PRODUCERS – January 2022

The California Precast Concrete Association has presented Don Jensen, founder of Nevada-based Jensen Precast, the Robert G. Evans Lifetime Service Award, recognizing an individual who has shown exceptional leadership, dedication, and accomplishment on behalf of CPCA. Since joining peers in CPCA’s 1990 launch, he has worked to shape the association, hosted plant tours for production school participants and industry allies, and underwritten scholarships. Charter award recipient Robert Evans likewise helped develop CPCA, and served as president in 1996 and 1997. 

LafargeHolcim, Chicago, has acquired Marshall Concrete Products, a longstanding ready mixed producer and block distributor in Minneapolis/St. Paul and the greater Twin Cities market. With a 60-plus payroll and fleet of front discharge and conveyor-equipped rear discharge mixer trucks, Marshall Concrete is primarily focused on residential and light commercial work. It serves as a bolt-on to Aggregate Industries, a top Twin Cities ready mixed player and the LafargeHolcim U.S. Aggregates and Construction Materials (ACM) flagship. 

“Marshall Concrete aligns well with our Aggregate Industries business,” says ACM North Central Region Head Randy Gaworski. “Their talented employees and strong focus on customer service have made it a partner of choice in Minneapolis /St. Paul and the surrounding area.”

“The metro market is booming, and if we’re going to grow, having the right structure and resources in place will help us to continue doing what we do best,” adds Marshall Concrete President Matt Miller. “Right now, our number one priority is ensuring continuity of quality customer service.”

Marshall Concrete is LafargeHolcim’s fifth bolt-on for ACM, following 2018-2019 deals for Tarrant Concrete and Colorado River Concrete in Texas, plus Metro Mix and Transit Mix in Colorado.

Knife River Corp. has expanded its Pacific Northwest platform by acquiring Baker Rock Resources and Oregon Mainline Paving. Baker Rock, headquartered in Beaverton, Ore., has an estimated 83 million to 88 million tons of construction aggregate reserves in key growth locations around the Portland metro area, which historically has been a strong market for Knife River. Oregon Mainline, McMinnville, is one of the state’s largest asphalt paving contractors, supporting Knife River’s vertically integrated business model. Together, the businesses add about 230 to the Knife River Northwest Region payroll. 

“Oregon overall and the Portland area specifically have been strategic growth markets for us for many years, generating strong earnings and overall returns,” says Knife River CEO David Barney. “As the Portland metro area continues to grow, so has the demand for construction aggregates, which have become more scarce in recent years through depleting resources and increased land development. Acquiring this excellent aggregate resource helps replenish our reserves near the heart of the growth and positions us for continued success in an area we know very well.”

Separate from the Baker Rock and Oregon Mainline deals, Knife River parent company, North Dakota-based MDU Resources Group, has outlined a 2022-2026 capital investment plan totaling $3.0 billion for construction materials and services and energy businesses. “Our plan supports the significant opportunities we see for organic growth at all businesses, particularly a focus on infrastructure development and grid reliability and resiliency,” says CEO David Goodin.

The construction materials and services businesses will see expenditures primarily on organic expansion opportunities, plus normal equipment and plant replacements or upgrades. Included in the forecast is construction of a previously announced prestressed concrete plant in Spokane, Wash., continued development of the Knife River Honey Creek Quarry in Texas, and completion of a major Oregon training facility. MDU expects public sector workload growth from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will provide significant opportunities for both construction materials and services companies.