May 2018 – Page 2 – Concrete Products

Sika veteran Gentoso succeeds LafargeHolcim US Cement CEO Stull

May 14, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff

Jamie Gentoso has been named LafargeHolcim, US Cement chief executive officer, replacing John Stull, who recently shifted in the same capacity to the Holcim Philippines business. She arrives at the Chicago-based operator with a solid industry grasp, having started her career as Holcim (US) technical service engineer, then serving as Architectural and Engineering market manager with a focus on ASTM C150 and specialty cements, plus fly ash. Gentoso proceeded to Sika Corp., rising to vice president of Concrete ahead of her most recent position, vice president of Sales & Marketing, with New Jersey-based architectural building products manufacturer Construction Specialties.

ACI forms alternative cement committee

May 14, 2018 Concrete News

Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.

The American Concrete Institute has formed ACI Committee 242, Alternative Cements, to develop and report information on the use of alternate cements in concrete. The new committee will work with ACI’s innovative task group focused on alternative cementitious materials, who recently authored the institute’s new ITG-10R: Practitioner’s Guide for Alternative Cements.

Sika AG prevails in protracted shareholder challenge

May 14, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland; CP staff

The Swiss parent of Sika Corp. has settled a three-and-half-year legal dispute with glass and building materials giant Saint-Gobain of France through transactions involving founding family members’ shares, plus proposed board measures altering governance and share classes.

Brennan rises across Front Range market with Boral plant deal

May 11, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: Boral Ltd., Sydney; Brennan Companies, Denver; CP staff

Boral Ltd. has reached an agreement to sell its Colorado ready mixed and aggregates operations in a $127 million deal with Denver-based Brannan Sand & Gravel Co. Boral Construction Materials spans a namesake Aggregates site plus six plants under the legacy Ready Mixed Concrete Co. brand. Brannan operates three ready mixed, three aggregate and four asphalt plants serving the Denver-anchored Front Range market, plus an underground-construction business.

New Command Alkon branding conveys ‘amazing’ message

May 9, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: Command Alkon, Birmingham, Ala.; CP staff

A reimagined brand, story and logo establish a new identity for Command Alkon and include a mantra, “Together We Build Amazing,” capturing the essence of “the why” for people across heavy building materials production. The move celebrates what management notes is “the commitment from contractors, concrete producers, raw material suppliers and haulers to drive digital transformation—marking a meaningful moment for the industry, the company, and the people who collectively build our world.”

Lawmakers’ water infrastructure proposal runs deep

May 9, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; CP staff

Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), the respective chairmen and ranking members of the Environment and Public Works Committee and its Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, have introduced America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 with an eye to:

Economist confirms largest construction materials price surge in seven years

May 9, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

Prices for inputs to construction materials expanded 1.3 percent in April and are 6.4 percent higher than at the same time one year ago, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The figures are the largest respective month-over-month and year-over-year increases since 2015 and 2011.

CRH chief measures company’s unique leverage in sustainability movement

May 9, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: CRH Plc, Dublin; CP staff

“With global population expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, the way people interact with buildings, infrastructure and cities will change. CRH is leading the way through innovation to help shape the structures of the future, in collaboration with our valued customers and partners,” notes Albert Manifold, chief executive of the Oldcastle Inc. parent company in “Creating a Sustainable Built Environment – CRH Sustainability Report 2017.”

Summit Materials closes on Day Concrete, Superior RM

May 8, 2018 Concrete News

Sources: Summit Materials Inc., Denver; CP staff

In a review of first quarter financials reflecting weather-hampered aggregates, cement and concrete shipments, Summit Materials notes the recent closing of two bolt-on transactions consummated in April: Day Concrete of Ardmore, Okla., and Superior Ready-Mix of Somerset, Ky. The producers are strategic to platform businesses, RK Hall Construction and Hinkle Contracting, serving the respective market areas of north Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, plus Kentucky.

Trimble consolidates project lifecycle presence in Viewpoint deal

May 2, 2018 Concrete News

Source: Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Trimble has announced a definitive agreement to acquire construction management software specialist Viewpoint for $1.2 billion in cash. Complementary to the e-Builder business, another recent acquisition, Viewpoint will extend Trimble’s ability to support more complete and integrated project, jobsite and business workflows across the construction lifecycle.