The Florida Prestressed Concrete Association (FPCA) was founded in 1957 by a small group of construction leaders and visionaries when the Precast/Prestressed industry in the United States was less than a decade old. The FPCA was the first of its kind precast concrete association in the nation and it is from this group that the national association, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) was created. The FPCA is a not-for-profit Florida corporation.
Even though the theory of prestressing concrete had been successfully demonstrated in the early 1920’s, the practical commercial application of prestressed concrete in the US can be traced back to 1951 with the erection of the Walnut Lane Bridge in Philadelphia, PA.
The FPCA has a volunteer Board of Directors composed of Producer Members and their suppliers, the Associate Members as well as Professional Members (registered Architects and Engineers). The FPCA also has an Affiliate Member classification, which is defined as anyone who has an interest in supporting FPCA and the industry.
The FPCA is managed by a full time Executive Director and has a Partner relationship with PCI. The educational, marketing and engineering activities of FPCA are guided and supported by the three standing committees; the Marketing Committee, Education Committee, and the Structural (FDOT) Committee.
The FPCA’s goal then, in 1957 is the same as now, which is to provide the construction industry in Florida a superior building system that is durable, attractive, and economical.
