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Rumbaugh, former president of McLanahan, passes away
Roy Rumbaugh, former president of McLanahan Corp. and past chairman of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Manufacturers & Services division, passed away March 20 at his home in Pennsylvania. An Honorary Life Member of NSSGA, Rumbaugh played a role in the merger of the National Aggregates Association and National Stone Association, which formed NSSGA. He also was the second individual to receive NSSGA’s Barry K. Wendt Commitment Award in 1999. Keep Reading
Lafarge shares fall with rejected merger deal
Shares in cement group Lafarge fell around 2 percent when two Holcim shareholders rejected the revised deal for the companies’ merger, says The Irish Times. Russian businessman Filaret Galchev and Harris Associates both rejected the new terms, reports The Irish Times. Galchev, who owns a 10.8 percent stake in Holcim via Eurocement Holding AG, said the terms were not satisfactory. Harris Associates, which owns 3.19 percent of Holcim’s shares according to Thomson Rueters data, said it would not accept the deal until it knows who will take Lafarge boss Bruno Lafont’s place. “Before we decide on the transaction we first want to know who will be put forward for this post,” says David Herro, chief investment officer for international equities at Harris. According to The Irish Times, CRH also has agreed to purchase 6.5 billion euros worth of assets from the proposed Holcim-Lafarge merger. Keep Reading
Eriez promotes Mankosa to executive VP of global technology
Eriez promoted Mike Mankosa from vice president of operations to executive vice president of global technology. In this position, Makosa will work to advance domestic and international operations while working to identify global product and market innovation opportunities. In addition, he will oversee the technology interests and acquisitions of the company, as well as direct the development of technology solutions for the company. Makosa has been working at Eriez since 1997. Keep Reading
FMI predicts 8 percent construction growth in 2015
FMI predicts total construction put in place (CPIP) will grow 8 percent in 2015. According to FMI, this prediction supports the company’s earlier forecast that CPIP will top $1 trillion in 2015. The sectors expected to experience the highest growth rate are lodging construction with 16 percept CPIP growth; commercial construction with 15 percent CPIP growth; manufacturing construction with 11 percent CPIP growth; office construction with 11 percent CPIP growth; and residential construction with 9 percent CPIP growth. “The current growth cycle appears to be broad-based and sustainable,” says Randy Giggard, managing director of research services for FMI. “Most of the new construction activity is in the private sector. Projects dependent on government spending, especially those involving infrastructure, continue to be at the mercy of politics.” Download FMI’s Construction Outlook here. Keep Reading
Luck elected chairman for NSSGA
Charles Luck IV, president and CEO of Luck Companies, was elected 2015 Chairman of the Board of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) during the NSSGA Board of Directors’ meeting at the association’s annual convention March 18. “Charlie’s insights into what the aggregates industry faces each day, coupled with his values based leadership, will take NSSGA to the next level,” says NSSGA President and CEO Mike Johnson. “He is well-prepared to lead and execute our Rocks Build America strategic plan and will advance our association as the leading voice of the industry.” As chairman, Luck plans to implement a “Board Evolution” initiative that will create a new board structure and apply rule changes to more closely align NSSGA with the “Rocks Build America” plan. Luck says he hopes to have highly qualified representation in every state to promote the association as well as the aggregates industry. Luck also serves as a board member for the Virginia Foundation for Independent Schools, Virginia Military Institute’s Jackson Hope-Fund and the Virginia… Keep Reading
Michigan company to buy land for mining operation
The director of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced he agreed to sell $4.5 million of land to Graymont Inc. for the development of a limestone mining operation in the eastern Upper Peninsula, reports The Herald. Graymont wants to obtain 2,614 acres through purchases or swaps and also wants to purchase 7,026 acres of state-owned mineral rights. Environmentalists and others oppose the deal, saying the mine would damage natural resources, while others say the mine will create jobs and boost the economy. The DNR plans to work with Graymont to complete the sale of the 1,781 acres it wants to buy, says The Herald. "Graymont will identify specific lands to be offered in exchange for the 830-acre parcel," says spokesman Bill O'Neill in a statement. "These parcels will be thoroughly reviewed by DNR staff and will be available for public review and comment prior to the director making a decision about the acceptance of these parcels." According to The Herald, the proposed mine will be on a 10,360-acre site… Keep Reading
Holcim and Lafarge confident merger to occur this summer
Holcim and Lafarge are confident that their merger will happen this summer, says The New York Times. According to The New York Times, the agreement to merge was faltering in recent weeks because Holcim shareholders thought they were getting shortchanged and because of leadership disagreement. Holcim announced that it no longer agreed to have Lafarge Chief Executive Bruno Lafont lead the company once it merged. In order to fix these problems, the companies said they revised the merger terms to appease Holcim shareholders and agreed to have another Lafarge executive lead the group, reports The New York Times. Holcim shareholders will now put in nine shares for every 10 shares of Lafarge. In addition, they will get a post-closing dividend of one share in the new company for every 20 shares they own. “With this amended agreement, the project to combine Lafarge and Holcim to become the most advanced company in its industry has taken another important step forward,” they said in a joint statement. “Both companies are continuing to… Keep Reading
February construction starts surge forward
According to Dodge Data & Analytics, construction starts in February jumped forward 16 percent at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $724.3 billion. The Dodge Index for February read 153 compared to January’s 132 reading. Nonbuilding construction in February increased 9 percent to $253.8 billion. The increase was due in part to the electric utility and gas plant category, which rose 17 percent. In addition, the public works construction category increased 2 percent, highway and bridge construction rose 12 percent, and river and harbor development was up 29 percent. The miscellaneous public works category fell 33 percent in February. Nonresidential building in February advanced 42 percent at $224.9 billion, with the manufacturing building category rising 663 percent, the commercial building group increasing 19 percent and office construction jumping 19 percent. The institutional side of nonresidential building increased 20 percent, with educational facilities growing 14 percent and healthcare facilities advancing 92 percent. Residential building also experienced an increase, growing 5 percent to $245.7 billion. Multifamily housing rose 46 percent, while single… Keep Reading
AGG1 breaks attendance, education ticket sales records
The 2015 World of Asphalt and AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo broke a number of records and boasted the largest show floor yet. The shows, which took place March 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md., had more than 7,600 registered attendees from all 50 states, nine of the Canadian provinces and from more than 50 countries. There were 450 exhibitors at the event, and more than 10,000 education session tickets were sold. “Exhibitors and attendees alike cited the value of face-to-face dialog with so many industry professionals and companies in one place, and the consistently high-quality environment of the shows,” says Rich Prausa, tradeshow manager at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Attendees had the opportunity to attend any of the more than 110 education sessions, as well as attend a highway fund rally, which took place on the trade show floor March 18. The 2016 World of Asphalt and AGG1 will be held March 22-24 in Nashville, Tenn. Future locations for the show include Houston (2018) and… Keep Reading
