Very few operations feature a life of water balance. In most operations there is too much, too little, too deep, too shallow, too dirty, acidic, alkali—and often many of those in combination. In these instances, great operators make the best with the worst, understand their risks, have contingency plans, and work with high quality environmental managers, engineers, and teams to ensure best use of the sensitive and limited resource that is water. This article looks at permitting, too much water, too little water, and wetlands management to show why great operators are also green operators.

In today’s zero-sum culture, in which it often seems there must be a loser for there to be a winner, win-win seems like a quaint relic from a bygone era. But is it? The first half of 2021 has seen a flurry of large transactions that attracted headlines throughout the industry. From a distance, some of these certainly appear to fit the zero-sum mold. But what about Vulcan’s pending acquisition of U.S. Concrete? Is there a clear winner?

If your goal is to be a green producer, effective mine planning is a necessity. A traditional mine plan includes technical and geologic details that enable efficient extraction of the deposit; a green mine plan goes a step further, optimizing the use of the entire property. In total, end use planning, mine planning, and excavation monitoring allows a green operator to maximize recovery, reduce the impact of land consumption, and recycle the property. These should be the goals of every green producer.

Over the past several weeks, industry companies released their results for the first quarter of 2021. Not only did most organizations report record results, but the accompanying commentary reflected strong balance sheets, recovering markets, and markedly optimistic views for the balance of 2021 and beyond. Read here for what this means for acquisitions activity in the industry.

As we move into a post-COVID era with regular reminders of Green New Deals, electric cars, solar power, wind farms, sustainability reports, net zero carbon goals, and the like, our performance conversations are changing. The idea of “green” is becoming a larger and larger topic in the business. Consider what being “green” really means. Does it not refer to a clean and efficient use of resources? Maximizing valued output and minimizing consumption and non-valued outputs? A green producer is just a great producer...and they should be celebrated.

Replacing reserves with greenfield developments or acquiring existing aggregate operations is important to the long-term viability of your aggregates business. Unfortunately, we see many cases in which projects are crippled or doomed because fatal flaws with the geology are missed or ignored. In the aggregates industry, we cannot mitigate all the risks. The true nature of the geology is hidden below the ground, and the information needed to move forward with confidence costs time and money. But it is worth it. A well-planned geologic investigation, conducted by a professional who is experienced in aggregates, can identify critical risk factors that could threaten the success of the project...and ultimately save you millions of dollars.

If you want to sell your construction materials business, the most likely buyer will be among your customers, competitors, or suppliers. This raises an obvious question: how can you share sensitive information about your business without getting buried by in-market buyers who ultimately may fail to consummate a deal. This article looks at what information you need to protect, how to install a "seller-friendly" confidentiality agreement, and controlling the flow of information so you can minimize your exposure to risk while selling to the most qualified bidder at the highest price.

According to National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) the construction materials industry experienced four complete up and down cycles between 1975 and 2010.The four expansion periods ranged from three to ten years, with an average duration of 5.6 years. The four contraction periods ranged from one to five years, with an average duration of 3 years. Today, the industry has been in an expansion period that has persisted since 2011, a period of 5.7 years. This is greater than the average expansion period of the past four cycles, so the question is not if the current expansion will reverse but rather when will it reverse…and whether or not trying to perfectly time the sale of your business is a sound strategy.

During the week of November 1, construction materials industry leaders U.S. Concrete and Martin Marietta released their 3Q 2015 earnings reports. Each company delivered strong growth in both revenue and earnings, but the market response to each’s results could not have been more different. While U.S. Concrete shares realized a 9 percent increase in pre-market trading following its earnings release, Martin Marietta’s stock dropped 8.5 percent following its announcement.

Is the largest potential deal in aggregates industry history—a merger between Swiss-based Holcim and French-based Lafarge—really at risk? At question in the merger is a growing gap in performance. Initially structured to be a 1:1 share exchange, strong performance by Holcim and currency movements have raised Holcim’s value to nearly $25 billion. Lafarge is currently valued at just over $20 billion. Accordingly, the original terms of the agreement are now less favorable to Holcim shareholders, a number of whom have been anonymously sourced as wanting more favorable terms that better reflect current market conditions.