As continue to develop a timeline and budget for launch for the CMU Checkoff, we are examining how best to staff the organization.

Thank you to the Southeast Concrete Masonry Association and their invitation to participate in a strategy planning session centered around expanding marketing and education programs.

The biggest focus over the last week has been creating budget parameters, particularly as it relates to the startup of the checkoff, the board of directors and the RACs.

I would first like to thank those of you that reached out to me following the Learning Session on Thursday, June 30th. I appreciate your compliments and encouragement.

While the producers who sit on the CMU Checkoff Board of Directors will make the final decision on where checkoff dollars are invested, producers around the country have already identified six potential focus areas. In this virtual session, learn more about those priorities, and the types of projects that could be funded.

Monday, June 27th marked my one-week anniversary as the interim CEO for the CMU Checkoff. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to participate in this historic endeavor.

The volunteer Checkoff Transition Advisory Council (CTAC) has named Raymond McVeigh as interim CEO for the Concrete Masonry Products Board (CMPB), the oversight organization of the CMU checkoff.

In this session, you’ll find out how the framework of the checkoff Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) will work, how funding will be allocated between regions and national, and ways to get involved. 

In this informational webinar you’ll hear from leaders who have experienced the transformative impact of checkoffs firsthand. Our speakers include: Jared Hagert, a farmer from North Dakota and past chairman of the United Soybean Board and William Watson, executive director of the Commodity Checkoff CEO Roundtable and a past executive of several federal checkoffs

The Department of Commerce received nearly 50 nominations for the CMU Checkoff Board of Directors. Board appointments are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. And, the first meeting of the CMU Checkoff Board of Directors will happen this summer, where block producers will set the funding priorities to drive preference for concrete block to begin building back market share.