What is Change? Synonyms: • Alter – difference in a particular aspect without a loss of identity.• Vary – breaking away from sameness or exact repetition.• Modify – difference that limits, restricts or adapts to a new purpose.Change can influence attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Not a single day goes by that we do not encounter some sort of change in our lives. Nothing remains the same forever, no matter how bad we want it to. Change can be hard.We must be willing to accept changes and welcome them into our business, that is the only way to come out on top. When we look at the changes that we have seen the last couple of years within the Cement Industry, and if you are here than these changes have likely affected you, we can either bow out and say “Screw it, I’m Done” or you can embrace it. To move into the future within the concrete industry, your willingness to accept these changes is paramount because it is not going away, there are more on the way. This means that the way we used to design, place and work concrete must change as well. What we used to do does not work anymore. We must find ways to mitigate lower early strengths, higher water demand and slower set times. Can it be done? Absolutely!!! As a industry we are resilient and very forward-thinking. We don’t give up. One individual alone will have a challenging time addressing change, but with the support and backing of an entire industry, anything is possible. I am happy to walk this path with you as the President of the Iowa Chapter of ACI.

Develop, implement and maintain Quality Assurance/Quality Control programs for CIRM's 23 Batch Plants and IDOT Certified Laboratories while proactively performing product and process training within the Business Unit.Review specifications and create concrete design mixes for use throughout the South West Region of Iowa and the South East Region of Nebraska while supervising CIRM’s Quality Control Technicians and laboratories.Maintain all appropriate certifications for plants and department personnel.Investigate and recommend solutions to customer for issues involving concrete in both the plastic and hardened state and recommend course of remediation where solutions can not be found. .Ensure consistency and optimization throughout the region in mix designs, submittal and performance monitoring procedures.Perform routine evaluations of new or alternate raw materials in order to reduce costs.Sample, test and monitor raw materials for compliance of applicable specifications.Observe job site testing and perform comparative testing with independent testing agencies.Communicate with customers, testing laboratories, dispatch and production employees in regards to the mixes being utilized and admixture dosage rates. Monitor test data and plant records for specification compliance in commercial and IDOT sectors.Carry out all pertinent ASTM, ACI and IDOT, FAA, testing procedures and evaluations.Communicate as a strategic partner to the Vice President, General Manager, Operations Managers and Sales across the company.Perform in leadership role while continuing to train, educate and develop employees as well as internal and external customers in quality control.

Provide cross-functional management; direct one Operations Manager, one Plant Manager, two drivers supervisors and one shop mechanic.. Selected Contributions:Oversee production, quality control and delivery of ready mix concrete ensuring compliance with internal and external company and governmental guidelines.Substantially improve productivity while reducing operational costs.Play integral role in establishing quality, safety and financial operational standards thereby producing positive impact on organization’s performance.

Defined, communicated, implemented and upheld parent company vision and core values. Designed, implemented and furnished expert advice on concrete mixes and design projects. Participated in research and development of new products. Selected Contributions:Effectively performed plant inspections and quality control procedures ensuring compliance with all safety and environmental requirements.Responsible for implementation of cement sampling plus collection of retained cement samples for quality control.Identified, scheduled assessments and offered recommendations for both Fresh and Hardened Concrete issues.Administered technical training to employees and clients.Accomplished data accumulation and entry with review of statistical information for future decision analysis.

Advised Senior Concrete Engineer of quality control issues.Instrumental in Customer Service support through job site, office and pre-construction meetings providing expert feedback and assessment.Selected Contributions:Monitored concrete pours including technical, supervision, and quality control. Review and interpret concrete specifications.Scheduled and provide in-house testing of ready mixed concrete for operations and customers.

Supplied ongoing support to Project Manager in field and office environments.Provided technical support in the field. Selected Contributions:Performed construction materials testing both in the field and laboratory on concrete.