I am truly honored to step into the role of President of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA). I want to extend my gratitude to past President Rick Galloway and the entire Board of Directors for their dedication and leadership. Reflecting on my journey with TCA, which began more than a decade ago, I never could have imagined the wealth of knowledge, collaboration, and lifelong friendships this association would bring me.

TCA is a unique organization where competitors willingly help each other improve, sharing insights and innovations to advance the industry as a whole. The camaraderie within this association is unlike anything I have experienced elsewhere. Every TCA event reaffirms what makes this organization special. We are not just improving our craft but also forming bonds that strengthen both our industry and our personal lives.

Construction runs in my blood. As a third-generation builder, I was introduced to the trade at an early age. At 10 years old, I spent summers carrying lumber on my uncle’s residential projects, and by 14, I was handling a 60-pound jackhammer. These formative experiences instilled in me a passion for construction and a relentless drive for continuous improvement, traits that have defined my career ever since.

Watching my four grandchildren grow has given me a fresh perspective on change and perseverance. My 8-year-old granddaughter is as sharp as they come, wise beyond her years and unafraid to share her opinions. My two-year-old grandson is in the midst of discovering his personality, sings about being an excavator one moment and debates forcefully with his father the next. This past summer, I was blessed with two more grandsons, born just six days apart. At only seven months old, they are a daily reminder of resilience and determination. I watch them see something they want from across the room, unable to crawl, yet undeterred. First, they pull themselves across the rug, then they push up onto their knees, only to move backward instead of forward. But they keep going, adapting, figuring it out. That kind of relentless determination is inspiring.

For the first 20 years of my career, I held multiple roles in a self-performing earthwork and infrastructure company before transitioning to general contracting nearly two decades ago. My former CEO told me on more than one occasion, “Bob, you’re not afraid of change, you embrace it.” That philosophy guided my decision this past year to leave my position as Senior Vice President at a well-established company and take on a new challenge as Chief Operating Officer at Oline Construction. The opportunity to apply decades of industry experience to build on a culture of collaboration, innovation, and integrity has been both exciting and rewarding.

Life is about change and growth. The saying, “If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward,” rings true every time. As I step into this new role with TCA, I am committed to fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and advancing our industry together. The work we do matters, and the relationships we build along the way make it all the more meaningful.

Here’s to the future, let’s keep moving forward.