Jan. 12, 2021 – Tilcon Connecticut recently donated $22,000 worth of food to local food pantries in Durham, Wallingford, New Britain and Newington, Conn. The pantries will each receive $2,500 worth of food. Another $12,000 will be donated to food pantries in Plainville and North Branford, Conn., according to news reports. The donations were made possible by Tilcon employees, who worked together to collect…
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Future Looks Good for Infrastructure
Jan. 7, 2021 – The presidential election is certified and the Georgia Senate races have been decided. End result, Democrats will control the presidency, the House and the Senate. It is almost certain that a substantial infrastructure bill is coming our way. And that is good news for the long-term health of the aggregates industry. “The National Stone, Sand &…
Read MoreManufacturing Insights
Dec. 29, 2020 – With 2020 quickly coming to an end, Venkat Eswara, vice president of product marketing, Syncron – a manufacturing tech provider that works with OEMs including Mazda, JCB and Hitachi Industries – predicted what could be on the horizon for 2021. From remote service to “contactless” test drives, manufacturing has gone to great lengths in its attempts to modify…
Read MoreHeidelbergCement AG Exploring Sale of U.S. Assets?
Dec. 22, 2020 – According to reports, HeidelbergCement AG is exploring the sale of U.S. assets as Chief Executive Officer Dominik von Achten seeks to divest peripheral businesses. Germany’s largest cement maker is reportedly working with Morgan Stanley on the sale of the operations in California. The unit could fetch an estimated $1.5 billion. HeidelbergCement’s advisers recently sent initial marketing documents…
Read MoreOutgoing AEM Board Chair Looks Ahead
Dec, 17, 2020 – Outgoing Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Board Chair Jeff Reed, president and CEO of Reed International/VSS Macropaver, addressed some of the critical issues AEM members will face this coming year. “The issue of COVID-19 isn’t behind us, and that will continue to be the case in 2021 and beyond,” he stated. “We’ve learned to be efficient while…
Read MoreNo Run-of-the-Mill Quarry
Dec. 15, 2020 – It’s always interesting when people come to me with unique quarry projects. For instance, Southern Industrial Contractors (SIC) was recently awarded a fast-track project for a sawmill located in the southeastern United States. SIC’s scope of work included:
Read MoreInfrastructure an Economy Boost
Dec. 8, 2020 – The Biden administration is eyeing a major infrastructure package as a way to boost the economy and advance its climate priorities, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle eager for progress after four years of fits and starts under President Trump, according to an article in The Hill. Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the nation’s crumbling…
Read MoreEnd of Year Legislative Sprint
Dec. 4, 2020 – According to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), congressional leaders and appropriators are working to find consensus on a legislative package that provides more than $1.4 trillion in funding for federal agencies before the Dec. 11 deadline. Right after Thanksgiving, Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) found agreement on the topline funding numbers for agencies, giving…
Read MorePennsylvania DOT Faces Crisis
Nov. 30, 2020 – Pennsylvania’s DOT is on the verge of shutting down hundreds of projects and potentially putting thousands out of work, if it can’t get $600 million in emergency funding from the state legislature to make up for slumping gas tax revenue and a lack of federal assistance, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian said the…
Read MoreMaterial Shortages, Price Increases
Nov. 24, 2020 – According to Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), selective materials shortages and price increases continue to affect contractors. AGC has received reports of cement shortages in California and Utah. Participants in the October ABI survey also reported problems. Overall, six in 10 responding firms this month indicated that they have seen some degree of…
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