Few construction products ever disappear once they have been installed. The best simply continue doing their job, largely unnoticed, decade after decade. That reality sits at the heart of the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA), which will celebrate its 120th anniversary next year. For an organization representing products designed to last for generations, the milestone is more than a birthday—it is proof that quality, durability, and continuous improvement have remained at the center of the industry for well over a century. For Al Hogan, Interim President of ACPA, the anniversary is as much about the people behind the products as it is about the products themselves. “I really thank our family of producers,” he said. “They’ve always been meshed together in and with the communities that they serve. I think we have, from the beginning, striven to provide products that will serve our communities and families for many decades”
The ongoing connection between manufacturers and the communities they support remains one of the industry’s defining characteristics. Unlike many sectors where products quickly become obsolete or require regular replacement, concrete pipe often remains in service long after the people who installed it have retired. “It’s really cool to be able to say, in our industry, the older folks, more experienced folks, can walk over to a project or a roadway and tell their great-great-grandchild, ‘You see that pipe right there? We made that.'” This sense of permanence continues to shape how ACPA approaches everything from product quality to workforce development. Hogan believes longevity in the marketplace is ultimately earned through performance. “Our key to success is in the fact that We’ve proven to the owners and to those who purchase our products that we have the strongest, safest (lowest risk of failure), longest lasting storm drainage product available, period.”
As infrastructure owners increasingly evaluate projects over their full lifecycle rather than simply initial construction costs, that message has become increasingly relevant. Concrete pipe’s long service life has positioned it as a durable solution for communities looking to maximize long-term value while minimizing future maintenance and replacement. Maintaining that reputation requires constant investment in people as well as products. For ACPA, one of the clearest examples is Pipe School, the association’s major training and education event. The program brings members together across disciplines, from engineers and sales teams to production and quality control personnel, creating a forum where technical knowledge, best practices, and practical experience can be shared across the industry.
For Hogan, Pipe School plays an important role in keeping the industry aligned around quality. “It is a great opportunity for us to bring our entire ACPA family of members together under one roof and to continue to educate ourselves and each other,” he explained. “Those that are working on our teams, that are engineers, that are sales folks, that are production oriented or quality control oriented—we just work together at that school to ensure we meet our community’s goals and provide the best storm products available to the owners and purchasers we serve.” The value of the program lies in its practical focus. Rather than treating training as a theoretical exercise, Pipe School gives members the opportunity to learn from one another and bring useful processes back into their own companies. “It’s a really great opportunity for all of our members to come together at one place and talk to each other, learn from each other, and be able to take some really good information, some good processes, back to their own companies,” Hogan said.
“It’s a really great opportunity for all of our members to come together at one place and talk to each other, learn from each other, and be able to take some really good information and processes back to their own companies.”
Although ACPA members compete with one another in the marketplace, Pipe School reflects the collaborative culture that has helped sustain the association for nearly 120 years. Producers may be competitors day to day, but inside the association they share a responsibility to protect the quality and reputation of the industry as a whole. Hogan describes ACPA as a community willing to help members address challenges, learn the industry, and maintain the standards expected by owners, engineers, and public agencies. “We want all of our members to be well educated, to be able to provide high-quality products, because the worst thing happening is if we have a few that do not understand the quality proposition that we want everybody to offer,” he said. “It’s important that we all be on that same page and attack that together and make sure we’re always improving doing the best we can to provide the highest quality RCP and precast box culverts.”
That focus on quality also shapes how ACPA communicates with customers and the wider public. While concrete pipe may not always receive the same attention as more visible elements of infrastructure, Hogan believes its local manufacturing base and exceptional lifespan make it a compelling story.
Many products are manufactured thousands of miles from where they are eventually installed. Concrete pipe, by contrast, is typically produced close to the communities it serves, supporting regional economies while reducing transportation requirements. For Hogan, that local presence deserves greater recognition. “We’re very proud that our products are made locally. They’re made by your neighbors, by folks from the county you live in or maybe even just around the corner. We have a very big impact on the economy of the communities and in every state we serve.”
Concrete Pipe Week provides an opportunity to remind customers, engineers, and public agencies of that contribution. “We use Concrete Pipe Week as an opportunity to do that, just to remind folks that we’re here, that we’re important to your community, were important to your safety. We know we are important to your community, and we take that opportunity to make sure that, at least once a year, we make a big to-do about it.” The association’s message also resonates against the backdrop of significant infrastructure investment across North America. Aging drainage systems, expanding communities, and increasing demand for resilient infrastructure are creating substantial opportunities for producers.
Those investments arrive alongside another important consideration: resilience.
Communities across the continent continue to experience increasingly severe storms, flooding events, and wildfires, placing unprecedented demands on infrastructure systems. Hogan believes concrete pipe’s performance under those conditions speaks for itself. “Folks might not think about it. That’s a pretty simple question, and I think we have a really good answer for it. We don’t rust. We don’t fail under load. We don’t float. We don’t burn. We simply don’t flinch when the storms come, when the storm waters rise or the fire spreads our way.”
Rather than presenting those characteristics as new achievements, Hogan sees them as qualities that have been demonstrated for generations. “We have, obviously since 1907, been passing the test of all those kinds of events.” Even as weather patterns evolve, he believes the industry’s history offers reassurance about its future. “We’ve always had extreme weather. If we were not capable of handling it, we would not still be here today. We’re still here, 120 years plus, and we have proven our products can stand the test of time. We’re very proud of that.”
As ACPA approaches its 120th anniversary, Hogan is focused less on celebrating the organization’s history than on preparing it for its next chapter. Concrete Pipe Week continues to grow. Pipe School remains a cornerstone of workforce education. New generations of engineers, plant personnel, and manufacturers are entering an industry supported by experienced professionals eager to pass on decades of knowledge. For Hogan, those initiatives ensure that ACPA’s greatest strength remains unchanged after nearly twelve decades: a willingness to learn, improve, and support one another while never losing sight of the communities the industry ultimately serves. “Concrete Pipe Week is one of a handful of events that we use to outreach to our customers,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to remind folks who we are, what we do, and why it matters.”
For an industry whose products are designed to last well beyond a lifetime, that commitment to continuous improvement will ultimately prove every bit as enduring as the concrete pipe itself.
