President's Memo

Dear ACI-IL Members,

It is truly an honor to serve as your newly elected President this year. I’m excited for what we will accomplish together in the months ahead. ACI-IL continues to be a strong and respected chapter because of the dedication, expertise, and volunteer spirit of our members—and I’m proud to be part of such a committed community.

One of the highlights of this year will be the ACI Convention this March at Rosemont, which I’m proud to be co-chairing alongside an exceptional leadership team. We are fortunate to have a great group of subcommittees working diligently to deliver a well-organized and engaging event. Their time and effort represent the best of what our chapter stands for: collaboration, professionalism, and a shared passion for advancing the concrete industry. Whether you are a longtime ACI-IL member or a newbie, volunteering to help with this event offers strong networking opportunities and an experience worth attending. And the opportunity to sponsor will be available until March 2nd!

Beyond the convention, our focus remains on supporting our mission through member engagement and continued professional development with our certification facility and dinner meetings. ACI-IL is more than a professional chapter—it’s a community that encourages growth, knowledge-sharing, and leadership development.

I also want to recognize and thank our volunteers, committee members, sponsors, and partners who help make ACI-IL successful. Your contributions—whether through event planning, presentations, mentoring, sponsorship, or simply showing up and participating—keep our chapter active and thriving.
As we move into this year together, I encourage each of you to stay connected: attend an upcoming event, invite a colleague to join, follow us on social media, or consider volunteering for the convention. Your involvement is what keeps ACI-IL strong, and there is always room for new voices, new ideas, and new leadership.

I look forward to seeing you at upcoming events and at the convention this March.

Warm regards,
Jaclyn Ferraro 
President, ACI-IL Chapter

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Dinner Meeting Recap

ACI Illinois would like to thank all our Chapter members who attended our Dinner Meeting at Smoke Daddy’s last week.  With 93 members registered, it was a great turnout.

EPD’s seems to be the Hot Topic this year, putting sustainability at the forefront.

ACI Illinois would like to thank our panel for the meeting, Sean Guzik PE, from CDOT, Dan Gancarz, PE from the Tollway and Kevin Finn from IDOT, informing us of upcoming projects as well as completed projects. 

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday, February 18^th at Ditka’s in Oakbrook. 

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February Dinner Meeting

Location:
Ditka's Oakbrook Terrace
Two Mid America Plaza
Oakbrook, IL 60181

Parking: Valet service available
Guest Speakers: Ryan Cialdella, Chief Mission Critical & Decarbonization Officer at Ozinga
Topic: Implementing Low Carbon Concrete
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Time: Cocktails 5PM, Dinner meeting 6-9PM, Board meeting 4PM

Cost: $95 per person ($85 for ACI-IL members, please login for discount), please register in advance

Speaker Bio: 

Ryan Cialdella is the Chief Mission Critical and Decarbonization Officer at Ozinga, where he leads efforts to advance sustainable building solutions through innovative materials and technologies. Over his 20+ years career with the company, Ryan has held leadership roles in operations, quality control, research and development, and on Ozinga’s executive concrete team—making him a key driver of the company’s industry leadership.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and his MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ryan is active in the Illinois Ready Mix Concrete Association (IRMCA) and the National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA). He founded Ozinga’s research and development laboratory, securing AASHTO and CCRL certifications to evaluate emerging technologies and materials that support carbon reduction in concrete. This work led to the development of CarbonSense, a suite of sustainable building solutions that includes low-embodied carbon mix designs and ultra-low cement blends. He also oversaw the implementation of CarbonCure™ Technology across Ozinga’s service area, surpassing one million truckloads delivered with the technology in early 2025.

His expertise has resulted in two published papers on sustainability, including a groundbreaking collaboration with Meta on the largest low-carbon concrete pilot project in the Chicagoland market. The project’s success is now shaping Meta’s specifications for future data centers nationwide.

In his current role, Ryan leads Ozinga’s Mission Critical Team, which specializes in full-service, low-carbon material solutions for essential facilities such as data centers, hospitals, power plants, and utilities warehouses. He also works closely with Ozinga’s Marketing and Technical Services groups to provide education on sustainable building practices. Through partnerships with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and other organizations, Ryan regularly delivers accredited continuing education sessions. His speaking engagements include the AIA National Conference (2022), Data Center World (2025), NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks, Concrete Innovations, BuiltWorlds, Global Concrete Summit, Carbon Leadership Forum, and many others.

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Calendar of Events

ACI Meetings

2026

February Dinner Meeting
February 18, 2026 - Ditka's Oakbrook
Implementing Low Carbon Concrete, Ryan Cialdella, Ozinga
Register TODAY!

ACI 2026 Spring Convention!! Rosemont, IL       
March 29 – April 1, 2026

ACI 2026 Fall Convention - Atlanta, GA
October 11 - 14, 2026

Industry Events

ICRI - For more information https://icrichicago.org/

IRMCA - For more information www.irmca.org or (309) 862-214

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Call for Convention Planning

Join us at the ACI Concrete Convention in Rosemont
March 29 - April 1, 2026!

