The Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Simpson Strong-Tie have joined the International Code Council and the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR) to create the first whole-community resilience benchmarks in the U.S. This self-assessment system will provide communities a transparent, practical and commonsense way to quickly and easily gauge their cross-sector resilience efforts.

PCA, a nonprofit organization serving America’s cement manufacturers, generously donated $25,000 to ANCR. In addition, Simpson Strong-Tie, a leading engineering firm and building materials producer in the U.S., pledged $10,000 to support the development of the buildings benchmark, one of the core functional areas for all communities.

“We are excited to welcome PCA and Simpson Strong-Tie as our partners in helping communities prepare for the many challenges they face, from vast economic shifts to unprecedented environmental changes,” said ANCR’s Chairman Maj. General Warren C. Edwards USA (Ret.). “They are joining a prestigious group of private and public entities, including the Dow Chemical Company and Target Corporation, who are dedicating money, time and other resources to this important effort.”

Sponsorship opportunities for organizations and individuals looking to join the effort are still available. Those interested in becoming lead resilience development process sponsors for the buildings, water and/or energy resilience benchmarks should contact ResilientAlliance@gmail.com by Friday, February 16, at 5:00 PM Eastern.

Subject matter experts are also needed to fill volunteer openings on the technical committees that will help create the benchmarks for buildings, water and energy. Specialists who are interested in improving resiliency and determining best practices for communities across the U.S. should submit their resumes or curriculum vitae to ResilientAlliance@gmail.com by Friday, February 16, at 5:00 PM Eastern.