March 21, 2023 – Vulcan Materials is not taking the illegal occupation of its port near Playa del Carmen in Mexico lightly. The company issued the following statement: “On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, CEMEX, aided by armed Mexican police and military, forcibly entered Vulcan’s port facilities near Playa del Carmen. They are still occupying the property. There is no contract…
Read MoreCategory: Mark's Blog
Reality TV Stars
March 15, 2023 – At ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas, I ran into Dave Turin, the star of Gold Rush and Dave Turin’s Lost Mine reality TV shows. Several years ago I had the opportunity to tour his family’s aggregates operation in Oregon. Dave is a great guy and makes some very cool shows, and he revealed that he has a…
Read MoreSee You at ConExpo-Con/Agg!
March 10, 2023 – I will achieve a certain vaunted double-digit milestone this year: attendance at 10 ConExpo-Con/Agg shows. To be fair, my first show was before the merger, it was just Con/Agg at that time, separate from ConExpo. The show was held in the Houston Astrodome in 1988. But I say it counts. The first combined ConExpo-Con/Agg was held in…
Read MoreAggregates Production: What Went Wrong?
March 6, 2023 – At the start of 2022, it was highly anticipated that aggregates production would rise to about 2.80 billion metric tons (Gt) for the year. Well, final numbers are in and the estimated annual output of construction aggregates produced for consumption in 2022 was 2.44 Gt, unchanged from that of 2021, according to Jason Christopher Willett, commodity…
Read MoreCharlie Luck Talks 100th Anniversary
Feb. 27, 2023 – One of the highlights of the March issue of Rock Products is our feature on the 100th Anniversary of Luck Stone. I had the opportunity to engage Charlie Luck – the company’s third-generation owner – in a one-on-one interview to discuss the milestone anniversary and to discover what it takes for a company to not just survive, but thrive, for…
Read MoreThe AVP Pulse Index for February
Feb.20, 2023 – The AVP Pulse Index from Rock Products and Allen-Villere Partners this month indicates a slight dip for the first time in this three-month measurement period, reflecting a very small, 0.7% pullback. This is such a small amount, it has little impact on the construction economy and may have been related to weather and seasonality in the period. Allen-Villere Partners…
Read MoreVulcan’s Hill Sees Market Strength
Feb. 16, 2023 – In its just released quarterly report, Vulcan Materials reported total revenues of $7.315 billion versus $5.552 billion for full-year 2021, more than a 30% increase. Regarding the company’s outlook, Tom Hill, Vulcan Materials’ chairman and chief executive officer, said, “Most leading indicators of demand remain healthy in the near term, and we carry strong pricing momentum into 2023.…
Read MoreMartin Marietta Looks Ahead
Feb. 15, 2023 – Martin Marietta Materials had a slower 2022 fourth quarter than expected, but reported record revenues for full-year 2022. Aggregates revenues were, however, strong in 2022’s fourth quarter, $849 million, versus $827 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. For full-year 2022, aggregates revenues were $3.506 billion versus $3.059 billion in 2021. Looking ahead, Ward Nye, chairman…
Read MoreThe Rock Products Market Composite
Feb. 1, 2023 – The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) – in its just-released Mineral Commodity Summaries 2023 report – estimates that 2022 total aggregates production will come in at approximately 2.46 billion metric tons per year (Gt), approximately 1% higher than 2021; with an additional 230 million metric tons (Mt) coming from the cement, gypsum, industrial sand and lime sectors. Each…
Read MoreNSSGA Thanks House T&I for Important First Hearing
Jan. 31, 2023 – The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I ) Committee will hold its first hearing of the 118th Congress on the challenges of infrastructure and the supply chain. “The aggregates and industrial sand industries are the beginning of the building supply chain that sustains our modern way of life,” said the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Vice President of Government and Regulatory…
Read More