Hello ACI Members,

I sincerely hope that everyone’s 2025 has started off on a positive note. We certainly had a busy end to 2024, with the Presidential election, the holiday season, and then the horrific wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area to begin the year. The ACI wishes to send our deepest condolences to all those affected by the fires and our heartfelt thanks to the fire, police, and first responders who worked tirelessly during this crisis. We are confident that Southern California will come back stronger and rebuild those affected areas.

It has been my honor to serve as your Chapter President in 2024. It feels like just yesterday I was taking the iron gavel from Nathan Forrest at last year’s Sam Hobbs Awards. This Thursday, it will be my turn to pass the gavel as I welcome our Chapter’s second female President, Sydney Zaragoza from CalPortland. We will also honor Don Kahn from Largo Concrete as the deserving recipient of the 2025 Sam Hobbs Award. I hope to see you all there as we celebrate Mr. Kahn, and the new Board of Directors begins their term. We will also be recognizing our ACI Scholarship winners and presenting their checks.

I am proud to share that our Chapter welcomed two new student chapters over the past year. The students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will lead the charge as the next generation of concrete professionals. Speaking of students, our Chapter sponsored a group from CPP at the ACI National Convention, where they competed in the Pervious Concrete Competition. Out of 30+ universities, the students from CPP finished 1st in the "Best of Show" category and 3rd in "Performance." Combining those scores, they ended up finishing 1st Overall. What a remarkable accomplishment!

Our Chapter held a couple of well-attended events in the last quarter of 2024. In November, we hosted our 2nd Annual TopGolf event, which brought together many in the concrete industry to network and enjoy some swings. Our holiday mixer, held at Brewheim in Anaheim, was a laid-back event at a great venue where people had the chance to celebrate the holiday season.

Many of you may have seen the email blast with the "Save the Date" for events we already have scheduled for this year. Please make sure to add these to your calendar so you won’t miss out on the education and fun!

Once again, it has been my pleasure to serve as Chapter President over the past 12 months. I look forward to assisting the Board for another year as Past President and continuing the legacy of one of the most recognized and respected ACI Chapters in the country.

Warm Regards,
Jacob Brennan
Chapter President 2024