Tom Reading Award

2026 Tom Reading Award
Presented in Honor of Kyle Poff

At this year’s ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence Banquet, the chapter was proud to present the Tom Reading Award to Kyle Poff, honoring a remarkable leader, advocate, and friend of the concrete industry. The award was accepted by Kyle’s wife, Lisa Poff, on his behalf.

Kyle passed away in June of last year, far too soon. Those who knew him remember him as someone who never met a stranger and gave selflessly of his time, energy, and heart to the industry and the people within it. He was married to Lisa for more than 21 years, and together they raised their son, Kayden.

Kyle spent over 25 years working alongside his father, Stan Poff, at Kearney Concrete. Following the sale of the company, he continued his career with Ed Broadfoot & Sons Sand & Gravel. Throughout his professional life, Kyle remained deeply involved in advancing the concrete industry through service and leadership. He was an active member of ACI Nebraska, Concrete Cares of Nebraska, and the Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association.

Kyle served eight years on the ACI Nebraska Board of Directors and was chapter president in 2019. He played a key role in the formation of the ACI Student Chapter at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and was heavily involved in ACI and Nebraska Department of Transportation certification programs.

In 2013, Kyle and his father co founded Concrete Cares of Nebraska, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Nebraska families battling cancer. Since its inception, Concrete Cares has donated more than $800,000 to families across the state and has led meaningful community projects, including a home renovation for a family whose daughter was fighting brain cancer.

Shortly after helping establish Concrete Cares, Kyle himself was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. He faced a long and difficult battle over the next 11 years, enduring numerous complications related to both the disease and its treatments. Through it all, Kyle never complained and continued to serve others with humility and grace.

In addition to his work with ACI and Concrete Cares, Kyle served on the Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association Board of Directors, including a term as president in 2016, and was serving as vice president at the time of his passing. His dedication was recognized through numerous honors, including the ACI International Chapter Activities Award in 2025, the Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association Presidential Award in 2012, and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Concrete Cares Award in 2021.

Kyle Poff was a truly remarkable man whose legacy of service, leadership, and compassion will continue to impact the concrete industry and communities across Nebraska for years to come.

Who is Tom Reading?

Thomas J. Reading was honored at the 1991 awards banquet for his contributions to the American Concrete Institute and to the Nebraska Chapter of ACI. The following are some of the accomplishments and contributions of this truly remarkable man.

Tom was born on July 15, 1915. He attended Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering in 1936. He went on to MIT to acquire a Masters degree in 1939, the year he first joined ACI National. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and was elected to the Board of Directors at ACI in 1965 for a three year term. He was a member of seven committees from 1965 to 1977. They included; Chapter Activities, Information Storage and Retrieval, Membership, Nominating, Awards for Papers, Technical Activities and Conventions.

Tom also served on 7 technical committees and served as chair of three of them. The Tech Committees were; 201-Durability, 302-Construction of Floors, 303- Architectural, 304- Measuring and Mixing, 309-Consolidation, 506-Shotcreteing and 531-Concrete Masonry. In 1970, Tom Reading received the Delmar L. Bloem Award, in 1973 he became a Fellow of the Institute, in 1976 he received the Henry L. Kennedy Award and in 1986 he became an Honorary Life-Time member of the American Concrete Institute. In 1988 Tom Reading served on the Formation Committee of the Nebraska Chapter and from 1989 to 1991 he served on the first Board of Direction of the Chapter. He was the first Chapter Librarian in 1990.