Deborah Malone has joined the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association as chief operating officer. She arrives after nearly two decades in the same capacity with the National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C. Along with day-to-day operations duties, her overall 30-year NAHB tenure spans many critical efforts—from implementing programs advancing builders’ legislative priorities to growing the organization’s membership and global presence. At NRMCA, Malone will be responsible for activities that help drive value for ready mixed producers and work across committees or departments to develop new revenue streams. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economics from Colorado College.
The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute has appointed Bartlomiej Krol, P.E. as managing director, Quality Programs, responsible for precast concrete plant, erector and personnel certification. He arrives from County Prestress in Westmont, Ill., where he supervised and mentored the QC team and developed technician training materials. Before the corporate quality control manager tour at County Prestress, Krol was an engineer at Alta Vista Solutions in Richmond, Calif., serving as a consultant to the California Department of Transportation, and a design engineer at HNTB Corp. in Oakland. He holds a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Two projects involving Saint-Gobain Construction Chemicals’ Chryso and GCP Applied Technologies businesses have earned Fiber Reinforced Concrete Association Innovative Fiber Project of the Year honors. The program recognize distinguished projects submitted by a contractor, architect, engineer, facility owner, or precast producer specifying and/or utilizing fiber reinforced concrete. The Chryso and GCP Ductilcrete CP 100 Engineered Slab System—as detailed for the Logistics Cross Dock Facility in Little Chute, Wis.—took first-place prize in the Micro Synthetic category. In the Macro Synthetic category, the Quarra Stone Co. project in Madison, Wis. earned a second-place honor, reflecting the role of Strux 90/40 synthetic macro-fibers in curved, 4-in. thick cast-in-place panels.
“The Innovative Fiber Project of the Year Awards showcase the transformative potential of fiber reinforced concrete in the construction industry,” says Saint-Gobain Construction Chemicals North American Fiber Specialist Matt Mulheron, P.E. “We are thrilled to be honored for projects that are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with fiber reinforced concrete.”
Brandon Farris has joined the Steel Manufacturers Association as vice president, Government Affairs. He will oversee legislative and regulatory affairs while leading public policy agenda and strategic relationships. He arrives from the National Association of Manufacturers, where he was vice president of Domestic Policy, and was recently recognized by The Hill as a top lobbyist for leading industry efforts on permitting reform and regulatory overreach. SMA represents suppliers of concrete reinforcing bar plus structural steel plate and fabricated members.
“Brandon Farris has the experience we need in a government affairs executive, including an impressive record of advancing initiatives through grassroots and coalition-building techniques,” says SMA President Philip Bell. “He knows our issues inside and out, he has established relationships with executive agencies and Capitol Hill, and he has shown himself to be a strategic leader, a bipartisan relationship builder and a strong advocate for manufacturers.”