ACI Mourns Loss of Richard Stehly

By Sara Steptoe

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that the American Concrete Institute (ACI) announces the passing of its president, Richard D. Stehly. President Stehly passed away suddenly Sept. 18, 2010 after enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, hockey, with teammates and friends.

Richard D. StehlyPresident Stehly, who was a member of ACI since 1980, was elected president of the Institute in March 2010. During his short time as president, he championed several ACI initiatives in sustainable development regarding the use of concrete. He was a recent chair of the Board Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development and had been extremely involved regarding the EPA’s proposed regulation of fly ash disposal, and even testified on ACI’s behalf in July before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Entrepreneurship, and Trade.

President Stehly was a member of numerous ACI committees including ACI committees 130, Sustainability of Concrete; 318 WA, International Workshop – Structural Concrete in the Americas; Financial Advisory Committee; and Seminar Oversight Committee. He served on the ACI Board of Direction and the Executive Committee. Additionally, he was an officer of the ACI Foundation and Creative Association Management, ACI’s for-profit subsidiary, and served on the Editorial Review Panel of the U.S. Green Concrete Council.

A Fellow of ACI, President Stehly was a past chair of the Chapter Activities Committee and was a member of the Task Group on International Strategy, which led to the formation of the International Committee, for which he served as the first chair. President Stehly traveled to more than 25 countries on behalf of ACI, presenting lectures on various concrete topics to ACI chapter members. President Stehly had only days earlier returned from a three week international trip to India, Germany, Italy, and Poland with ACI Executive Vice President Ron Burg. Together, President Stehly and Mr. Burg attended various conferences and forums, and had the opportunity to meet with the ACI Chapters of India and Italy.

“The untimely passing of my friend and colleague Richard Stehly is a tremendous loss for the concrete industry and for anyone who had the privilege of knowing him and working with him,” said Ron Burg, ACI Executive Vice President. “His enthusiasm for the American Concrete Institute and the concrete industry was infectious, and our membership, staff, and the entire concrete industry will feel his loss, both personally and professionally.”

President Stehly was a principal of American Engineering Testing, Inc., based in Minneapolis, Minn., and was a licensed civil engineer in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He received a BS degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota. He worked as an intern at Twin City Testing, Minneapolis, Minn., while a college junior and was hired as a field engineer after graduation. He became project engineer, chief engineer, and eventually president of the firm. In 1988, he joined the Anchor Block Co., one of the few block makers using the autoclave process, as president. He then returned to the testing business by founding American Engineering Testing with three others in December 1989. He started American Petrographic Services in 1990. The businesses currently have 15 offices and 300 employees.

There will be a memorial service held Sat., Oct. 2, 2010, 10 a.m., at The Church of the Holy Name, located at 3637 11th Ave. S, Minneapolis, Minn. Visitation will be held Fri., Oct. 1 from 5-8 p.m. at Gill Brothers Minneapolis Chapel, located at 5801 Lyndale Ave. S. and one hour prior to the memorial service at the Church on Saturday. Gill Brothers Minneapolis Chapel can be reached at 612-861-6088.