CalPortland announced the creation of a Carbon Reduction Team focused on Research and Development and the Implementation of Decarbonization Projects. The team will be led by Hamed Maraghechi, Vice President of Research & Development and Decarbonization, and Hartmut Riess, Vice President of Carbon Reduction Implementation. The team will be dedicated to science-driven research and analysis to develop projects that lead to meaningful and innovative carbon reduction for the cement and concrete industries. Maraghechi and Riess will lead the Carbon Reduction Team at the CalPortland Crestmore Center of Technical Excellence in Jurupa Valley, California.

“CalPortland has made an unwavering commitment to decarbonizing cement production through the research of carbon reduction opportunities,” said Allen Hamblen, CalPortland President & CEO. “By creating a team strategically focused on science-based strategies, we will achieve significant carbon reduction and surpass our sustainability goals.”

Maraghechi earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Penn State University and a MSc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.  He received his undergraduate degree in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.

Riess is a second-generation cement engineer and has more than 25 years of experience in the cement industry. He received his BS and MSc in Chemical Engineering, from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen (FAU), Germany.