U.S. Concrete launches Caribbean platform, reshapes regional management

Sources: U.S. Concrete Inc., Euless, Texas; CP staff

U.S. Concrete has closed on the U.S. Virgin Islands’ principal ready mixed and aggregate source, Heavy Materials, LLC, plus the assets of peer operator Spartan Concrete Products, LLC. Their combined operations create a stronger vertically integrated platform to serve an extensive base of customers throughout the Virgin Islands and neighboring Caribbean islands.

Heavy Materials runs a 32-mixer fleet across four batch plants, two quarries with reserves upward of 40 million tons, plus a sales yard and marine terminal on leased property. It supplies aggregate to Spartan Concrete, which has one ready mixed plant and a 16-mixer fleet. The producers’ end-market exposure is generally balanced across commercial, infrastructure and residential project activity.

“These acquisitions are highly aligned with our goal to establish leadership positions in resilient, attractive markets and further enhance our mix of vertically integrated operations,” says U.S. Concrete CEO William Sandbrook. “[They] provide a highly strategic platform to capitalize on leading market positions and growing regional demand to serve as the supplier of choice.”

Concurrent with the Heavy Materials and Spartan Concrete transactions, the company announced the promotion of Brian Mahavier to vice president, Corporate Development. Over the past two years, he has led efforts behind 21 acquisitions expanding U.S. Concrete’s Atlantic, South Central and California regions. He previously served in similar capacities with Hanson Aggregates and Oldcastle Materials.

Additionally, Niel Poulsen has been appointed executive vice president of the newly designated South East Division, encompassing South Central Region ready mixed and aggregate operations in Texas and Oklahoma, Texas volumetric mixer fleet operator Custom-Crete, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands businesses. He has held the South Central Region vice president and general manager posts since 2012.

David Behring and David Gage have been promoted to regional vice president and general manager, respectively, of the South Central Region and U.S. Virgin Islands operations. Behring has served as vice president of Operations for Redi-Mix, LLC, U.S. Concrete’s Dallas-Ft. Worth platform business, and in South Central Region financial and operations management roles. Gage has headed Portable Concrete Services, LLC and Thornhill’s, LLC in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area for the last four years. He was also chief executive officer of Angelle Concrete Group, arriving at the Baton Rouge, La., operator after nearly 17 years in Lafarge North America management.