ACPA Celebrates Excellence at Pipe School 2026
Irving, TX – February 18, 2026 – The American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) hosted its annual Pipe School 2026 Awards Luncheon and Closing Ceremony, recognizing outstanding achievements in education and QCast certification, and innovations in both safety and quality. This year’s event brought together 548 participants from 43 states and numerous international regions, reflecting the strong and growing impact of the concrete pipe industry.
“The American Concrete Pipe Association exists to promote a culture of quality excellence and safety at every level in the concrete pipe industry,” says Steven Hawkins, AIA, CSI, President of ACPA. “By recognizing the people and member companies exhibiting exemplary leadership and safety practices, we fulfill these critical elements of our mission. This year, we’re proud to recognize an outstanding group of individuals and concrete pipe manufacturing plants with our highest honors.”
RCPix Photo Contest Highlights Industry Creativity
The ceremony kicked off with the announcement of winners in the RCPix Photo Contest. Categories include Manufacturing/In the Plant, Installation/Installed Product, Freelance, Viewers’ Choice, and Overall Winner. Top honors went to:
Honoring Legacy: The Mel C. Marshall Award
The ACPA presents the Mel C. Marshall Award to an individual demonstrating exemplary service to the concrete pipe industry through work performed for the Manufacturing/Quality Committee in education and quality control. This year’s prestigious Mel C. Marshall Award was presented to Mark Omelaniec, honored for his decades of leadership, service, and advocacy across the North American concrete pipe industry.
Production Journeyman Certification
Jake Jyrkama recognized graduates of the ACPA Production Journeyman Program, celebrating individuals who completed extensive classroom, online, and hands-on training across nine production disciplines. This year’s class was the largest ever with 26 graduates.
Corey Arnold, Concrete Pipe & Precast
Cristian Arreguin, Rinker Materials
William Baldwin, Rinker Materials
Aaron Barnes, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Troy Behrmann, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Erik Callahan, Rinker Materials
Aahmad, Dickerson, MDOT
Adam Doten, Rinker Materials
Donald Dunavan, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
James Ellis, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Lucio Gutierrez, Rinker Materials
Eduardo Guzman, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Gregg Hendershot, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Troy Keene, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Branimir Kovac, Thompson Pipe Group
Zachary May, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Edward Moninghoff, Oldcastle Infrastructure
Eric Olney, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Raul Ortiz, Rinker Materials
John Persinger, Rinker Materials
Tristan Peterson, Cemcast Pipe & Precast
Joseph Rodriguez, Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc
Abel Rojas, Rinker Materials
Corey Russell, Rinker Materials
Aliaz Tena, Rinker Materials
Devin Zipperer, Oldcastle Infrastructure
QCast Awards Recognize Excellence in Plant Quality
The ACPA’s third-party certification program, known as the Quality Cast Plant Certification Program, or QCast, enables reinforced concrete pipe and box culverts to maintain their reputation as the gold standard of quality and durability. Available to ACPA members and non-members, the ANAB-certified program (per ISO/IEC 17065) covers inspection of raw materials and finished products, handling and storage procedures, performance testing, and quality control documentation. This year’s highest-scoring QCast plants were awarded in the following categories:
The rest of the top scoring plants were also recognized due to their demonstrated exemplary quality performance in the QCast program, they are:
Northern Concrete Pipe
Johnson Concrete Products
Oldcastle Infrastructure
Rinker Materials
Chairman’s Safety Initiative Awards
The Chairman’s Safety Initiative Award recognizes plants and/or companies that have implemented successful safety initiatives resulting in a safer and more productive workplace. This year’s Overall Safety Initiative Award is the Adjustable Bench Platform idea submitted by Rinker Materials, Ontario CA and the People’s Choice Award is the Adjustable Height Table for Vibrator idea submitted by the Rinker Materials, Houston, TX plant personnel.
Additional first-, second-, and third-place winners were recognized in Company Wide, Individual Plant, and Equipment categories.
Company Wide Best Practice Recipients
Individual Plant Recipients
Equipment Related Recipients
Chairman’s Quality Awards
The Chairman’s Quality Award recognizes plants and/or companies that have implemented successful innovations resulting in a higher quality product and more efficient process. The Overall Winner of this year’s Chairman’s Quality Award was presented to Northern Concrete Pipe, Bay City, MI for Gasket Installation Training Video, and the People’s Choice Award was presented to Rinker Materials, Middletown, DE for Pipe Up for Quality.
Additional first-, second-, and third-place winners were recognized in Company Wide Best Practice, Individual Plant Process Improvement, and Quality Control Innovation categories.
Company Wide Best Practice Recipients
Individual Plant Process Improvement Recipients
Quality Control Innovation Recipients
The ceremony concluded with ACPA Chairman of the Board, Mark McCormick commending the industry’s continued innovation and collective commitment to quality, safety, and education.
“Another amazing year of awards and submissions,” said McCormick, “The innovation in some of our industry’s most important areas of safety and quality never fails to amaze me, that year after year we continue to bring new ideas to the table. This is why our products are the best in the industry and will continue to stay the safest and best quality in the market."
Pipe School 2027 will be held January 25–28, 2027, at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
About us: The American Concrete Pipe Association is building a future where concrete pipe is widely known as the gold standard pipe product on the market. Through a robust membership that reflects the diversity and interest of the industry it serves, we are building a stronger, more sustainable, and reliable infrastructure to serve our communities for future generations.
Media Contact: Amy Bramhall, ACPA Marketing Director, abramhall@concretepipe.org
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