Sources: Sachem Head Capital Management LP, New York; CP staff
An investment manager holding just under 9 percent of Eagle Materials common stock, Sachem Head LP, is encouraging shareholders to support two director nominees toward the Dallas-based cement, aggregate, concrete and wallboard producer’s early-August annual meeting. Board representation would enable the firm to act on concerns principals have raised over investor confidence in Eagle Materials’ asset mix.
Read MoreSources: The Sterling Group, Houston; CP staff
Thirty months into a rollup plan centered on distributors of specialty materials, accessories and tools for U.S. and Canadian concrete and masonry contractors, private equity-backed Construction Supply Group has surpassed the 100-branch threshold. The Denver-based company has acquired Best Materials, a Phoenix-based ecommerce platform, plus Advantage Construction Supply and Spec-West Concrete Systems, both of California.
Read MoreSources: Clark Pacific, Sacramento, Calif.; CP staff
Precast/prestressed producer Clark Pacific presents its new Infinite Panel as a complete building envelope system that redefines how owners and design teams approach façades. It meets or exceeds California Building Standards Code (Title 24) water, vapor, sound and fire code requirements; affords architects and designers flexibility in precast concrete and glazing or window combinations; and, paves the way for owners and design-build teams to take advantage of prefabricated systems for reduced costs, increased efficiency and less risk.
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
A new PCA report presents historical data, evidence from external sources, and structural material comparisons supporting the premise: Cast-in-place or precast concrete, or concrete masonry construction methods lead to longer lasting buildings owing to their ability to stand up to normal wear and tear plus resistance to extreme weather events.
Read MoreSource: American Concrete Institute Foundation, Farmington Hills, Mich.
The ACI Foundation’s Concrete Research Council (CRC) has announced grants for six projects this year, including two with environmental themes: “Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator Tool,” led by Kathrina Simonen of the University of Washington-hosted Carbon Leadership Forum, and Phil Northcott, C-Change Labs; and, “Effective Characterizations of Recycled Concrete Aggregate for Concrete Applications,” led by Jiong Hu, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Tara Cavalline, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
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The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute elected new directors during its 2019 convention: Matt Ballain, Coreslab Structures; Jenny Frost, Wells Concrete; Harry Gleich, Metromont Corp.; Matt Graf, International Concrete Products; Chris Mosley, Consulting Engineers Group; Bob Pabst, High Concrete Group; Jay Stracener, Precast Erectors; and, Randy Wilson, Meridian Brick.
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Oldcastle Infrastructure, Atlanta, has grown a market footprint established through one of its inaugural businesses, Utility Vault, by acquiring Quality Concrete Products of Mukilteo, Wash. The producer serves the greater Seattle market with manhole, catch basin and companion drainage structure offerings. They complement output from Oldcastle Infrastructure plants in Auburn and Spokane, Wash., and expand a customer base in the Puget Sound region, a key growth area.
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The 280-ft. (85.4-meter) Mjösa Tower in Brumunddal, Norway, officially opened on the Ides of March, becoming the global height record holder for wood building. The 18-floor development includes private residences, a hotel and commercial office space. The structure and façade are primarily of wood construction. The frame consists of glulam columns, beams and diagonal members, while floors on the first 10 levels comprise prefabricated wooden elements, including Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) from Finland’s Metsä Wood. Decks for the upper eight levels are concrete, which stabilizes the structure and curtails sway. Metsä Wood promotes Kerto LVL and other engineered lumber globally; subsidiary Metsä Wood USA Inc. is based in Norwalk, Conn.
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Kentucky-based Charah Solutions, Inc. will open a second facility using new grinding technologies for finishing granulated blast furnace slag as a supplementary cementitious material. Scheduled to be fully operational in the third quarter of 2019, the facility is located within Watco’s Greens Port Industrial Terminal (GPIT) on the Houston Ship Channel, and accessible by ship, truck and rail. It will deploy processing methods developed by SCB International, which Charah acquired last year and premiered at a New York terminal.
Read MoreThe board of GCP Applied Technologies Inc., Cambridge, Mass., has adopted a stockholder rights plan and declared a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of company common stock. The move responds to large blocks of shares changing hands during the first quarter, netting one New York hedge fund sponsor, 40 North Management LLC, a 24.6 percent ownership stake.
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