Thomas Concrete recently acquired 21 Georgia ready mixed concrete production sites—eight active, the remaining idle or in standby mode—from Vulcan Materials Co. They strengthen the producer’s metro Atlanta presence and bring the U.S. footprint of Swedish parent company, Thomas Concrete Group AB, to 70 plants across Georgia and the Carolinas.
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| PHOTO: CarbonCure Technologies |
In addition to serving as U.S. operations headquarters, notes Thomas Concrete Group CEO Hans Karlander, “Atlanta is a large, growing and important market. The acquisition is part of the strategy we laid out in 2013 for a stronger and more coherent group enjoying a very significant local presence. The new plants in Georgia increase efficiency and synergies in production, distribution and sales. We are evaluating which of the idle plants will be restarted.”
The Southeast region’s population continues to grow at higher rates compared to the U.S. average, he adds, fueling more construction activity. Overall business climate and jobs are also expanding with significant investments in manufacturing, distribution, logistics and recreation—spelling increased demand for building materials.
Sunroc Corp., Orem, Utah, has closed on Arrowhead Concrete, a Rock Springs, Wyo., ready mixed operator with one fixed and one portlable plant. The assets extend Sunroc’s scope in southwest Wyoming, joining two ready mixed plants (Rock Springs, Green River) along or near Interstate 80, plus two aggregate sites near Green River. The existing concrete and aggregates properties are transitioning from the Gorge Rock to Sunroc brand.
“Having Arrowhead join the Sunroc team was a natural step in our growth and commitment to providing quality products and services here in Wyoming,” says Sunroc Area General Manager Curg Murray.
A subsidiary of Utah’s Clyde Cos., Sunroc provides construction services, including concrete pumping, throughout Wyoming and the Intermountain West for public and private sector customers.
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| Jan Holt |
Chaney Enterprises Chief Customer Officer Jan Holt was named to The Daily Record’s listing of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, recognizing outstanding achievements demonstrated through professional accomplishments, community leadership, and mentoring. Nearly 425 women were nominated this year; honorees were chosen by a panel of business professionals and previous Top 100 Women honorees from throughout the state.
Prior to joining Chaney nearly 10 years ago, Holt served as chief marketing officer for The Brick Companies and marketing manager for Outback Steakhouse. She was the first (2015) female president of the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association, and remains a director. She devotes time to the Chaney Foundation, and is a member of the Maryland General Assembly’s 21st Century School Facilities Commission.
“Maryland’s Top 100 Women create change and break barriers in their professional worlds but also make a difference at home and in their communities,” says Daily Record Publisher Suzanne Fischer-Huettner. “We applaud our honorees for their passion, commitment to excellence and the work they do to bring communities together. The impact these women make across our state demonstrates why they are truly Maryland’s Top 100 Women.”
Montana’ s Missoula Concrete Construction has joined AltusGroup to bring CarbonCast insulated enclosure systems and Graphic Concrete technology to upper Mountain States. The company has a modern precast/prestressed operation just west of Missoula and is the partnership’s 20th North American producer. CarbonCast sandwich wall panel products use C-Grid non-corrosive, high strength, epoxy-coated carbon fiber grid as wythe connectors. It allows for thinner precast sections and can reduce enclosure system weight up to 50 percent compared to conventional precast alternatives, while offering continuous insulation, improved thermal value, full composite action and long-term durability. Graphic Concrete surface treatment technology has been used extensively in projects across Europe and Australia, and is available in North America exclusively through AltusGroup producers.
“The ability to manufacture and market CarbonCast and Graphic Concrete expands our product offering and makes precast an even better option to meet the structural, energy-code and aesthetic needs in our market,” says Missoula Concrete owner Douglas Bauer.
“We continue to add precasters who share our drive to speed and deliver innovation to the architectural products market,” affirms AltusGroup Executive Director John Carson. “The ASHRAE 90.1 energy code requirements in the upper Mountain States make CarbonCast technology with continuous insulation an ideal solution for bringing excellent energy efficiency to a building’s exterior wall system.”
FAM Construction LLC (a Ferrovial Agroman US and Allan Myers joint venture) has awarded Virginia’s Smith-Midland Corp. a contract to deliver 900,000 square feet of SoftSound noise absorptive precast sound wall panels for the Interstate 66 Outside the Beltway Express Lanes. The 22.5-mile, northern Virginia project will provide two express lanes along three regular lanes from Interstate 495 to Route 29 in Gainesville, plus other amenities and space reserved for future transit options.
The Smith-Midland flagship plant will begin a three- to four-year soundwall fabrication schedule in mid-2018. “This is the single largest contract in our 58-year history,” says Vice President of Sales & Marketing Matthew Smith. “Customers continue to respond in a positive manner to the quality of our products and excellent service we provide.”
An Easi-Set Worldwide licensed product, SoftSound embodies a proprietary material molded and compressed to meet an agency or site owner’s desired technical and aesthetic requirements. It combines mineralized aggregate with cement binder in an exacting production process. Once installed, Smith-Midland contends, SoftSound surpasses other highway or site noise abatement products for sound absorption, durability, strength and moldability.
Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based, hardscape and outdoor living products retailer Pioneer Landscape Centers has secured its position as Arizona’s largest full-service source for retail, contractor and commercial accounts by acquiring Grand Materials & Supply, with six Phoenix market stores.
“Grand Materials & Supply strengthens our position in the Southwest, specifically within residential areas in the Arizona market,” says Pioneer CEO Sagi Cohen. “[It] is an innovative, relationship-oriented company that delivers a strong team and reputation, and fits effortlessly into the Pioneer Organization as we continue our push to become a household name across the country. Through this extraordinary acquisition, [our] best-in-class product collection will enhance residential distribution, giving customers an easier way to make their outdoor living space the focal point [of their] home.”
With expertise in quality stone and related offerings, Grand Materials sells a full suite of products ranging from paving stones and companion concrete products to decorative rock and outdoor lighting. The combination of the two companies enhances Pioneer’s presence in the Arizona residential market and augments the customer experience by bringing a multitude of products and services under one roof—with greater consistency and shorter lead times. Grand Materials becomes a Pioneer division, maintaining current leadership and employees.