Ash Grove Cement Company appoints Cheng Qi as technical center director

United States-based 7989 Ash Grove Cement Company has appointed Cheng Qi as its technical center director at the firm’s headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. In his new role, Qi, who has a doctorate in civil engineering (with an emphasis on cement and concrete materials), oversees operations of the company’s technical center, a world-class laboratory for research and testing of aggregates, cement, concrete and lime. The technical center was established in the 1960s to offer customised technical service, product development, quality control and testing for our customers across various business lines, and support the company’s cement manufacturing plants.
 
Greg Barger, an American Concrete Institute (ACI) Fellow and Ash Grove’s long-time technical center director, will retire in 2017. Barger will continue in this role and work alongside Qi until the transition is complete.

“Qi’s work experience, technical proficiency and educational credentials will make him an important and immediate asset to the Ash Grove technical center,” said Ron Vidergar, vice president technical services. “Additionally, his knowledge of the cement industry will allow for a smooth transition into his new role.”

Most recently Qi served as technical manager for a cement manufacturer where he was responsible for troubleshooting cement, concrete and aggregate performance; testing materials and evaluating new material sources. Prior to that, he was with Professional Service Industries, Inc., in Fairfax, Virginia, as materials engineer and petrographer.
 
Qi has authored or contributed to more than 20 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Qi is a member of multiple technical committees for the ACI and ASTM International, an international standards organisation that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and services.
 
“I am pleased to work for Ash Grove,” said Qi. “Ash Grove Cement has a culture of sustainable development. It is a well-respected leader in the cement industry and acutely focused on product quality and new materials development. I see great opportunities for the technical center to continuously improve and contribute to the success of the company. ”
 
Qi earned a doctorate in civil engineering from Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering in West Lafayette, Indiana, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in materials science and engineering from Southeast University in Nanjing, China.