The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) hosted more than 620 attendees at its 71st Annual Meeting, held June 11-13 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
The theme this year was “Building a Lasting Legacy in Texas,” which celebrated the contributions of the construction materials industry to the state’s growth and prosperity.
“‘Building a Lasting Legacy in Texas’ captures the core of who we are as an industry – resilient, durable and deeply committed to building the infrastructure that underpins our economy and way of life,” says Juan Castillo of Cemex, TACA’s outgoing chairman. “These efforts are foundational to the Texas miracle, helping to fuel long-term growth, prosperity and security for every community across the Lone Star State.”
Economic outlook
Pierre Villere of Allen-Villere Partners provided an economic forecast during the meeting, offering cautious optimism. Villere projects the U.S. economy to return to positive GDP growth – and maintain that – in the near term, although significant uncertainties remain.
“The biggest force in the U.S. economy is the consumer at the grocery store, who accounts for 70 percent of GDP,” Villere says. “What consumers choose to spend on, or hold back from, is heavily influenced by sentiment. Right now, evolving federal policies on trade, monetary issues, immigration and domestic matters are creating a cloud of uncertainty.”
Villere says the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act will continue to drive volume and revenue for the construction materials industry and help to insulate it from economic headwinds – including inflation, interest rates, global conflicts and housing market softness.
Looking further ahead, Villere predicts a robust, multiyear economic expansion once current challenges subside. He says the expansion could be boosted by the rapid evolution of AI.
“We are in the ‘bag phone’ era of AI,” he says. “But unlike the 25 years it took to evolve into smartphones, AI’s development will move much faster – and it will unlock significant productivity gains that will drive long-term economic growth.”
Looking at the Lone Star State
Incoming TACA chairman Rich Szecsy of Big Town Concrete, meanwhile, outlined his vision for the year ahead – including a public outreach initiative to spotlight the industry’s crucial role in supporting Texas’s booming population.
“In just two decades, Texas will grow by nearly 7 million people – from 31.8 million in 2025 to more than 38.6 million in 2045,” Szecsy says. “To meet that demand, we will need to essentially build the equivalent of Texas’s five largest cities – Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth – all over again. That kind of growth simply isn’t possible without the strength and dedication of our industry.”
Other TACA Annual Meeting speakers were economist Ed Sullivan; Michele Stanley, interim CEO of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association; and Brooke Paup, chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), who was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) to lead the regulatory agency.
Paup emphasizes “compliance first,” reaffirming her commitment to science-based, transparent and practical regulation that both protects the environment and serves the public interest, according to TACA. She expressed strong support for the 89th Texas Legislature’s decision to allocate funding for 175 new full-time positions at TCEQ.
Says Paup: “I’m extremely pleased that the legislature recognized the importance of our mission and provided the resources to strengthen our compliance and outreach efforts across the state.”
Related: TACA delivers industry messaging during Capitol Day