Support Our Convention!

Your help will be needed as a volunteer at next year’s Rosemont convention! Please reach out at [email protected] or [email protected] and we will be in touch with more planning information. 

Unable to help in person? The Chapter will need funding assistance to give everyone the bet possible experience on their trip to Illinois – Jose Perez is spearheading the fundraising efforts – reach him at [email protected] and check us out on our site at https://aciillinois.com/Convention2026.

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Upcoming Certification Sessions

Locations:
ACI-IL Certification Facility - 650 W. Grand Ave. Suite 106, Elmhurst, IL 60126
MDG Millennia Professional Services - 2600 Warrenville Rd., #203, Downers Grove, IL 60515
LAKE Lake Land College - 5100 Lake Land Blvd, Mattoon, IL 61938 

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Meet The New Board of Direction

Officers and Directors

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Year in Review

January: Industry Outlook Kickoff

The year began at Smoke Daddy’s in Wrigleyville, where representatives from IDOT, ISTHA, and CDOT shared insights on major projects completed in 2024, key initiatives planned for 2025, and Forecasts for the upcoming construction season.

February: Advancing Cement Technology

At Ditka’s in Oakbrook Terrace, Michelle L. Wilson, FACI of the Portland Cement Association presented “The Future of Cementitious Materials.”  The session explored sustainability trends in cement, Portland‑limestone cement (PLC) and other blended cements.  Michelle discussed the impacts the changing marketplace will have on concrete properties and practical applications.  Michelle was an amazingly engaging guest speaker, and we were so grateful to have her attend our dinner meeting.

March: A Month of Collaboration & Innovation!

Concrete.ai at Pazzo’s: Mathieu Bauchy, CTO of Concrete.ai, presented on Concrete Copilot, focusing on reducing embodied carbon and lowering material cost using AI optimization.  He gave a very informative presentation on how AI can help improve concrete.

Joint Meeting with UIUC ACI Student Chapter was held at the Newmark Engineering Laboratory in Champaign, IL.  Attendees enjoyed a guided laboratory tour, dinner, and networking.  Scott Kelly (Ozinga) presented on low‑embodied‑carbon concrete trends and materials.  The event was free for all students and guests.

ACI‑IL and ICRI Chicago Joint Social at Smoke Daddy BBQ was a great opportunity to meet new and familiar colleagues for a casual networking night during the peak of March Madness.

April Dinner Meeting: Red and Purple Modernization Spotlight

At Ditka’s Oakbrook Terrace, Rob Neville (Walsh Construction) presented on the Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) project, highlighting the use of precast segmental bridge structures, system upgrades to improve rail reliability and capacity, and strategies to minimize community disruption during construction.  This was a great presentation highlighting amazing construction projects right in our own backyard.

June: Annual Golf Outing organized by our own long-time member Brad Pfanenstiel.  Our summer tradition continued at Ruffled Feathers in Lemont, where we celebrated a record turnout of more than 80 golfers.  FORE!

September: Innovative Pier Cap Design

Returning to Pazzo’s downtown Chicago, members welcomed Mike Collins, P.E. and Santanoo “Sen,” P.E. (GFT) for a deep dive into post‑tensioned pier caps included in the complex I‑294/I‑290/I‑88 interchange.  Mike and Sen shared lessons learned from one of the Tollway’s most challenging projects.

October: Chicago Lock Repairs and ACI Fall Convention

In October, Wyatt Eaton and Sam Stemper (JF Brennan) presented on the Chicago Lock Chamber Rehabilitation.  This was an engaging presentation on the lock chamber floor and wall repair methodology.  Wyatt and Sam spoke on the critical infrastructure maintenance challenges they overcame to complete the project for the USACE.  Sam and Wyatt spoke on the challenges of building with concrete in water.

ACI International Fall Convention in Baltimore!

A strong Chicago contingent attended the convention, promoting our upcoming Spring 2026 Convention in Chicago. Register for Convention Here!

November: Holiday Social and Toys for Tots Drive

We closed the year at Athena Restaurante in Greek Town, celebrating the season while supporting Toys for Tots in partnership with the United States Marine Corps.  Thank you to both Pete Stamatopoulos and Peter Schroeder for making the event memorable, ensuring we always have an amazing venue, and for making it extra special with the Ozinga holiday truck.

Looking Ahead to 2026
Thank you to our members, partners, speakers, and students for making 2025 a remarkable year.  Your engagement drives our mission to support excellence in concrete construction and innovation across Illinois.

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IDOT QMTP Director of Certification and Recertification Job Posting

Below is the link to the job posting for the position at Lake Land College to replace Lori (Walk) Long when she retires next June.  They are hoping to get someone hired this fall so that they can shadow for the next training season.

 https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/lakelandcollege/fulltime/jobs/4952976/director-of-idot-qmtp-certification-and-recertification

Please pass along to anyone who may be interested!

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Find us on LinkedIn and Facebook

We hope you’ll join us on LinkedIn: ACI Illinois Chapter LinkedIn
and Facebook: ACI Illinois Chapter Facebook

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