement-and-PF.pdf or contact Executive Director Julie Garbini.
About RMC Research & Education Foundation
The research and educational programs supported by the RMC Research & Education Foundation represent a broad spectrum of projects that are helping to keep the concrete industry on the cutting edge, and demonstrate that we are:
- Devoted to recruiting new talent, and strengthening the education and training of current and future professionals within the industry,
- Concerned with protecting the safety of our workforce,
- Working toward improving the quality of concrete and concrete construction, and
- Dedicated to sustainability, resilience and also strong environmental stewardship.
