Michael A. Whisonant PE LLC


     Mike Whisonant is an engineer in the construction materials industry with more than 25 years of knowledge and experience. He has worked with various sized businesses at different levels and has gained experience in the technical services aspects of industry but also the enhancement of business and general management of the evolving construction materials industry.
     As a member of numerous national and international technical committees, serving as chair and vice chair for several of them, and publishing several papers relating to construction materials, Mike has shown that he has a rare knowledge of the technical aspects of construction materials. A winner of ten NRMCA Excellence in Quality Awards and as a former Malcolm Baldridge Award Examiner, he has a great understanding of how to successfully set up and manage a quality system. Mike is also a registered engineer in six states and has had the opportunity to see business practices throughout the country.
     By applying his years of service, taking into account experiences from numerous locations throughout the country and building programs from the ground up, Mike can contribute in ways many others cannot. Understanding not only the materials and processes that are being used and how to use them, but also how they impact the business and just as important how they impact the customer is a key attribute that is often overlooked, and not usually contributed by vendors offering what they believe to be similar services.
     Looking at technical services in a holistic manner, Mike is able to see the system from beginning to end. Material selection, proportioning, production control, value added opportunities and customer satisfaction are simply just part of the whole picture and are not “someone else’s job.” The difference between Technical Services and Quality Control has become a blurred concept and it takes someone of Mike’s talents to make a clear distinction between the two and how they can work together to achieve his vision of the final product.
     Since Technical Services should be part of the daily activities it is important to realize that each part of the process lends to the quality of the final product. It is the job of technical services to not only meet the customer expectation but also help the bottom line. Mike’s belief is that accurately measuring and monitoring each step and using those measures to ensure that the processes are kept in control, companies can produce a final product that will meet the expectations that they are designed for and the bottom line will benefit. The focus should always be the final customer with the inputs in mind, whether it is justifiable to reduce cement content, focusing on accurate batch weights, simply reducing rejected loads and removed concrete, or even increasing billing accuracy the focus is always the same, make is simple and desirable for customers to use the company.  
     As specifications change and the requirements to produce concrete become more difficult it is important to have someone with Mike’s abilities and knowledge to address those requirements and to ensure the risk to the company is reduced while still giving the Owner, the Engineer, and the contractor what is needed. Understanding both the technical and business aspects of a project is a rare commodity but because of Mike’s experience he has the ability to do so.
     Education both internally and externally is a key component for success, if employees learn to produce the best designed concrete and the end customer doesn’t know how to use it, or if the customer is the most knowledgeable in the market and the company cannot produce the correct concrete for the application both sides are dissatisfied. Mike has taught numerous internal and external classes not only dealing with concrete technology but also finishing practices, and managerial methods to help companies and their customers to succeed.
     As a member of several executive teams in the past, and taking part in strategic decision making for large companies, Mike is able to make technical decisions on a strategic level not just a pure one dimensional principle. By gaining experience in both due diligence of companies for acquisition as well as experiences in post-merger integration, Mike has worked to quickly find ways to translate company goals and procedures into a single vision.
     Mike’s experience of administering a wide spectrum of operational systems has helped him gain an understanding in all areas of the business unlike others. Command Series, Command Batch, Command QC, Quadrel. and APEX were all installed, set up, and used to a great deal of success with him leading the project team to implement them. Mike, in conjunction with APEX, facilitated mobile ticketing not just for the company but for the industry at large. As an Alpha user, Mike working simultaneously with the vendor developed a product that will be the standard for the industry. He has also taken part in the adaption of SAP and of Oracle as a corporate ERP system.
In summary, Mike has the abilities both in terms of technical service and the business that make him a rare asset in the industry. Mike can contribute to your team in unique ways and will always focus not only on doing things right but also in ways that will contribute to the bottom line and ensure customer satisfaction. .