At the completion of my tenure as President, I am honored to be presenting the ASA President’s Award to a person clearly deserving of this esteemed recognition: I am presenting this year’s President’s Award to Raúl Bracamontes, for his outstanding service to the ASA and the shotcrete industry…
Committee Chair Memo: Marketing Through Membership
What is the best way to market your company and the shotcrete industry? I would contend that one of the best ways is through membership and participation in the American Shotcrete Association (ASA). How else can you access…
Executive Director Update: ASA Today
For the 21st time, we have selected the winning submissions to our ASA Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awards. This issue of Shotcrete magazine highlights these winners, each of which exemplifies the quality, creativity, and breadth of applications that shotcrete placement gives to…
ASA President’s Message: Inflection Points
A change in our Board leadership is a great opportunity to look at the past, present, and future of the American Shotcrete Association (ASA). As I approach my 9th year on the Board and Executive Board, I now have the honor and privilege of serving as President over the next year. After nearly 30 years as an association, reviewing what the ASA has accomplished in the shotcrete industry is essential…
Guidance for a Successful Certification Session
Shotcreter (formerly nozzleman) certification sessions have changed and evolved over the last decade. After a program reorganization in 2011, ASA has worked very closely with our examiners to maintain consistent quality and bring stronger oversight to the program…
Breaking the Mold: One Woman’s Path into Concrete Industry Management (CIM)
What began as a “why not?” decision turned into a thriving career path. Today, McKinney is a senior in the CIM program — one of the fastest-growing specialized degree tracks in construction and materials science…
Winter 2025 Follow up on Early Strength Testing
In my last column, I discussed the need for early strength testing in underground shotcrete…
My First Experience with an Inspector
I was 23 years old and eager to make a good impression on my fellow colleagues, my employer, the owner of the project, and the inspection staff…
Becoming the First Female ACI Certified Nozzleman (and What It Took to Get There)
My story began in April of 2005, when I started working at a heavy-highway concrete construction company that specialized in the use of wet-mix shotcrete placement for structural bridge repairs. I didn’t realize at the time how consequential this choice would be…
Growing with the Times: Keeping Up with Safety & Equality Changes
While the vast majority of 21st-century construction industry professionals are still men, we’re beginning to see an influx of women entering the field, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of this transformation…