AGG1 was held March 29-31 in Nashville, and the show hit it out of the park. More than 11,000 aggregates and asphalt-paving professionals filled the sold-out Music City Center exhibition floor. It was good to see everyone in person again. Congratulations to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association for a great convention that preceded the show; and for its…
Read MoreCategory: Editorial
The Wrong Thing
There isn’t a book of sage advice that exists for operations to refer to when running their aggregates business. But if there was, I am quite sure there would be a line in there somewhere that reads, “When MSHA inspectors come to your site to do their job, don’t use a loader filled with rocks and dirt to force the…
Read MoreCelebrating 125 Years
Rock Products recently achieved an important milestone. We have now been serving the aggregates and cement industries for more than 125 years. We trace our beginnings to the launch of Cement and Engineering News, which was formed in 1896, and in 1924 merged with Rock Products, which itself had been founded in 1902. I like to think I was handed…
Read MoreFully Fund the IIJA
The American Public Works Association (APWA) urged Congress to fully appropriate funds for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which President Biden signed into law.
Read MoreThe End of the Beginning
The year 2021 was truly a momentous one. The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was a long-time coming, but it means we are going to see long-overdue improvements to the nation’s roads and bridges, and that is going to require a lot of aggregate. As we enter 2022, producers do so with high anticipation. However, the…
Read MoreThe IIJA Is An Historic Achievement
Fire up the plant and start putting product on the ground. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed Nov. 5, is the most important piece of transportation legislation since the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Yes, it is big and that consequential. Michele Stanley, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) vice president of government and regulatory…
Read MoreWelcome to the Aggregates Almanac
Welcome to the 2021 edition of the “Aggregates Almanac: The Ultimate Information Resource for Quarry Operators.” Published now for the fifth year in a row, feedback from our readers indicates that this publication is widely used and valued; and retained as a go-to information source. Rock Products’ Benchmark 2021 survey indicated that aggregates operators are highly interested in: • Equipment…
Read MoreMINExpo Finally Opens Its Doors
MINExpo 2021, held in Las Vegas last month, was a reboot of the event that was supposed to happen last year. COVID put a stop to that. This time, the doors opened on time and the show went on. It was a good one. More than 20,0000 people attended, and while that is certainly down from previous shows, the attendees…
Read MoreHey, Update Your Website!
I could write an editorial every month about the need for a new infrastructure bill. But the chess game in Washington goes on and on, so I will wait until checkmate to address that issue again. In the meantime, why haven’t you updated your website lately? I know, that’s a seemingly random question that came out of left field. But…
Read MoreThe Horses Are Out of the Barn
Well, the barn door has been kicked open, and the horses are out. After more than a year of COVID-19-driven inactivity, a lot is starting to happen. For openers, two major mergers rocked the aggregates industry, changing the landscape regionally and nationally. Vulcan Materials Co. and U.S. Concrete Inc. entered into a definitive merger agreement; and Martin Marietta Materials Inc.…
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