Year Inducted: 2025
J. Michael O’Brien has helped shape the engineering community for nearly five decades. Using his engineering expertise and leadership capabilities, he has helped strengthen
one of the state’s oldest companies, adding dynamic ingenuity to place AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company on the leading edge of sustainable and clean manufacturing.
As the president and CEO of ACIPCO, he oversees the company’s manufacturing of fire hydrants, valves, ductile iron pipe and spiral-welded steel pipe for the waterworks industry, and
steel pipe for the energy and carbon capture industries. The company’s diversified product line also includes fire pumps, structural casings and pilings, castings for large machinery, and specialty rubber products.
O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The University of Alabama in 1975. Shortly after earning his degree, he joined ACIPCO as a research engineer. In this role, he used his technical and communication skills across the globe, including successful troubleshooting in the Middle East, a challenging climate for pipe infrastructure.
In 1981, O’Brien was named a sales engineer in International Sales and was promoted to manager of the Division in 1984. As a leader in the Sales Division, he was involved in the acquisition of the Minnesota-based Waterous Company; ACIPCO’s pursuit of spiral-welded steel pipe and construction of manufacturing facilities in South Carolina, Michigan, and Texas; and the acquisition of numerous vendors to simplify and bolster the supply chain. O’Brien was also involved in the construction of ACIPCO’s Steel Pipe North Processing Facility, which doubled capacity for this product line.
In 1984, O’Brien published an article in the Journal AWWA (American Water Works Association) on the design of ductile iron pipes on piers that is still a reference for pipes on pier projects.
O’Brien served as sales manager of the American-Darling Valve Division from 1985 to 1988 and was then appointed sales manager of AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe. Just one year later, O’Brien was named vice president of Sales and corporate secretary. He held this role for more than three decades before being named president and CEO in 2023, making him the 11th president in ACIPCO’s 120-year history.
Under O’Brien’s leadership, ACIPCO’s “Right Way” Next Generation Melt Project was one of 33 initiatives selected to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to bolster decarbonization efforts. Following the project’s completion in 2029, the Next Gen Melt Project will reduce the facility’s CO2e emissions by 62 percent and melting/holding process CO2e emissions by 95 percent. It will also be among the first in the ductile iron pipe industry to use electric-melt technology on this scale.
O’Brien has used his position to enhance engineering education and to serve the industry. He served on the board of directors of the Capstone Engineering Society, including six years in elected leadership roles. He was a founding member and past chair of the UA College of Engineering Leadership Board and served on the board of directors of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1999. In addition, O’Brien is a member of the American Water
Works Association.
O’Brien and his wife, Donna, have generously given to UA and its College of Engineering, and under O’Brien’s leadership, ACIPCO has increased its contribution level to continue to support engineering education across the state.
