Capping a 2015 convention that drew 500-plus producer and associate members to San Antonio, the National Concrete Masonry Association board elected Joseph Bowen as chairman for a one-year term, during which he envisions a strategically driven approach that engages and leverages members to push market growth in an improving economy. Bowen is executive chairman of Auburn, Wash.-based Mutual Materials. A leading source of concrete or clay unit masonry for Pacific Northwest building and hardscape markets, it runs one paver, one architectural slab, three brick and four block plants, plus a mortar and grout bagging operation, in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Joining him as 2015 NCMA officers are Chair-Elect Pat Sauter of King’s Materials, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Past-Chair Dale Puskas of Basalite Concrete Products, Dixon, Calif.