GAIN
GAIN was the 2010 brain-child of Jim O’Brien, then President of UEPG, as a logical and inspirational extension of the Atlantic Alliance. His vision was that the aggregates industry, despite being an essentially local industry, could share its hard-won experiences internationally and thereby enhance its performance globally. Deliberating with international colleagues, it was decided to give this new network the title of the Global Aggregates Information Network, which also gave the very appropriate acronym of GAIN. Since its inception, Jim has acted as GAIN Convenor.
The first GAIN meeting in 2010 in Brussels, hosted by UEPG, comprised only five regions, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, USA and Europe, but it opened the doors for an unprecedented level of friendly international exchanges. By the next meeting in 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by NSSGA, the enthusiastic participation grew to include Canada, China and New Zealand. The enthusiasm continued to grow through the third meeting in Brussels in 2014 and fourth in Cape Town in 2016, hosted by UEPG and ASPASA respectively, then also adding South Africa.
The Fifth GAIN Meeting in 2018 made a new record by including participation from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Europe. It is hoped to encompass even more new GAIN members in the next meeting slated for 2020.
GAIN is an entirely voluntary network of the major regional aggregates associations of the world. The purpose of GAIN is to openly share experiences and industry best practices in the interests of promoting the greater sustainability and performance of the aggregates industry globally. Its meetings show that the challenges experienced by the industry in various parts of the world are remarkably similar, yet different regions can have surprisingly differing solutions. Consequently there are valuable “gems of wisdom” experiences and best practices to be exchanged.
Jim O'Brien CSR Consulting
