The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute has named Robert Risser its new president. He joins the group with 20-plus years’ of executive association management experience, including nearly a decade as president and CEO of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute in Schaumburg, Ill., and succeeds James Toscas, who left PCI in late-2014 to lead the Portland Cement Association.
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“Bob has made significant contributions throughout his career and helped grow each organization he has worked for,” says 2015 PCI Chairman Chris Pastorius. “He prides himself on developing strong value propositions for members through a leadership model driven by collaboration.”
In nearly 10 years, Risser presided over CRSI’s positioning as an American National Standards Institute–accredited Standards Development Organization, plus Government Affairs Committee and Rebar Political Action Committee development. Before joining CRSI, he was Michigan Concrete Paving Association executive director for 11 years. He has also served in a variety of construction- and concrete-related roles, including director of engineering design or market development, and Concrete Construction engineering editor.
Risser serves on the board of the American Concrete Institute-affiliated Strategic Development Council and the Concrete Research Council executive committee, and was the charter Concrete and Masonry Related Associations chair.
The American Concrete Pipe Association has recognized the latest winners of its P3 Awards, which recognize Professional Pipe Promotion online training course completion. The P3 program offers advanced training in both the technical and sales and marketing attributes of reinforced concrete pipe, affording participants the tools and information necessary to provide a consistent message to customers, specifiers and agencies. By completing the various P3 training modules, pipe professionals can achieve a “Pipe Pro” and/or “RCP Master” level of knowledge. This year’s P3 Award recipients are Tyson Hicks and Richard Hill, Rinker Materials-Concrete Pipe Division Cemex; Bryan Rempt, County Materials Corp.; and, Brent Schofield, Langley Concrete Group.
The American Concrete Institute has named John Conn as director of Chapter Activities, and Kanette Mwanjabala coordinator of Chapter Services; they join Cheryce Johnson on the ACI Chapters team at the Michigan headquarters.
Conn will set the strategic direction as it pertains to the Institute’s 101 chapters (57 domestic, 44 international), and 93 student chapters (51 domestic, 42 international). Appointed ACI manager of Certification in 2004, he has been responsible for operations that annually certify more than 30,000 individuals in 21 programs, offered in four languages, through a network of 100+ Sponsoring Groups. Since 2009, he has also been responsible for managing ACI’s chapter activities. Conn holds a master’s in International Business and bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Wayne State University, Detroit.
As ACI Chapter Services coordinator, Mwanjabala will create, coordinate, and implement support programs necessary to increase the effectiveness and productivity of ACI chapters. She led the recent development of the ACI Marketing Toolkit, and brings experience in global outreach to the Institute. Mwanjabala holds a bachelor’s in Business Communications and Marketing from Rochester College in Rochester, Mich.
“Chapters are the face of [ACI] in communities and countries across the globe,” says ACI Executive Vice President Ronald Burg. “These appointments underscore [our] commitment to strengthening chapters by helping provide the resources to most effectively assemble regional professionals, disseminate ACI’s technical and educational information, and engage in two-way communications with the Institute and other chapters.”
ACI 2015 Manual of Concrete Practice
The new edition of American Concrete Institute’s bedrock publication contains 240-plus documents addressing all manner of questions and issues surrounding code requirements, specifications, tolerances, concrete proportions, construction
methods, and evaluation of test results. The 2015 Manual of Concrete Practice also includes the reorganized 2014 version of ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary.
An encyclopedia of concrete technology, the publication suits engineers, architects, contractors, agencies and concrete producers, covering such topics as design of reinforced concrete and masonry structures; design and construction of floors on grade, pavements and parking lots; specification writing; concrete mixture proportioning; concrete mixing, transporting and placing; hot- and cold-weather concreting; formwork; inspection and testing; construction tolerances; repair, renovation and rehabilitation; and, troubleshooting.
The Manual of Concrete Practice is available in a traditional hard copy edition, with seven books plus separate index, or USB drive or online versions, from the ACI Bookstore, 248/848-3800; www.concrete.org.