Ash Grove Cement Co. Appoints New Personnel

Words: Dan Kamys15 September 2016 — Ash Grove Cement Company, the largest American-owned producer of cement and the sixth largest producer of cement in the United States, has appointed a new communications director and technical center director. Lisa Brady Ketteler has joined the company as its communications director in the company’s headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. In her new role, Ketteler will direct internal and external communications for the company and its subsidiaries. [caption id="attachment_13728" align="alignnone" width="152"]Lisa Ketteler is Ash Grove Cement Co.'s new communications director. Lisa Ketteler is Ash Grove Cement Co.'s new communications director.[/caption] Jacqueline Clark, APR, Fellow PRSA, continues to direct federal, state and local government relations and community affairs for Ash Grove and all its subsidiaries. Most recently Ketteler served as manager, transformation communications, for Sprint. Prior to that, she served in roles of increasing responsibility for Sprint, including as manager of corporate communications, executive and internal communications and campus communications. Ketteler earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Chengqing (Cheng) Qi has joined Ash Grove as its technical center director, also in the company’s headquarters. In his new role, Qi, who has a doctorate in civil engineering (with an emphasis on cement and concrete materials), oversees operations of the company’s technical center, a world-class laboratory for research and testing of aggregates, cement, concrete and lime. The technical center was established in the 1960s to offer customized technical service, product development, quality control and testing for our customers across various business lines, and support the company’s cement manufacturing plants. [caption id="attachment_13729" align="alignnone" width="237"]Cheng Qi is Ash Grove Cement Co.'s new technical center director. Cheng Qi is Ash Grove Cement Co.'s new technical center director.[/caption] Greg Barger, an American Concrete Institute (ACI) Fellow and Ash Grove’s long-time technical center director, will retire in 2017. Barger will continue in this role and work alongside Qi until the transition is complete. Most recently, Qi served as technical manager for a cement manufacturer, where he was responsible for troubleshooting cement, concrete and aggregate performance; testing materials and evaluating new material sources. Prior to that, he was with Professional Service Industries, Inc., in Fairfax, Va., as materials engineer and petrographer. Qi has authored or contributed to more than 20 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Qi is a member of multiple technical committees for the ACI and ASTM International, an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and services. Qi earned a doctorate in civil engineering from Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind., and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in materials science and engineering from Southeast University in Nanjing, China.
I’m Still Riding Beside Him
October 2026

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself riding down the road in an 18-wheeler with my son. He recently got his CDL permit and is scheduled to attend a class, so he needs to get some driving time in. That day he was driving a Kenworth, and I was riding along

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Just a Blast from the Past
October 2026

This weekend I had to go through and clean out a cabinet that I used to keep some of the old masonry information that I like to look at from time to time. I had the very first issue of Masonry Construction that was published in 1988. I know, forever ago.

Steve Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Stockholm City Hall
October 2026

Stockholm City Hall is known around the world as the setting for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. But behind the ceremonies and the landmark tower is another story: a building constructed with approximately 8 million bricks. The massive red-brick complex

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Geared Up for Fall Semester
October 2026

Along with finding potential leaders in the next generation of masonry professionals, getting to work with instructors in CTE programs throughout my region offers a great sense of hope and expectation. Add to that an environment where new technologies an

Outreach Outlook
Read More