PCI names Becker to R&D post

Roger J. Becker, P.E., has been named managing director or research and development (R&D) of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI). Becker’s appointment, which began May 3, 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 of 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), R&D, Hollow Core Slab Producers, Fire, Industry Handbook, and Journal Advisory.

Becker has also served on the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 318 (Building Code), 318 Subcommittee G (Precast and Prestressed Concrete), and 318 Subcommittee 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,” said 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 is to maintain all of the positive things that made the PCI R&D program successful,” he said. “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.”

Becker said he has 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,” he said. “Over the past 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.

For more information about the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), please visit www.pci.org.