Roger J. Becker, P.E., has been named managing director of research and development for the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), assuming his duties on May 3, 2010. Becker’s appointment culminates an extensive search process that began in November 2009.
Becker comes to PCI from Spancrete Industries Inc., a longtime PCI Producer Member, where he most recently served as Vice President–Business Development. He has served on several PCI committees and councils, some of which include Technical Activities and Building Code (both of which he chaired), Research & Development, Hollow Core Slab Producers, Fire, Industry Handbook, and Journal Advisory. He has also served on American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 318 (Building Code), 318 Subcommittee G (Precast and Prestressed Concrete), and 318Subcommittee C (Safety, Serviceability, and Analysis).
In his new position, Becker will oversee the planning and management of all PCI research and development activities and support the PCI Research & Development Council. As a member of the PCI staff technical team, he will work closely with other staff and volunteer leaders in the Institute to strategically coordinate research, technical, educational, and code-development activities to maximize the effectiveness and delivered benefit of the PCI research and development program.
“The establishment of this position represents a refinement in PCI’s philosophy regarding the development aspect of R&D activities,” says James G. Toscas, PCI president. “Roger will oversee an integrated project-management system to plan and coordinate projects past the point of completion of the research, all the way to the “goal line”: realization of the ultimate benefits sought. Besides research, this will involve codification, publication, communication, and education.”
Becker’s goals as incoming managing director support this objective. “My number one goal,” he said, “is to maintain all of the positive things that made the PCI R&D program successful. After that, my goals are to explore new things that we ought to be doing, develop new applications of the research that is being done, and find new ways to get the information generated by research into the hands of those who can benefit the most from that research.”
“I’m extremely excited to join a great organization that I’ve worked with for a number of years,” said Becker. “I have seen the industry from a number of different perspectives. Earlier in my career I was doing research on specific precast concrete products and working as a consulting engineer to various members of the industry. Over the last 10 years I have been working for a producer and have learned how the plants operate, how the projects operate, and how the business operates. I believe I can be sensitive to the needs of producers while understanding the technical demands of conducting research and development to satisfy those needs.”
Becker has Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He is a Fellow of both PCI and ACI, and co-author of both the first and second editions of the PCI Manual for the Design of Hollow Core Slabs. He lives with his wife Peggy in Greenfield, Wis., a suburb of Milwaukee. They have two grown daughters, Kimberly and Jessica, and three grandchildren.
