Ready mixed concrete is a generational business that requires both young innovators and older, experienced employees. Our industry is in a demographic decline. We are losing older, steady hands much faster than their impact can be replaced, and continued enticements to delay retirement only last so long. Compounding the issue, most ready mixed concrete business leaders are rueful about having…
Read MoreMonth: July 2023
The New Home Market Is Driving Housing Demand
Last month, I focused on the general housing inventory issue, which has gone from serious to critical in many markets. I opined that we won’t see any relief from these inventory challenges until interest rates start to fall, but there is more that comes into play beyond interest rates that will steady the housing market; another factor is simply builder…
Read MoreCalPortland v. Teamsters narrows NLRA gray area
A willingness to take a deep dive into ready mixed concrete production and revisit a tired National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) interpretation guided the highest court in the land to appropriate action in Glacier Northwest, Inc., dba CalPortland v. International Brotherhood Of Teamsters Local Union No. 174—a case we first examined here in December 2022. In last month’s 8-1 ruling,…
Read MoreOldcastle Infrastructure expands water treatment program with Hydro Intl.
Sources: Oldcastle Infrastructure, Atlanta; CP staff Oldcastle infrastructure has acquired Hydro International, a U.K. water processing, treatment and management specialist working directly with municipal, commercial and industrial customers. The transaction extends Oldcastle Infrastructure’s pursuit of circular water economy solutions, concurrent with closely related trends: Increased regulation and government funding, plus greater recognition of aging supply and conveyance infrastructure. “As one…
Read MoreInvestor, executives take majority stake in Mixer Systems
Sources: Mixer Systems Inc., Pewaukee, Wis.; CP staff Lesley Hill and David Boles have sold a majority stake in Mixer Systems, the business their father, William Boles, founded in 1979 and built into a premier manufacturer of mixing and batching equipment for concrete, glass and environmental applications. The siblings retain minority positions as the new majority owners—a Milwaukee investor and…
Read MoreReport quantifies precast concrete’s robust, growing economic impact
Sources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff U.S. precast concrete producers accounted for more than $25.8 billion in revenue and $5.1 billion in worker wages in 2022, employing approximately 102,000 individuals at 2,700-plus plants, a new National Precast Concrete Association report finds. Behind topline and payroll trajectories, authors track producers’ 6.9 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2022,…
Read MorePCA opens virtual Sustainability Summit to all Roadmap stakeholders
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Portland Cement Association Sustainability Summit, presented August 22-24 from 10 a.m. to Noon via Zoom, will feature member company representatives and industry or government agency allies addressing the five PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality pillars: Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction, Carbonation. Open to all stakeholders and interested parties, registration can be obtained here…
Read MoreConcrete Contractors chime in on portland-limestone cement mixes
Sources: American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis; CP staff The American Society of Concrete Contractors has kicked off a members-only “ALERT!” bulletin series with a look at portland-limestone cement concrete mixes. The two-page document reminds Society members how any new mix ingredient can trigger changes in concrete performance; lists variations contractors have reported with PLC mix loads; offers finishing…
Read MoreGivenHansco integration extends HaulHub Owners Link E-ticketing
Sources: GivenHansco, Gahanna, Ohio; CP staff Software and automation solutions provider GivenHansco is collaborating with Boston-based HaulHub Technologies to expand Owners Link, a two-way integration between construction material point of sale systems and state transportation agency project portals. HaulHub has programmed Owners Link as a trustworthy source of order electronic ticketing and data records for facilitating payments while adhering to…
Read MoreSRM adds Georgia Concrete Supply plant
Sources: SRM Concrete, Smyrna, Tenn.; CP staff SRM Concrete has acquired Georgia Concrete Supply of Dawsonville. The deal includes one ready mixed plant, joining 16 others plus a block operation and quarry that SRM runs in the north Georgia region. The transaction adds to a payroll approaching 7,000 across concrete, aggregate and cement distribution sites in 19 states. “We are…
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