Presented at the ACPA Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation during World of Concrete 2023, the American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA), announced the winners of its 2022 ACPA Awards. Recognizing the people who have made exemplary contributions to the association, the awards promote merit and achievement in the concrete pumping industry. Award winners embody the core values of advancing the concrete pumping industry and commitment to ACPA.
Awards included Safe Operator of the Year, the Pioneer Award, Hall of Fame Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Safe Operator of the Year:
Dianne McCreary, Blanchet Concrete Pumping
For more than 20 years, Dianne McCreary (pictured above) has been working as a concrete pump operator for Blanchet Concrete Pumping. She has a perfect safety record and often plays a critical role in training and mentoring new employees. Through her work record and status as Blanchet Concrete’s most requested operator by customers, she has proven to be one of the company’s most valuable and safest pump operators.
“Dianne is our best team player, training employees on the finer points of pump operation and turning out operators who are as reliable and growth-oriented as she,” says Tyler Resetar, North Carolina Manager of Blanchet Concrete.
Seth Randall, regional safety director with client Clark Construction Group, says McCreary’s passion for safety is “worn on her vest.” From setup to placing decks, her commitment to the safety of every team member on the job site is demonstrated by example and over the radio.
ACPA member companies submitted nominees for Safe Operator of the Year, and as a condition of award consideration, all nominees held valid ACPA operator certifications. Every nomination included at least one recommendation from a supervisor, co-worker or customer. An independent safety consultant selected the winner according to the criteria of safety record, workforce development and a spirit of furthering the concrete pumping industry.
Pioneer Award:
Tony Tye, Texas South Concrete Pumping
Tony Tye (left) was presented the Pioneer Award by longtime friend and fellow Texan Wayne Allen of DY Concrete Pumps during the ACPA’s Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation at World of Concrete.American Concrete Pumping Association
Tony Tye grew up on a cattle ranch in a small town on the Texas-Mexico border. After graduating from high school in the late 1960s, he boarded a Greyhound bus headed to Houston to find work. Determined to find a job that he liked and would provide enough income to support a family, he eventually answered a help wanted ad: “No experience needed. Will train. $3.50 per hour; 40 hours guaranteed. Call George Brock at Hercules Concrete Pumping.”
Tye learned about concrete pumps on the job. After spending several years working for Hercules Concrete and moving up the ranks, he branched out on his own in the 1980s. He has been involved in thousands of projects, big and small. He watched the industry grow from what he says was a crazy idea to what it is today. Tye also says concrete pumps have changed construction forever and will continue to do so—along with the men and women in the business.
“I’ve met a lot of good men and women who built this industry. I have respect for all of them. A lot of them are no longer with us today, but their legacy should not be forgotten,” says Tye.
Tye and his family own and operate Texas South Concrete Pumping in San Antonio.
Hall of Fame Award:
Tom O’Malley, Brundage Bone Concrete Pumping
ACPA President Wayne Bylsma (right) presented the Hall of Fame Award to Tom O’Malley, along with a flashy green jacket (pictured) from Tom’s former employer, Schwing America. The jacket was both an inside joke and a sentimental gift that signified his 24-year tenure with Schwing.American Concrete Pumping Association
A graduate of Indiana University, O’Malley began his construction career in 1985 with Rotec Industries, a concrete placing company located outside of Chicago. He spent his early years operating conveyor systems for bridge decks and specialty concrete placing applications before transitioning to sales. After 12 years at Rotec, Tom joined Schwing America as Midwest Regional Manager, covering a 12-state region selling truck-mounted boom pumps and line pumps. In 2001, he relocated to Minnesota for the newly created position of Marketing Manager. Over the next 20 years, Tom’s roles and responsibilities expanded to include Director of National Account Sales, Director of Product Development, National Sales Manager and finally Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing.
Tom is a past president of the Concrete Pump Manufacturers Association and has been active in the American Concrete Pumping Association for more than 20 years. He has served as an ACPA Board Member for six years, which included serving as Chair of the Equipment Safety Applications Committee and Co-Chair of the Communications Committee. He also was the driving force behind ACPA’s Education Conference.
Always an enthusiastic and effective promotor of concrete pumping, Tom says one of his proudest achievements was writing and overseeing the creation of ACPA’s promotional video “Concrete Pumping—The Future of Concrete Construction.” The video has so far garnered more than 700,000 views on YouTube.
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Gary Brown, R.L. McCoy
From left: 2022 Lifetime Award winner Gary Brown with 2012 winner Dennis Andrews.American Concrete Pumping Association
- Played a significant role in the active development of the concrete pumping industry.
- Fostered and advanced the industry in a given area.
- Improved the conditions under which concrete pumping is performed.
Industry veteran and ACPA Past President Gary Brown is director of business development at R.L. McCoy. After graduating from high school in the early 1970s, Brown joined the Army Corps of Engineers to gain construction experience so he could become a carpenter. That decision set him on a path leading to a career in concrete pumping. When Brown left the Corps to attend Purdue University, he continued to work in construction and was introduced to shotcrete techniques. He quickly saw the benefits of pumping concrete as opposed to placing concrete.
With more than 45 years in concrete pumping under his belt, Brown is deeply committed to improving safety training across the industry. In 2004, he won a seat on the ACPA Board of Directors and has since served as President and as Chair of the Certification Committee. Under Brown’s leadership, ACPA’s training and certification program experienced many milestone achievements—including an improved comprehensive operator training course, greater online access to training and certification materials, the launch of the ACPA Train the Trainer program and elevated integrity of certification testing procedures, to name a few. He is currently a member of the ACPA Executive Board.
