For more than a decade, when Indiana's best mixer drivers have arrived to compete in the IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship, Rick Ross has been one of the people working behind the scenes to make sure they have the opportunity to shine.
He has helped set up MDC challenge courses, coordinated mixer trucks, served as an official, worked alongside other volunteers, and stepped in wherever another set of experienced hands was needed.
Rain or shine. And sometimes, quite literally, sideways rain.
For Rick, the reason has always been simple: "We all just did it because we were there for the drivers."
As Rick prepares to retire later in 2026, after more than 40 years in the concrete industry, IRMCA is proud to recognize his years of service to the Mixer Driver Championship, his commitment to professional mixer drivers, and the friendships he has built throughout an industry he considers family.
Rick believes his first year assisting with the IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship was 2012, when he was asked to join the MDC committee.
He has been helping ever since.
Today, Rick is the Senior Regional Sales Manager for Oshkosh S-Series. His professional career has kept him closely connected with the trucks, companies, and drivers that make up the ready mixed concrete industry.
But his involvement with MDC has extended far beyond his day job. Over the years, Rick has become one of the volunteers IRMCA can count on to help turn plans for the annual competition into an actual course.
The work happens largely behind the scenes, but it is essential to creating a fair, safe, and competitive experience for every driver who steps onto the course.
And after more than a decade of doing it, Rick continues to say that the drivers themselves are his favorite part.
The IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship is designed to recognize the skill and professionalism required to operate a ready mix truck. Drivers aren't tested on just one ability.
The comprehensive competition includes a 50-question written examination, truck inspection assessment, and a 10-station challenge course designed to evaluate knowledge, precision, safety, truck familiarity, and driving skill.
For the competitors, it is an opportunity to put years of everyday experience to the test. For Rick, it is an opportunity to watch those professionals receive recognition for what they do.
His favorite part of MDC is seeing drivers "compete in a friendly manner on a level playing field for the championship." It is something he has watched evolve considerably since joining the IRMCA MDC committee.
The competition may still challenge the same fundamental knowledge and abilities, but Rick has noticed a major difference in the people arriving to compete. "The drivers have really stepped up their game. They are coming to these events fully prepared."
That preparation makes the competition stronger. It also reinforces why events like MDC matter.
Professional mixer drivers perform highly skilled work every day, often while navigating changing traffic conditions, active jobsites, specialized equipment, demanding schedules, and the responsibility of safely delivering ready mixed concrete.
MDC gives them a stage to demonstrate those abilities.
Every outdoor event organizer knows there is one part of the schedule that simply cannot be controlled: Weather.
Ask Rick about the most difficult part of MDC and his answer comes quickly: "The weather!"
Over more than a decade of competitions, he has seen just about everything.
One year brought rain so intense that it was coming down sideways. Instead of abandoning the competition, volunteers adapted. The course was shortened, adjustments were made, and the championship continued.
Other years brought excessive heat.
Those conditions aren't easy for drivers, officials, or volunteers spending hours outside around large equipment. But Rick remembers everyone continuing to do what was necessary to complete the competition.
"We all just did it because we were there for the drivers."
That statement says a great deal about the volunteer culture surrounding MDC.
A successful Mixer Driver Championship requires far more than competitors and mixer trucks. It requires people willing to arrive early, build the course, coordinate equipment, serve as officials, respond when something changes, and stay until the job is finished.
Rick has been one of those people year after year.
Rick's support of mixer driver competitions hasn't stopped at the Indiana state line.
As other state associations have developed their own championships, he has brought his experience there too.
Rick has assisted with all three Mixer Driver Championship events held by the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association and all three events held by the Michigan Concrete Association. He has also attended the NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship since 2014.
That involvement has given him an opportunity to watch mixer drivers compete at the state and national levels while sharing what he has learned through years of helping organize these events.
It has also expanded the community of drivers, association professionals, volunteers, and industry colleagues Rick has gotten to know.
