ESCSI Names Castrodale as Director of Engineering

Words: Dan KamysESCSI Names Castrodale as Director of Engineering

The Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Institute today announced the appointment of Reid W. Castrodale, Ph.D., P.E., as Director of Engineering. Dr. Castrodale recently started his own firm, Castrodale Engineering Consultants, and will be working part time for the Institute promoting lightweight concrete and lightweight aggregate applications on a national level.

The main focus of his activities will be directed toward decision makers in the transportation area that includes the AASHTO bridge and materials committees, Federal Highway Administration, FHWA’s Turner Fairbanks Highway Research Center, Transportation Research Board, National Concrete Bridge Council, Precast/Prestress Concrete Institute, ACI 318 Building Code and other committees. He will also continue working as a consultant to the Carolina Stalite Company to represent them in local promotion and technical support activities.

Dr. Castrodale has served as the Director of Engineering for Carolina Stalite Company for the past eight years promoting and providing technical support for the use of lightweight aggregate in bridges, geotechnical applications and internal curing.

“Reid’s extensive design knowledge and his excellent promotion and teaching skills make him a tremendous asset to our industry and to the ESCSI team,” said ESCSI Technical Director, John P. Ries, P.E., FACI. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and received his Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to working at Stalite, he worked in Charlotte, NC, at Ralph Whitehead Associates, a regional bridge design firm, as an Associate and Project Manager/Senior Engineer. He also served as the Program Manager for Bridges at the Portland Cement Association in Skokie, IL. As an active member in the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, he served as the Chair of the Bridge Committee and as Co-Chairman of the PCI Bridge Design Manual Committee.

Dr. Castrodale has taught numerous seminars and courses on reinforced and prestressed concrete bridge design at locations across the country, most of which have addressed design using the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. He was a Professional Affiliate Member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he taught prestressed concrete design, advanced reinforced concrete design and bridge design courses. He has also advised and assisted in the direction of research for graduate students.

Dr. Castrodale may be reached by calling ESCSI headquarters at (801) 272-7070 or by email at rcastrodale@escsi.org.

Hot This Time of Year
July 2026

Yes, summer is hot; that is just how it is. Summer heat can have effects on many things, and as I get older, I realize there is usually something I can do to tolerate the hot days. We all know the obvious, and I am sure every one of us has that person who

The Walls We Build
July 2026

As masons, we spend our careers building walls. We build them with brick, block, stone, and mortar, and we take pride in making them straight, strong, and built to last. But over the years, I’ve learned there is another kind of wall we build—the walls we

Owen Heimbach
July 2026

This month, the MCAA had the pleasure of speaking with SkillsUSA First Place Winner Owen Heimbach, a young mason just starting out whose enthusiasm for bricklaying is truly contagious. His passion for the craft was evident throughout our interview.

Backfill Your Foundation
July 2026

I’ve been noticing an uptick in a very specific kind of application lately, and once you see the pattern, you can’t unsee it. The résumé usually reads like a family photo album. “Started helping my dad when I was 15.” “Worked summers, then full time.” “R