Concrete Supplier Ozinga Creates Mission Critical Facilities Team for Data Center, Tech Projects

Growing demand cited in sector for low-embodied carbon building materials

Ozinga Truck — Ozinga's distinctive red and white ready-mix concrete trucks serve markets in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and South Florida.
*Photo by Jeff Yoders/ENR*

Chicago-based concrete and building materials supplier Ozinga is forming a mission critical team to pursue low-carbon concrete solutions and rapid response for data centers and other advanced technology facilities.

The initiative reinforces company commitment to sustainable construction as the industry faces increasing demand for high-performance, environmentally responsible materials, it said Feb. 25.

"The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure requires innovative approaches to construction," said Marty Ozinga, CEO of Ozinga. "Our mission critical team combines advanced materials science, cutting-edge technology, and strategic collaboration to revolutionize how sustainable infrastructure is developed for the data center era."

Leading the team is Ryan Cialdella, Ozinga chief mission critical and decarbonization officer, who helped develop its CarbonSense line of low-carbon dioxide concrete products. He also led a project with Facebook owner Meta that set benchmarks for sustainable data center construction. Supporting him will be Paul Winkle in the new position of executive vice president of mission critical business development. He is an Ozinga executive with more than 30 years of experience in market intelligence and strategic partnerships, the firm said. The team includes engineers, material scientists and industry specialists in low-carbon solutions for hyperscalers and industry participants.

"Ozinga's expertise in low-embodied carbon concrete is transforming the industry at a critical time," said Don Davies, Davies-Crooks Associates co-founder in a statement. The concrete firm's team "is directly addressing one of our biggest challenges: delivering sustainability at the speed and scale required by the digital revolution."

Davies is also the leader of the leader of the ClimateWorks Lower Carbon Concrete Task Force.

Ozinga's strategies for the mission critical work include advanced materials science using Ozinga's research and development lab, accredited by the Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The team will design and refine low-carbon concrete mixes, using machine learning and AI-driven modeling to optimize mix designs for next-generation infrastructure projects.

Ozinga's mobile concrete plant division also will be tapped to enable large-scale concrete production directly at jobsites to try to reduce emissions, minimize waste and ensure rapid, precision-engineered solutions for hyperscale developments.

The team will also seek to optimize logistics and supply chains by streamlining delivery networks and leveraging global warming potential-optimized concrete. Ozinga says the goal of these efforts is to increase sustainability without compromising on strength, durability or construction speed.

ENR Associate Technology, Equipment and Products Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 20 years. He is a five-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously wrote about construction technology for Structural Engineer, CE News and Building Design + Construction. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.