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ORGANIZATIONS – SEPTEMBER 2018

Concrete News
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The National Precast Concrete Association will vote during its Annual Meeting, October 5-7 at the Omni Providence Hotel in Rhode Island, on 2018-2019 officers and directors. Officers nominated are Chairman-Elect Jon Ohmes of Champion Precast Inc. and Secretary Treasurer Ron Sparks of Columbia Precast Products. Director nominees are Bill Bundschuh of Pretech Corp.; Mark Chinery of Forterra Pipe & Precast; Clay Prewitt of H2 Pre-Cast Inc.; and, Daryl Burns of Delta Specialty Precast Concrete Engineers.

Also at NPCA, Alex Morales has returned to the staff as director of Workforce Development, within the Technical Service Department. An engineer with nearly 20 years in the precast industry, he was on the NPCA staff from 2000-2008. In addition to assuming engineering tasks, he will work with NPCA’s outreach effort, focusing on workforce development to attract the next generation to the precast industry. 

The Portland Cement Association has named winners and finalists in the three categories of the 2018 John P. Gleason, Jr., Leadership Awards, honoring members who have advanced industry programs and initiatives and named after PCA’s president from 1986-2007:

  • Business Continuity, recognizing positive contributions to support operations areas including advocacy, research and standard setting, plus safety & health. Winner, Ash Grove Cement Corporate Director, Safety & Health Steve Minshall. Finalists, Salt River Materials Environmental & Energy Manager Brett Lindsay and Argos USA Cement Technical Director Steve Wilcox.
  • Market Development, honoring leadership in shaping a favorable competitive marketplace through activities such as national and regional marketing and promotion, imaging and branding, federal and local advocacy, codes and standards, plus work with academia. Winner, Lehigh Hanson Inc. Senior Director of Marketing Lori Tiefenthaler. Finalists, St. Marys Cement/VCNA Vice President, Sustainability Bill Asselstine and GCC of America Market Manager David Gray.
  • Young Leaders, recognizing member company employees who demonstrate a high potential for success in leadership roles and strong commitment to PCA and the cement industry. Winner, GCC of America Vice President, Energy & Environmental Gina Lotito. Finalists, St. Marys Cement/VCNA Vice President, Sales & Marketing U.S. Ed Griffith and LafargeHolcim US Production Manager Adam Posly.

The MKA Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) chartered by Seattle-based engineering firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates, has joined the Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) as a major funding partner on key research initiatives. CPF promotes innovation in building design and construction through open-source research in the public domain. It has been especially successful in research on moment frames bringing cast-in-place and precast concrete deeper into seismic building practice.

“CPF was the inspiration for the formation of the MKA Foundation. Leadership in structural and civil engineering includes an obligation to engage and invest in non-proprietary research that is thoughtfully advancing our profession,” says longtime CPF Director Ron Klemencic. “We hope others will join in the mission of providing the A/E/C Industry with a better way to design and build.”
Jeffrey Groom

Denver-based geotechnical engineer and testing lab operator CTL|Thompsonis welcoming back a former principal and one of Colorado’s foremost materials experts, Jeffrey Groom, who ended a 21-year tour of duty in 2007 as international assignments beckoned. He returns to CTL|Thompson as senior principal engineer with specific oversight of the cement/fly ash/concrete materials engineering and testing laboratory. Groom helped create national testing and specification of concrete and concrete aggregate norms for the American Society of Testing and Materials. He is a past American Concrete Institute Rocky Mountain Chapter president and recognized ACI International Certification program examiner.

The ICC Evaluation Service in Brea, Calif., has announced its 2018-2019 Board of Managers roster, to include four reappointments and two new members. Board members advise ICC-ES management and help advance the organization’s position as the leader in technical evaluations of building products. The reappointments are Jeff Ellis, P.E., S.E., director of Codes and Compliance for Simpson Strong-Tie; Catherine Low, S.E., P.E., principal structural engineer for C.A.P. Low SE; Michael Nugent, building official for the City of Rock Hill, S.C.; and, Ravi Shah, Associate AIA, director of Development Services for the City of Carrollton, Texas. Named to the ICC-ES board are City of Santa Clara (Calif.) Building Official Sharon Goei and Hartford County (Md.) Government Deputy Director Richard Truitt.

AUDITORS RAISE ENERGY-RATING BAR

Energy Inspectors Corp., PEG LLC, TopBuild Home Services Inc., and US-EcoLogic/TexEnergy have chartered Leading Raters of America (LRA), Fairfax, Va., to promote best practices for energy rating services provided to home builders, commercial developers, institutional users and property managers. “A key strategic element of U.S. economic and environmental wellbeing is the assurance to consumers, builders, operators, utility companies, building code professionals and government officials that third-party energy efficiency verification is credible, of the highest quality, and impartial to outside influence,” LRA affirms. Members envision “the highest quality and consistency for independent energy rating of new and existing buildings in accordance with building codes, industry standards, built-environment science and a paramount code of ethics.”