Ash Grove's Environmental Manager Wins PCA's 2016 John Gleason Jr. Award

Words: Dan KamysThe Portland Cement Association has named Scott Nielson, corporate environmental manager for Ash Grove Cement Company, the winner of the 2016 John P. Gleason Jr. Leadership Award. [caption id="attachment_13730" align="alignnone" width="419"]Scott Nielson, second from left, Ash Grove Cement corporate environmental manager, was the winner of PCA’s 2016 John P. Gleason Jr. Leadership Award. Others pictured, left to right, John Stull, PCA board chair and president and CEO – United States of LafargeHolcim; Jim Toscas, PCA president and CEO; Colin Gleason, son of John P. Gleason Jr. Scott Nielson, second from left, Ash Grove Cement corporate environmental manager, was the winner of PCA’s 2016 John P. Gleason Jr. Leadership Award. Others pictured, left to right, John Stull, PCA board chair and president and CEO – United States of LafargeHolcim; Jim Toscas, PCA president and CEO; Colin Gleason, son of John P. Gleason Jr.[/caption] The awards honor individuals who have exhibited industry leadership by advancing key association programs and initiatives. Presented at the PCA Fall 2016 Congress meeting in Chicago, awards were presented in three categories: business continuity, market development and young leaders. Nielson was honored in the young leaders category. Nielson is an active PCA volunteer, serving as co-chairman on the PCA Energy and Environment Committee’s Environmental Technology Subcommittee. He has direct responsibility for Ash Grove’s environmental compliance and has taken a leadership role in implementing continuous-emissions monitoring systems. Nielson has presented at several technical conferences, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-Industry Applications Society / Portland Cement Association (IEEE-IAS/PCA) Conference in 2014. He chaired the 2016 IEEE conference held in Grapevine, Texas, and is involved in planning the 2017 IEEE West Coast Conference.
Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin

Britt Stokes, Acme Brick’s Director of Marketing, Retires.
August 2026

Fort Worth, Texas – After faithfully serving Acme Brick Company for 40 years, Britt has chosen to retire – although he will still be involved with Acme on various projects. Britt began his career with Acme as staff photographer and through dedicati

The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never