Producers

Superior Walls by Precast Concrete Solutions has relaunched a 30,000-sq.-ft., Springfield, Ill., facility that originally opened in 1998 under a different

Superior Walls by Precast Concrete Solutions has relaunched a 30,000-sq.-ft., Springfield, Ill., facility that originally opened in 1998 under a different Superior Walls of America franchisee. We have strong faith in the central Illinois marketplace and believe this relaunch will be a tremendous success, says Nick Rathgeb, operations manager. There is a high percentage of homes built in this area with basements. We will be supplying hundreds of builders located in 43 Illinois counties.

MDU Resources in Bismarck, N.D., has acquired Ames Sand & Gravel, Inc., a Fargo, N.D., ready mixed producer that will join the suitor’s construction materials subsidiary, Knife River Corp. Having completed a new batch plant in spring 2007, Ames ships upward of 90,000 yd. annually; operates a fleet of one pump truck and 23 mixers; and, now constitutes part of Knife River’s Atlas, Inc. subsidiary in Bismarck.

This allows us to begin operating in one of the strongest and fastest-growing markets in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. It bridges the gap between our existing operations in Bismarck, N.D., and St. Cloud, Minn., says Knife River CEO William Schneider.

Cemstone Products Co., Mendota Heights, Minn., has acquired Medford, Minn.-based Concrete Materials, Inc., a concrete block producer about 40 miles south of the Twin Cities. The acquisition underscores Cemstone’s continued commitment to the concrete and masonry industries in southern Minnesota and the south Metro region, says Cemstone President Thor Becken. Combined with our [April 2007] acquisition of Rochester and Mankato Brick, this enables masonry contractors in the region to obtain products and services from a single, trusted source. Concrete Materials will continue to operate under existing name and management, he adds.