J. Michael O’Brien has been named president and chief executive officer of American Cast Iron Pipe Co. He succeeds Van Richey, who served the company for 47 years before retiring. O’Brien is the 11th president in the company’s 118-year history.
A native of Birmingham and graduate of the University of Alabama, O’Brien joined ACIPCO in 1975 as a research engineer. In 1981, he was named a sales engineer in international sales and promoted to manager in 1983. He has since served as sales manager of the American-Darling Valve Division, sales manager of American Ductile Iron Pipe, vice president of sales and secretary and earlier this year was named executive vice president.
O’Brien has served on the board of directors of Capstone Engineering Society and was a founding member and past chair of the UA College of Engineering Leadership Board. He was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1999.
He also has served on the board of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and is a founding member of H2O Foundation, which assists low-income elderly and disabled Birmingham Water Works customers with paying their water and sewer bill and with plumbing repairs.
ACIPCO, founded in 1905, is a manufacturer of fire hydrants, valves, ductile iron pipe and spiral-welded steel pipe for waterworks industry and steel pipe for the energy and carbon capture industries.
