At AICrete, our mission is to transform the heavy building materials industry by harnessing artificial intelligence to unify quality control and operations in concrete and aggregate production. For decades, producers have faced challenges with inconsistent quality, rising costs, and fragmented systems. With AICreteOS—the first operating system built for this industry—we connect data, automate processes, and deliver real-time insights that drive unprecedented efficiency and productivity. Our goal is to empower producers to win more projects, strengthen their businesses, and redefine what’s possible in the built environment.
Parham was born and raised in Iran. Growing up, he loved learning, but his family did not have many financial resources, nor access to fancy private schools or teachers. After finishing high school, he started studying atomic physics at an Iranian university in 2006 before he was expelled for being a Baháʼí (a religious minority systematically persecuted in Iran). To pursue higher education, his only option was to go to an underground university (the Baháʼí Institute for Higher Education, or BIHE). He obtained his BS in Civil Engineering in 2011 from BIHE and was immediately accepted to the University of Texas at Arlington for his Master's. He left Iran at the age of 23 with only $6,000 in cash—just enough to pay half of his out-of-state tuition for the first semester, let alone living expenses and the rest of his tuition. But, by proving himself to his professors, and winning many different scholarships, fellowships, and research and instructor assistantships, he managed to finish his studies at UT Arlington, pave his way to a full-ride PhD program at UC Berkeley, and get his PhD in structural materials (concrete) without going into debt.
He has spent 10+ years of his life developing concrete composites for various projects from earthquake resistant moment-frame systems, ultra-high performance concrete for the DoD, multi-functional façade systems for energy-efficient buildings in Singapore, to deep ultra-high speed train tunnels in Japan, to mention a few. After his postdoc at Berkeley, he immediately launched AICrete in pursuit of his dream: to hasten the coming of age of predictable, cost-effective, durable, and sustainable concrete. Parham lives in California with his wife Katie and daughter Gloria, where they are involved in community-building activities and empowerment of youth.
Founder & CEO
SVP of Sales & Marketing
Rick holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on Leadership and Change Management in industrial settings, along with a B.A. in Administration and Economics. His early career included work in maximum-security prisons, where he advanced from Prison Guard to Deputy Superintendent, shaping his understanding of leadership in high-stakes environments.
Rick later entered the ready-mix industry, taking on roles in Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Operations. These experiences sparked his passion for guiding organizations through change and preparing teams to thrive in evolving operational landscapes.
He went on to serve as a Senior Business Consultant at Command Alkon for six and a half years, where he identified best practices and helped producers build roadmaps to their future state. Rick then became Vice President of Sales for North America at Marcotte Systems before rejoining Command Alkon as Vice President of Regional Sales. Today, he leads Sales at AICrete as VP, leveraging his deep industry expertise to drive growth and transformation.
In addition to his professional career, Rick has international work experience and has spoken at multiple industry conferences on topics such as Change Management, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and Creating Cultures of Excellence. He is actively involved with the NRMCA, Concrete Ontario, and the Atlantic Concrete Association.
Beyond industry leadership, Rick brings his knowledge of building high-performance teams to coaching elite varsity athletes, while also volunteering with individuals in challenging life situations to help them reconnect with purpose and ownership. His personal mandate is simple: to leave a positive impact by giving back more than he takes in every interaction.
VP of Sales
Bob brings deep expertise in construction technology and customer operations, guided by a commitment to transformational leadership and client success. Before joining AICrete, he was part of the Command Alkon executive team, most recently serving as Vice President of Support Services, where he led initiatives that elevated customer satisfaction, streamlined operations, and enhanced team performance.
A graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Technology Education, Bob is a proven leader with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology delivery, support, and customer success. He is recognized for building high-performing teams, developing scalable frameworks, and driving customer-focused solutions that create lasting value.
An Ohio native, Bob lives in the Columbus area with his wife, Katie, and their three sons—Riley, Maddox, and Brady. Outside of work, he enjoys cheering at his sons’ sporting events, exploring photography, and playing golf.
