Greetings! Here at your favorite concrete association, we are excited to kick off the New Year. Our first event of 2020 is the Economic Forum on January 28 th . This event is hosted by The Concrete Coalition of Florida and will be held at the Omni Resort Champions Gate in Orlando. We have a fantastic lineup of speakers to address the economic conditions and outlook specifically tailored to Florida. It should be a solid opportunity to network with the industry while learning what the new year has in store for our businesses. As you all know 2020 is a big election year. Our PC committee is going to need our help. At the Economic Forum we will be kicking off our 2020 raffle. The raffle was a huge success last time around and we are looking forward to bringing it back. We have 13 weeks of prizes including, cash, shopping sprees and ending with a $5000.00 Alaskan Cruise! Tickets will be available to sign out and sell or purchase beginning at the Economic Forum and ending at our Convention in Longboat (If we are not sold out by then). Please consider signing out some tickets to sell. They also make great gifts for employees and customers alike. I know it created a substantial buzz within my own company last time, and it created 13 weeks of excitement among our employees and customers. Everyone was talking about it and checking each week to see who won.  As we enter this new year, I can’t help but think about the last time I was FICAP President. Ten years ago we were in an economic downturn like none we had ever seen before. Our companies were shrinking and our association was shrinking. It is so nice now to see us all (the survivors) now thriving and expanding again. Lets hope 2020 is a great and profitable year for all our members, our country and our families. FICAP will work to help us all along that path. “What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet.” Anne Frank Mark Smith President, FICAP Owner, Bell Concrete Products

Richard C. Martin Memorial Scholarship Applications are now being accepted for The Richard C. Martin Memorial Scholarship. This program is open to any dependent child of any Florida resident employee working full time for a producer or associate member company of FICAP. Read More Deadline: April 3, 2020

Director's Corner My current read concerns thoughts and the power they have over us. The book suggests thoughts dictate the trajectory of our lives. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. – Henry Ford Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Teddy Roosevelt The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. – Marcus Aurelius Our thoughts make us what we are. – Dale Carnegie  …not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. – Apostle Paul The thoughts you keep in a loop determine the direction of your life. – Steven Furtick Many experts believe we think on the average 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. I know some of you don’t, we’ll just leave it at that, but our thoughts have the power to dictate the world around us. To lift our spirits or depress us, but we are in control. Philippians says to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise . Thoughts: Are they true? Are they kind? Are they excellent? We will never be able to adjust every negative thought, but we can try to free our minds from toxic thinking…one thought at a time. We hope you enjoy our first newsletter of the roaring 20's. Michele White Director, FICAP

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Winter in Manatee Springs State Park, Florida

Housing & Economics

Housing to Recession-proof U.S. economy in 2020 Read More U.S. Homeownership rate rises Read More Gen Z Hates Renting More than Millennials do Read More Starter Homes May be Making a Comeback Read More Millenials Want a Single-Family House, Even if it Means a Long Commute Read More The Long Recovery and What Lies Ahead Read More

Upcoming Events Joint Economic Forum - Omni Champions Gate - January 28th Register Now Florida M-CORES - DoubleTree SeaWorld - February 25th Register Now Annual Clay Shoot - Fishhawk - March 14th Register Now Legal Defense of Your Company - DoubleTree SeaWorld - April 28th Register Now NSSGA/FLAI Aggregate Panel - DoubleTree SeaWorld - May 26th Register Now Annual Convention - Longboat Key Club Resort - July 15th through 19th Register Now Convention Sponsorships PC Raffle Coming in January 2020!