Oshkosh S-Series has described mixer driver rodeos as an important opportunity to showcase and appreciate the role of professional mixer drivers. For Rick, that appreciation has been demonstrated through years of showing up and helping make those competitions possible.
For all the competition involved in MDC, Rick's favorite memories aren't necessarily about scores, obstacles, or trophies. They're about what happens between the competition.
"Seeing the drivers from all of the member companies hanging out together, sharing stories and experiences."
On competition day, drivers arrive representing different ready mixed concrete producers. They want to perform well. They want to represent their companies. And, of course, they want to win. But they also understand each other's work in a way few other people can.
They operate similar equipment. They encounter similar challenges. They work on many of the same types of jobsites. They understand what it takes to safely deliver concrete day after day. MDC gives those drivers a chance to meet each other outside of their normal routes and jobsites.
That camaraderie is one of the traditions Rick values most.
It's also one of the reasons IRMCA continues to host the championship. MDC recognizes individual excellence while strengthening connections across Indiana's ready mixed concrete community.
Rick was once again there when 21 drivers representing seven IRMCA Producer Member companies came together for the 2026 IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship.
The competition took place as part of the 2026 IRMCA Summer Meeting weekend in Indianapolis. Drivers completed their written examination on Friday before heading to Associate IRMCA Member, Allison Transmission on Saturday for the truck inspection and Challenge Course.
This year's championship ultimately belonged to Jon Sheets of imi, who captured his second consecutive IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship title. Justin Laporte of Smith Ready Mix finished second, while Armando Madera of imi earned third place.
Sheets will now represent Indiana at the 20th Annual NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship in Nashville this October.
For Rick, however, the 2026 competition represented another opportunity to do what he has done since approximately 2012: Help create an event where Indiana's drivers can demonstrate just how good they are.
Readers can meet the competitors, see the complete 2026 results, recognize the event sponsors, and view and download photos from the competition on the IRMCA Mixer Driver Championship page.
And for a closer look at this year's back to back champion, read our spotlight: Jon Sheets: 2026 Mixer Driver Champion.
The Mixer Driver Championship represents only one part of Rick's much larger career. He has spent more than 40 years in the concrete industry. Four decades means countless trucks, projects, customers, industry events, association meetings, competitions, conversations, and relationships.
As retirement approaches later this year, Rick isn't focused on what he'll miss about the equipment or even the events themselves.
He'll miss the people. "Just seeing all of my friends that I have met over the years. The concrete industry has been my life and family for 40+ years, so I have a lot of friends!"
It is a fitting reflection from someone whose favorite part of MDC has always been watching people from competing companies come together. Relationships are at the center of both.
Throughout his career, Rick has built connections across companies, associations, and state lines. Some began as professional relationships. Many became friendships.
And his involvement with the Mixer Driver Championship has given him another way to give something back to the industry that has been such a significant part of his life.
Champions understandably receive the spotlight at the end of a Mixer Driver Championship. They earned it.
But behind every written exam, truck inspection, obstacle, course marker, mixer truck, score, and trophy is a group of people who helped make the competition possible.
For more than a decade, Rick Ross has been one of those people for IRMCA.
He has helped prepare the course. He has coordinated trucks. He has served as an official. He has worked through rain and heat.
He has shared his experience with competitions in Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and at the national level.
And whenever something else needed to be done, he helped do it.
"All for the drivers."
As Rick prepares for retirement later in 2026, IRMCA thanks him for his years of service to the Mixer Driver Championship and for more than 40 years of commitment to the concrete industry.
Most importantly, we thank him for showing up year after year for the people who make this industry what it is.
Rick, congratulations on an incredible career, and thank you for helping build a championship, an industry, and a community that extends far beyond the course.
The Mixer Driver Championship and other IRMCA programs are made possible through the involvement of members, volunteers, sponsors, and industry professionals who contribute their experience, time, and support.
Interested in becoming more involved in Indiana's ready mixed concrete community?
Join IRMCA to build industry relationships, participate in association events, support professional development, and help strengthen the future of concrete in Indiana.