SEAoAL & ICRI Gulf South Chapter Seminar & EXPO

Javier Balma, Javier Balma is a Senior Project Manager in Walter P Moore Diagnostics Group, which focuses on solving issues with existing structures. He has more than 13 years of experience in the concrete restoration industry and is a registered engineer in 5 states.

Larry Logsdon, with Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt, practices in the area of general commercial litigation and has represented general contractors, subcontractors, owners, and suppliers involved in all aspects of the construction industry. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mr. Logsdon attended the University of Alabama and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1987. He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1992. Larry is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, all Alabama federal district courts, and all Alabama state courts. He is also an associate member of the American Subcontractor’s Association and the Association of General Contractors.  Larry was honored with induction into the Order of the Coif and served as a senior editor of the Alabama Law Review.

Bill Brasher has over 29 years of experience in the concrete industry and is currently the Value Engineering & Product Development Manager with Ready Mix USA/Cemex in the Birmingham, AL area. This experience entails laboratory research, field quality control/quality assurance, and marketing of specialized concrete materials.  In his current position Bill works with clients to provide concrete products and services that meet owner’s unique needs by using state of the art concrete chemical and mix technologies.  Bill attended the University of Maryland with a concentration in Concrete Materials Department.  Upon completion of his studies, Bill worked with the NRCMA National Research Laboratory.   

 Ralph Jones is Principal and CEO of Structural Engineering Associates in Kansas City MO.  Ralph received his BSCE from the University of Missouri-Rolla (currently Missouri University of Science and Technology) and his MSCE from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  Ralph has over thirty-eight years of experience in the structural engineering field.  Most of his experience is in the fields of material testing, concrete corrosion and deterioration analysis and repair and masonry deterioration analysis and repair.  Ralph has been the principal in charge of field services, testing and building assessments for over 20 years at SEA.  He is the current President of the International Concrete Repair Institute and was a founding member and president of the Great Plains chapter of ICRI.

Gene Hightower attended The Citadel in Charleston, SC where he graduated with a BS in Biology. After returning to Alabama he began his career as a salesman in the refractory industry, then switched to sales in the water treatment industry.  In 1975 he went to work with Master Builders on the chemical side of the concrete industry.  Through these contacts he took his first job with a concrete producer in 1980 at Sherman Industries starting their QC program and maintained the title of Technical Services Manager until he became the General Manager in the late 1980s. In 1992 he left the concrete business to work in the construction industry with Dunn Construction and Peak Development.  In 2000 he had the opportunity to get back in the concrete industry with Ready Mix USA as Manager of Technical Services where he excelled until he retired in December 2017.  Not wanting to leave the industry he loves dearly he is now working for the Alabama Concrete Industries Association as the instructor for ACI certification courses and Manager of Technical Services.  He has 40 plus years in the concrete and construction industry.

 Gary Knight is currently the Technical Services Quality Manager at Lehigh South. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Southeastern Massachusetts University. He served as a Design Engineer with Stone and Webster in Boston, as a Concrete Instructor at Alphena Community College for Concrete Technology, Construction Estimator for RS Means, and in Technical Services for Holcim (US) Inc. and WR Grace. He is the past chair (7 years) for ACI 211, ACI 237 and ACI 302, and is the current chair of ASTM C01.29 Sulfate Resistance Committee and voting member of ASTM C01 & C09 (Cement, Concrete, & Aggregates). Gary is a member of the Portland Cement Association (PCA), and serves on the PCA Product Standards and Technology Steering Subcommittee. Also, for the past 7 years has been an instructor at the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) teaching classes in cement, aggregates, dry and wet cast mix design.