The 2025 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference is a wrap in Phoenix, where aggregate industry leaders gathered last week for education and networking.
The Jan. 30-31 meeting at The Wigwam attracted more than 80 registrants. Roundtable discussions explored topics such as equipment and technology, safety and health, and how the industry can secure its future.
“We were pleased this year to welcome so many leaders from across the industry to our annual event,” says Rob Fulop, group publisher of Pit & Quarry. “The industry is undergoing a variety of significant changes at this moment. The Roundtable was a great platform to assess these developments and look to the future with many of the people who will shape the road to come.
“It was great to hear about recent advancements and implementation of new technologies, especially from an industry that is sometimes regarded as stagnant and inflexible,” he adds.
This year’s speakers
The 2025 Roundtable featured three speakers: the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Evan Bender, Ogletree Deakins’ Margo Lopez and FMI Capital Advisors’ George Reddin. Bender and Lopez each shared their expertise during individual Q&A sessions with Pit & Quarry.
Bender, who serves NSSGA as director of government affairs, shared perspective on the new Trump administration and the impact it might have on the industry. He also touched on the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act and what might be next for highway funding beyond the bill that’s expiring in September 2026.
Lopez, meanwhile, focused her comments on Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) developments. Lopez, who is a workplace safety lawyer representing mining companies, reflected on the agency as it operated over the last few years under assistant secretary Chris Williamson, as well as what might be ahead for MSHA under the Trump administration.
“I’d be really surprised if we saw a rule even coming out in the next four years,” Lopez says. “It takes a long time for MSHA to put a rule out. Quite often and with this type of administration, rules are not something we expect to see.
“But, I have to say, the mobile equipment safety program rule originated in the prior Trump administration,” she adds. “I think they may have felt like they needed to have at least one rulemaking underway, so they chose that one, and it was pretty much enacted as written from a prior administration. So, I’ll never say never but I’m not expecting it.”
In another presentation, Reddin delivered a construction materials market outlook for 2025, providing insights on industry trends – including mergers and acquisitions.
“From a mergers and acquisitions standpoint, we’re firing on all cylinders with the bolt-ons, the platforms and the mega deals,” says Reddin, managing director at FMI Capital Advisors. “That’s a good sign for how people feel about the outlook of the market.”
Producer contributions
Three aggregate producers also contributed to the educational component of the 2025 Roundtable program, relaying their experiences and outlooks on a panel that covered topics like autonomy, AI and predictive maintenance. The producers who served on the panel were Ross Duff (Duff Quarry), Raymond Slaughter (Luck Stone) and Kristin Sweeney (US Aggregates).
Slaughter offered an update on the autonomous haulers running at Luck Stone’s Bull Run Plant in Chantilly, Virginia, noting that the operation’s leaders are getting more comfortable with them though they are still in the early learning phase.
“We’ll just keep expanding on that capability,” says Slaughter, director of engineering and construction at Luck Stone. “I’m sure there will be another opportunity for us as we learn more about them because we have several plants that have larger fleets that would benefit from this type of automation.”
In addition to speakers, Roundtable registrants had the opportunity to share their own views during a pair of concurrent two-hour-long, roundtable-style discussions that covered a range of topics.
What else you missed
A golf outing at The Wigwam’s Gold Course and a cocktail reception welcomed attendees to Phoenix. The foursome of Clay Albright (Caldwell Stone Co.), Chad Greenfield (Syntron Material Handling), Ryan Morales (Gulf Coast Sand) and Vinnie Rocco (AMCAST) won the golf outing with a 12-under par 60.
Look for P&Q’s full report dedicated to the 2025 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference in the magazine’s April 2025 edition.
The 2026 Roundtable
At the conclusion of this year’s meeting, the magazine announced that the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference will take place at La Playa Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. The 2026 meeting will take place Jan. 26-27. Producers interested in attending are encouraged to reach out to P&Q editor-in-chief Kevin Yanik at kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.
Related: Learn more about the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference