Construction Spending Dips in January; Up Year Over Year

Construction spending during January 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,102.4 billion, 0.2% (±0.8%) below the revised December estimate of $2,105.8 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The January figure is 11.7% (±1.5%) above the January 2023 estimate of $1,882.2 billion. In January, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $479.0…

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Coal-Based Product Could Replace Sand in Concrete

A study by Rice University researchers found that graphene derived from metallurgical coke, a coal-based product, could serve not only as a reinforcing additive in cement but also as a replacement for sand in concrete. “This could have a major impact on one of the biggest industries in the world,” said James Tour, Rice’s T. T. and W. F. Chao…

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Show Me Your Badge!

Here’s A Story About An Operator Who Called Local Law Enforcement 
On A Field Office Supervisor Who Refused To Present His Credentials. By Brian Hendrix A reader in the industry recently asked me for my take on his practice of asking MSHA inspectors for their credentials. He explained that he asks for an inspector’s credentials, either an authorized representative (AR)…

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The Making of a Media Release

Mass Media Are Still The Best Channels For Reaching The General Public. By Thomas J. Roach When it comes to free public communication, mass media are still the best channels for reaching the general public. Social media and web pages are best used for targeted communication. Important networking publics interface on social media, and websites are visited by costumers researching…

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Developing the Next Generation

At ARPA, Future Leaders Program Participants 
Learn The Importance Of Community Relations. By Therese Dunphy The Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) is cultivating the next generation of industry leadership through a year-long training program called Future Leaders. It began in 2017 and allows participants to learn skills they need to succeed in the industry and as individuals. “The purpose of…

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Permitting from South Carolina

According to the Times and Democrat, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates has applied for permits to establish a limestone quarry and processing plant on Addidas Road, less than four miles southeast of the town of Eutawville, S.C. A subsidiary, Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, proposes to lease multiple tracts totaling 693 acres from a sister subsidiary called Vulcan Lands…

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Solidia, CTS Complete First Low-Carbon Cement Production Campaign

CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp., California-based producer of Rapid Set and Komponent specialty concrete binders, recently completed the first of a series of planned Solidia Cement production campaigns. A low limestone binder that gains strength through exposure to carbon dioxide and the attendant carbonation process, Solidia Cement is made with the same raw materials as portland cement but exhibits significantly eased…

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The Record-Breaking Aggregates Industry

The publicly traded companies are out with their full-year 2023 financial reports and by all accounts it was a record-breaking year. The list goes on. While vibrant market conditions continue to drive performance for aggregates operations, there is no discounting the impact of the healthy price increases that companies are also reporting. Rock Products’ pricing guru, Barry Hudson of Price…

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