In place of a Director's message this month, I thought I would share some pictures of our Bridge Academies students working at Design Precast in Gulfport, MS. It’s nice to see the students get their hands dirty and learn what the industry has to offer. Thank you, Design Precast, for giving the students this opportunity.

Enjoy the pictures! Have a safe and joy-filled holiday season! Dan

Meet Our Associates:
MAPEI

MAPEI, was established in Milan, Italy in 1937. Forty-six years later, they established the MAPEI Corporation, the American arm of the multinational MAPEI Group. MAPEI provides construction and restoration systems, including high-performance grouting, mortars, adhesives, and concrete restoration solutions for the precast industry. MAPEI also provides admixtures and cement additives.

Learn more about our Associates

PCI Gulf South Winter Meeting

PCI Gulf South held its 2025 Winter Meeting on November 18th and 19th at the Beau Rivage Casino Resort in Biloxi, MS. Tuesday started with our annual golf outing at the Preserve Golf Resort in Vancleave, MS to benefit the PCI Foundation studio program at Auburn University. We want to thank all the golfers and golf sponsors who helped raise $5,000 toward the studio program. Congratulations to Johnnie Hayes, Patrick Gregiore, and Chad Dews for placing first.

Tuesday evening, we were back at the Beau Rivage for the reception and dinner. It was nice to see all the Associate member tabletop displays and to talk with new members. We would like to thank Chris Ard with Wells for manning our raffle table and making it so much fun!

Wednesday morning saw one of the largest meeting attendances in recent memory, with over 60 attendees. As is customary at our Winter meeting, Associate members have the opportunity to present to the group. We had thirteen member presentations! A special thanks to Brian Miller with Chryso for presenting PCI Gulf South's Market report and future forecasts. What a great group of people to do business with! We hope to see everyone in Lake Charles at our Annual Meeting in April.

Camp Shelby Youth Challenge

November 7th was Youth Challenge Academy College & Career Day at Camp Shelby located just south of Hattiesburg, MS. The Academy is a program designed for high school-aged students from across the country who need a more structured environment than traditional schools offer. Held every 6 months, the Academy provides its cadets with an opportunity to interact with and discuss career choices with local organizations (state police, National Guard, colleges, etc.) and local businesses looking to hire. We also had the opportunity to speak with active-duty personnel nearing the end of their service and looking for their next step. With over 200 cadets and Army personnel filtering through the fitness center, it was a pretty active morning. I want to thank Jake Weaver with Tindall Corp and Charlie Sutherland III with FS Prestress for helping me speak to the cadets about our industry. I know a lot of business cards were handed out, and we even had a few cadets return for a second discussion.

Southern Miss Presentation

Earlier this year, the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Construction and Design received a PCI Foundation Studio program grant. On November 6th, I had the opportunity to present to the AEC 344 Structures class, which officially marked the beginning of PCI Gulf South’s involvement in the program. As one of my favorite things to do, I had the chance to present a basic Precast 101-style lecture! As luck would have it, at the end of my presentation, a local high school was visiting campus, and I had a brief opportunity to speak to them about both our industry and the great program at Southern Miss. I'm really looking forward to this program because, as a member of the school's Industry Advisory Council for the last 7 years, I know the potential this program has to advance precast education in our region! Thank you, Dr. Rodgers, for having me in your class. It was extremely enjoyable.

Dan Eckenrode visiting campus on Nov 2026.JPG

Join us in the U.S. heartland as the 2026 PCI Convention travels to Kansas City, Missouri.

There will be a great deal to do in a short amount of time, including networking with friends and colleagues in the industry, attending committee meetings to learn about new and exciting PCI plans and initiatives, and learning about the precast concrete industry by attending education sessions.

The Precast Show will feature exhibitors displaying their equipment, products, and technologies. You can see the winning precast concrete projects at this year’s PCI Design Awards reception and support the future of the industry at PCI Foundation events. Finally, this visit to Kansas City will be a great opportunity for you to explore the food and culture of the BBQ capital of the world.

Register Here