By Don Marsh Three of the top five global cement, aggregate and concrete producers made the 2021 Climate Disclosure Project A List, reflecting transparency in environmental impact, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management and water resource metrics. Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., HeidelbergCement AG and Holcim AG are among 200 A List/Climate category performers from a pool of 10,000-plus companies. London-based Climate…
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Asset gains and carbon cuts equal an extraordinary year
By Don Marsh The close of any other calendar might confine this column to revisiting a merger and acquisition wave across ready mixed and manufactured concrete, but 2021 could be remembered as much for carbon dioxide emissions action as cement, aggregate and concrete production investment. On the latter front, stock prices for public companies and high valuations for private peers…
Read MoreGeneral Shale-Meridian order serves as latest case of antitrust law limits
By Don Marsh The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division ordered General Shale and Meridian Brick LLC to divest three plants, 14 showrooms and distribution yards, plus six mines in a proposed settlement of an antitrust lawsuit challenging the producers’ merger, consummated early last month. The agency filed the settlement and suit-triggering complaint in the U.S. District Court for the…
Read MoreBid-rigging contractor discovers law federal agencies choose to enforce
By Don Marsh In an age of opponent cancellation and selective federal, state or local law enforcement, a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) plea agreement with an employee of a contractor performing concrete work for Minnesota municipalities offers two takeaways. First, despite Herculean efforts, the current White House has some unfinished business in its quest to erase all things Donald…
Read MoreSound carbon guidance
By Don Marsh An energy market-driven nonprofit, RMI, offers credible perspective in its just-released Concrete Solutions Guide, geared to construction interests taking stock of the carbon dioxide emissions factor behind their project materials, products and methods. Posted at www.rmi.org, the document presents specific opportunities for “a nearly ubiquitous material with a sizable climate impact” and expands on the need to…
Read MoreIndustry prepped for Buy Clean era
BY DON MARSH A Carbon Leadership Forum team updates us this month on the trajectory of procurement policy compelling suppliers or contractors to include environmental product declarations (EPDs) in public building and infrastructure project bids. Laws or pending legislation reference declarations abiding International Organization for Standardization terms, which strive for data uniformity and apples to apples comparison of material or…
Read MoreVulcan-U.S. Concrete, concurrent deals speak to underlying industry strengths
U.S. Concrete will move Vulcan into the U.S. ready mixed production elite, joining Cemex USA, CRH Americas Materials and Martin Marietta. U.S. Concrete reported 2020 deliveries of 8.2 million yd. from 150 operations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., Texas, northern California and the Virgin Islands. Vulcan dispatched 2.9 million yd. of ready mixed in 2020 from…
Read MoreEagle Materials earns last laugh on Monday morning quarterback
Two years ago we saw Dallas-based Eagle Materials Inc., slightly reeling from a fracking sand production play, heed an activist investor’s proposal for a Light Materials (wallboard, paperboard) and Heavy Materials (cement, aggregates, concrete) business split. The action had the aura of an opportunistic New Yorker swaggering into Texas to shed light on running a construction materials business. Eagle Materials…
Read MorePrecast Show and World of Concrete: Productive industry exercises resume
The fluidity of public health and travel advisories from the White House to state houses to city halls forced Precast Show and World of Concrete organizers to promote their postponed events with pending labels. Backed with Operation Warp Speed vaccine development dividends, sound minded authorities have enabled the National Precast Concrete Association and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute to stage the Precast…
Read MoreMartin Ozinga III, 1950-2021
Ozinga Bros., Inc. of Mokena, Ill. announced the sudden passing of Chairman Martin Ozinga III late last month. “Dad was loved by many, including his family, his coworkers, customers and friends in the community,” said CEO Martin Ozinga IV, who succeeded his father at the helm in 2012.
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