The Missouri Limestone Producers Association (MLPA) rebranded as Infra, unveiling a new look and direction at its annual convention in Osage Beach, Missouri.
The Infra rebrand includes a tagline: “Sand & Stone. Missouri Made.”
MLPA transitions to Infra for two key reasons. One is to better recognize the crushed stone producers in Missouri whose specialty is something other than limestone. The other is to welcome sand members into the organization and recognize the interests of existing members who already produce sand in the state.
As pointed out at the convention, “infra” is Latin for “below” or “beneath.” Those involved in the rebrand found the name fitting for the industry, as crushed stone, sand and gravel are sourced from the earth.
“I think most members are pretty happy with the name,” says Dan Kleinsorge, executive director at Infra. “I think Missouri was in a bit of a unique situation. A lot of associations changed their names years ago, whether it was to represent all aggregates or all mining. Our name was pointing at limestone, even though we were representing everything.”
As Kleinsorge describes, most of the sand being produced in Missouri ahead of the rebrand originated from MLPA members. The association, however, added three new members as it geared up for Infra’s unveiling: Capital Sand Co., Kimaterials and Winter Brothers Material Co.
Shifting gears
According to Kleinsorge, the MLPA board of directors determined in 2023 that the time had come to explore a new name for the association.
For one, any new brand had to formally represent sand.
“Our strategic planning session in February 2023 led the board to the conclusion that, from a regulatory standpoint, we should really be coordinating with the sand industry, which was essentially unrepresented at the time,” Kleinsorge says. “With a lot of our members having sand interests, it made sense to go down that road.”
MLPA did not rebrand to Infra on its own, though. The association partnered with Vario, an agency whose services include brand building, to assist in the effort.
As the rebranding effort got underway, MLPA learned through research that the words “aggregate” and “aggregates” did not resonate well – or at all – outside of industry circles. That knowledge helped to steer the association down a different path.
MLPA also determined early on not to rebrand to an acronym like many associations do.
Still, moving away from a recognized brand like MLPA was not easy. Some of the association’s longtime members have been associated with the organization for decades or even a half-century.
So, paying homage to the past while paving the way for the future was a must. But that was not an easy needle for decision-makers behind the brand to thread.
“The association has 80 years of history,” says Chris Williams, vice president of Capital Aggregates who served MLPA as president in the year leading up to the rebrand. “We’ve got people who’ve been coming for 50 years to our convention. It’s part of what they do every year. It’s who they are and what their company does.”
Once the 2024 convention was over, Williams had a better feel for how members were receiving the rebranded association.
“For months, we’ve known that as a board the change was coming – and it was big and bold change,” says Williams, who attended his first MLPA Annual Convention in 2008. “Quite frankly, I was somewhat amazed at how – while not unanimously – overwhelming supportive our membership was. I think the fact that we have a vision for expanding association value – and this being one of the mechanisms to do that – has people excited.”
Kleinsorge was similarly pleased by member reaction.
“Change is always hard, but the reaction was actually very positive,” he says.
In the end, Infra’s makeup isn’t all that different than MLPA’s.
“I don’t think we change the culture of who we are,” Williams says. “We change the face of who we are. I have a real deep hope of those who’ve been around a long time that they will grow to respect and understand that and come along with us.”