VP of Customer Success
Kathrina is a software developer with over 10 years of experience in web application development. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including the development of an educational platform, an identity management system, a document management system, and several content management systems, among others. In addition to her proficiency in web application development, Kathrina has also gained exposure to operations, technical support, and continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) processes.
In 2009, Kathrina earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of the Philippines. After her arrival in the United States in 2016, Kathrina became part of Paradem, a consulting firm based in Canada, where she collaborated on the development of software solutions for a wide array of clients. Prior to joining AICrete, she had the opportunity to work on CI/CD and full-stack development at Audible, where she contributed her skills and knowledge to learn more about her craft. Before that, Kathrina dedicated her time as a caregiver to her first child, embracing the joys and challenges of parenthood.
Dirk brings a unique blend of operational expertise and service-oriented leadership to the AICrete team. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Management from Southern Illinois University, Dirk began his career at Hyatt Hotels, where he developed a foundational commitment to customer experience.
Transitioning in 1999 to the heavy building materials technology sector, Dirk spent years managing operations for industry staples like Systech and the Integra product line at Command Alkon. Eventually moving to sales on all the Command Alkon products. In 2020, he joined Digital Fleet, playing a key role in their growth leading up to their acquisition, which saw him return to Command Alkon to continue driving operational success. He joined AICrete in 2026 to bring its best of class products to the industry.
Outside of the office, Dirk is a dedicated family man. He married his wife Kelly in 2002, and they are proud parents to three daughters—Chloe, Peyton, and Macey—all of whom are currently attending college. During the summers, you can find him boating at the lake, enjoying the downtime with his family.
Director of Sales
Samira is an expert in statistics, Bayesian modeling, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. She has spent years researching cutting-edge fields and gained experience in academia and the industry due to her deep and comprehensive knowledge of data science and computer science. She is currently the Head of Engineering at AICrete. She holds a Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas, where she was a research assistant. Samira has also served as the Vice president of INFORMS student chapter at the University of Arkansas. Meanwhile, she published several papers in high-level data analytics and reliability journals. She has won several distinguished awards for her research work, including the Prognostics and System Health Management best paper award (2017), Society of Reliability Engineers best student paper award (2018), and Reliability and Maintainability Symposium second best paper award (2020).
Lead AI Engineer
Kathrina is a software developer with over 10 years of experience in web application development. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including the development of an educational platform, an identity management system, a document management system, and several content management systems, among others. In addition to her proficiency in web application development, Kathrina has also gained exposure to operations, technical support, and continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) processes. In 2009, Kathrina earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of the Philippines. After her arrival in the United States in 2016, Kathrina became part of Paradem, a consulting firm based in Canada, where she collaborated on the development of software solutions for a wide array of clients. Prior to joining AICrete, she had the opportunity to work on CI/CD and full-stack development at Audible, where she contributed her skills and knowledge to learn more about her craft. Before that, Kathrina dedicated her time as a caregiver to her first child, embracing the joys and challenges of parenthood.
Senior Software Engineer
Lead Computer Vision Engineer
Having worked mostly in the areas of Human Recourses and Marketing for startups, Julia has extensive experience in recruiting, talent management, content production, event planning and community management. She’s currently working as Chief of Staff at AICrete, serving as the chief spokesperson and building and strengthening relationships between team members to enhance awareness of company initiatives and culture. Julia earned her Master’s of Industrial and Labor Relations degree from Cornell University with Human Resources Management concentration in 2018. Before joining AICrete, She was the Director of Content Marketing of a research video sharing platform with 200,000 audience. She has interviewed 100+ academic pioneers, startup founders and industry leaders, including but not limited to Turing Award winner, Yoshua Bengio, Stanford AI Lab Director, Chris Manning, Sinovation Founder, Kai-Fu Li, to mention a few. Julia is very passionate about helping startups grow and develop.
Head of Operations
Advisor
Advisor
Advisor