“Good intentions tell you nothing about the actual consequences.” — Thomas Sowell Layoffs are recession behavior. Period.I do not care what economists call it. If demand slows and a company does not need as ma…

“𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.” — Robert Louis Stevenson I was watching a youth basketball game recently.One team couldn’t miss. Full-court press. Tr…

Concrete didn’t become the default building material because it was fashionable. It won because it made sense. It was durable. It was local. And for a long time, it was the economical choice when you looked at the whole building—not just…

Making it look easy. Adobe For a long time, success in the concrete industry was simple.Know the spec.Hit strength.Keep the schedule moving.If something went wrong, you pointed to the drawings, the mix design, or the standard and moved …

What’s the productivity benchmark for a guitar-shaped building? (Miami Herald).This week’s post was inspired by a LinkedIn post from Eric Koehler. Hello Eric.Eric is a sharp, thoughtful guy and someone I respect. He was also a guest …

Grit. (Bakerconstruction.com)If you ever sit down with Dan Baker long enough, you realize the man doesn’t talk in clichés. He talks in lived experience. Everything he says comes from some job where his …

Somebody’s paying for all this concrete… hope it’s not my Xbox bill. (photo credit: Adobe)I ran across a couple of blog posts from Harris “Kuppy” Kupperman over at Praetorian Capital. The guy’s a veteran hedge …

Back in 2011, the cement industry told us portland-limestone cement (PLC) was no risk. The updated State of the Art Report 2024 walks that back. Now it admits PLC can have higher carbonation, chloride ingress, and admixture sensitivity—but don…

I don’t spend my days at the country club or hanging out in boardrooms. I’m a business development guy in concrete construction. That means I’m chasing projects, knocking on doors, and keeping our name out there. If I end up on a g…

Cement plant at Lime, Oregon (Credit: Middlebury College)The EPA is trying to roll back the 2009 Endangerment Finding for motor vehicles. I haven’t heard anyone else say it, but I think there’s a chance that move could spill over into …

 The EPA is moving to roll back the 2009 Endangerment Finding — at least for motor vehicles — and with it, scrap the CO₂ limits that were supposed to tighten the screws on model years 2027 through 2032. If this happens, automakers…

Three Gorges Dam | DoombergI was recently catching up on my favorite Substacker Doomberg's insightful piece titled "Five Dams in Tibet," discussing China's colossal Medog hydroelectric project. Scrolling through the comments, I stumbled upon a sta…

 The U.S. just took a big swing in the fight for supply chain independence.Through a $400 million investment, the Department of Defense became the largest shareholder in MP Materials, the only company mining rare earth elements in the Unite…

 I’ve never been a flag-waving cheerleader for American imperialism. In fact, I used to be pretty disgusted with how we tried to run the world. But lately, I’ve changed my mind—not because we got better, but because I finall…

Fort Monroe, Virginia - Oldest Military Base | Source: Visit Hampton VirginiaThe latest spending bill—officially called the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"—just landed, and while everyone's busy debating tax cuts and defense budgets, we'r…

Heat might help your schedule, but it’s hurting your concrete. We’ve said it before on the podcast, and after spending another hour with Bob Higgins, it’s worth repeating: hot weather pours don’t give you better concrete&mdas…

 It’s hard to keep track of all the green buzzwords floating around the concrete industry these days—“net zero,” “low-carbon cement,” “sustainable construction.” On the surface, it sounds like p…

Ever poured a floor that hits every spec, only to realize it’s not enough for robots?Here’s the deal: warehouse automation is here, and it’s seriously changing the game for concrete specs. Recently, I had a lunch with a friend, a…

The concrete world is buzzing right now. New mix designs, new ways to reduce cement use, and a lot of noise about “green” concrete and low-carbon alternatives. Recently on the Concrete Logic Podcast, I had the chance to sit down with Joh…

The Metro Center - Caroline M. ProctorThe debate surrounding Brutalist architecture in Washington, D.C. (paywall warning) has ignited strong opinions, and after reading this article, I can’t help but feel frustrated with the inconsistency in…

If you’ve ever worked with concrete, you know that things don’t always go as planned. Whether it’s cracks appearing out of nowhere or floors that won’t stay level, concrete can be a tricky material. But what if I told you tha…

The 28-day compressive strength test has long been considered the gold standard for evaluating concrete performance. It's been the go-to method for everything from design decisions to regulatory compliance. But, as we dug into in our latest episode,…

Introduction: Why Soft Skills Matter More Than You Think in Concrete ConstructionAlright, let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough love in the concrete construction world—soft skills. Now, I know what you’re think…

The construction industry is experiencing a surge in demand for skilled professionals, and the concrete sector is no exception. This blog post delves into the reasons behind this growing demand, exploring the stability and exciting opportunities tha…