opcA Award of Excellence hall of fame

The Inaugural Induction Ceremony occurred on November 12, 2021 as part of the Annual Conference & Trade Show at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Sandusky. The award recognizes legendary, exemplary leadership supporting growth of the Ohio Precast Concrete Association and the Precast Concrete Industry in Ohio.  Each class will select the next recipient(s).

Jim is a 1960 graduate of Chillicothe High School. he attended school while also working at farming.  After graduation, he went to work at the local papermill.  Being a person who is a bit of a maverick and desiring a better future for himself and his family, Jim came home from work one day and announced that he had worked his last night shift at the mill (story according to Jim’s wife, Jane).  He bought a backhoe and started digging and never stopped.  He incorporated his business in 1972 as Jim Bumen Construction Co.  Part of his construction business involved installing concrete septic tanks.  Following the lead of one of his industry contemporaries, E.C. Babbert, Jim began manufacturing precast concrete tanks.  In 1973, he incorporated his precast operation as Scioto Valley Precast.  During his almost 50 years in the precast business, Jim has brought innovation in the form of multi-piece box culverts, improvements in septic tank designs, and a patented system of bridge fasteners.  His innovations have been recognized by fellow precasters, as he was awarded the 2006 NPCA award for “Creative Use of Precast”. 
 
Jim has been active in the Chillicothe community throughout his life.  In 2011, he was recognized as the Ross County Entrepreneur of the year.  In addition to making concrete, Jim enjoys numerous hobbies including collecting antique tractors, model trains, and being Chillicothe’s version of Clark Griswold with his outdoor Christmas decorations. 
 
​Jim and Jane have been married 59 years.  They have two children, Julie and Jay, and they  are proud grandparents of Megan and MacKenzie and great grandson, Wyatt JAMES. 

John is a 1975 graduate of Norwalk High School.  He entered Purdue University (Lafayette, IN) on an ROTC scholarship.  Upon his graduation with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management, John entered active duty in the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.  He served active duty for 9 years and additional 21 years in the Army Reserve.  During his time in the reserve, John joined his father, Tom, and brother, Jeff Malcolm, at Norwalk Concrete Industries beginning in 1989.  During his time at NCI, John has helped grow the business with product innovations, process improvements, and developing personnel policies which created a thriving business that is now entering into its fourth generation of family involvement.  He has been active in the National Precast Concrete Association, serving as its Chairman of the Board in 2002-2003.  John’s tenure as NPCA Chairman was shortened when he was called back to active duty to be part of the US Army operation to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the First Gulf War.  After this active-duty tour of 9 months, he returned to his responsibilities at NCI.  John retired from the Army in 2010 with the rank of Full Colonel. 
 
John has served the Norwalk community by active involvement in many civic organizations.  He served 24 years on the Norwalk School Board, serving on the local hospital board, and serving as President of the Norwalk Economic Development Council. 
 
A dedicated family man, John and his wife, Erin, have been married 38 years.  They have three children, Meredith, Alex, and Emily.  John and Erin are the proud grandparents of two grandchildren. ​

Chris is a 1975 graduate of Sidney Lehman High School.  Upon graduation, he enrolled at Purdue University.  Chris began his career at The Robert Oldham Company between his junior and senior year in 1979.  He graduated from Purdue in 1980 with a degree in Industrial Management, and went to work fulltime at the Oldham Company joining his father, John, who had worked at the company beginning in 1967.  John Wooddell and Robert Oldham were two of the early innovators of taking precast concrete septic tanks from simple holding tanks to advanced treatment systems.  John and Robert registered several patents for their treatment systems.  During his tenure at the company, Chris worked as a sales estimator, in many aspects of production, delivering products, and anything else that needed to be done before turning the lights off each day.  Chris purchased the company in 1989, renaming the company Oldham Precast. 
 
In addition to his work at Oldham Precast, Chris was active in the National Precast Concrete Association, attending many of its education and industry practices courses.  He now shares much of what he learned running his business and education principles learned at NPCA with members of OPCA as part of the instruction team for the Association’s Precast Production Basics Class. 
 
Chris grew Oldham Precast by broadening the company’s product offerings, diversifying into sanitary and storm manholes, package lift stations, and many other products.  In 1999, he brought in business partners to expand the business, moving the operation to a new location in 2001.  He sold his interest in the business in 2005 and  left Oldham Precast in 2008, joining forces with John Lendrum at NCI for three years.  In 2012, Chris started a new business using remote televising for inspecting sanitary and storm sewers.   
 
Chris is active in the Sidney community, attending Holy Angels Church, the Shelby County Deer Hunters, volunteering for the Shelby County Historical Society, and serving as Chairman of the Salem Township Zoning Board. 
 
Chris and his wife, Diane, have been married 36 years.  They have two children, Carly and Eric.  They are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren. ​