Portland Cement Association's Rebrand

Portland Stone (Adobe).

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) recently rebranded itself as the American Cement Association (ACA). When I heard this news, it got me thinking—has PCA changed its name before, and what was the original reason behind its creation?

Turns out, PCA has a pretty interesting history.

Back in 1902, a group of cement manufacturers came together because they were tired of dealing with a practical but annoying problem: cement sacks. At that time, cement was sold in reusable cloth bags, and getting customers to return these sacks was a logistical nightmare. This frustration led to the creation of the "Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers," primarily aimed at managing packaging issues.

Who exactly were these original players? Well, the founding group consisted mostly of prominent cement manufacturers from the northeastern United States, including notable names like Atlas Portland Cement Company, Lehigh Portland Cement Company, and Alpha Portland Cement Company. These major cement producers put up the initial funding, recognizing that collaboration could help them solve common industry headaches and streamline business operations.

A quick note on the name "Portland"—it originally comes from Portland stone, a high-quality limestone quarried from the Isle of Portland in England. When early cement producers found their product closely resembled this durable building stone, the name stuck, becoming synonymous with high-quality cement.

But cement quickly grew beyond packaging. As infrastructure projects like roads and bridges started booming in the early 1900s, these companies saw the potential for a much larger impact. So, in 1916, they reorganized as the Portland Cement Association—the name we've known for over a century.

The PCA's mission rapidly expanded into setting industry standards, promoting concrete quality, and advocating for increased concrete use across America. It played a crucial role in promoting concrete roads, particularly during the surge of highway construction in the 1950s, and influenced many building codes and standards that are still followed today.

Fast forward to today, and the recent name change to the American Cement Association makes sense. Honestly, it's about time they caught up with what's been happening in our industry over the last five years. Cement in the U.S. isn’t just traditional Portland cement anymore—it's something different, and it’s changing fast. That means how we've been placing and finishing concrete needs to adapt as well. Although I'm open-minded about real improvements in our industry, I'm still skeptical whether cement manufacturers genuinely have the best interests of concrete contractors and end-users at heart.

So yeah, PCA (now ACA) has changed its name before. From solving sack problems to paving highways, the association has evolved with the industry. This latest change is their acknowledgment of what we’ve already been experiencing—cement isn't what it used to be, and neither is the way we need to handle it. Let's see if their actions moving forward align with what concrete professionals truly need.