The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
October 20, 2022
CCUS is an acronym you’ll see more of in the years to come. It stands for “Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage.” Some technologies capture and sequester CO2 before it enters the atmosphere. There are also technologies involving direct air capture. Direct injection into ready-mix concrete at the plant is another possibility.
October 13, 2022
The global concrete market consists of residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. Various analysts routinely project short and long-term trends, both domestically and globally. Population growth and higher living standards will drive growth in the concrete industry. The pace of such growth will remain robust through the middle of the century.
September 08, 2022
The disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a nationwide challenge. According to the EPA, total MSW in 2018 amounted to 292.4 million tons. That’s almost five pounds per person per day! Less than a third of this waste gets recycled or composted. Fully half goes to landfills. A key component of MSW is the ash left over from incineration. It is commonly referred to as incinerator bottom ash (IBA).
September 01, 2022
Solar radiation management (SRM) is a discipline focused on reflectivity, mostly in urban areas. MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub (CS Hub) estimates that pavement covers about 40% of America’s cities.
August 25, 2022
3D printed concrete (3DPC) construction offers a variety of benefits. Among them are design freedom, speedy construction, lower labor costs, and reduced waste.
August 18, 2022
Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) continue to establish a beachhead in an ongoing battle of building materials. The continuous insulation and thermal mass of ICFs deliver desired energy efficiency. Occupants value quiet, comfortable surroundings more than ever.
July 28, 2022
All over the world, governments, industries and corporations look to 2050 as the year to achieve carbon neutrality. More specifically, carbon neutrality is top-of-mind for many in the construction industry. And that’s good, since, according to the World Economic Forum, it accounts for 38% of global emissions. Worldwide, construction companies create another Paris every week.
July 21, 2022
What is the #1 industrial product produced by humanity every year? The answer is concrete – an estimated 10 billion cubic yards worth, weighing 20 billion tons. Unfortunately, this production comes at a price – roughly 2 billion tons of GHG emissions. Governments and industry insiders target these excess emissions in the ongoing quest for carbon neutrality.
June 09, 2022
According to McKinsey, global construction accounts for about a quarter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concrete is a significant contributor. It accounts for 4.5 percent of global GHG emissions and 7.0 percent of CO₂ emissions.
June 02, 2022
When it comes to carbon emissions, calcination in cement kilns remains the industry’s greatest challenge. First, fossil fuels remain the primary source of the extreme heat required. Second, the decarbonization of limestone releases large amounts of carbon dioxide.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.