M S Concrete Co. history

Dunn began operations in 1878 in Virginia in the railroad construction industry.

The Dallas-based company, with ten plants and the capacity to make six million tons of cement a year, traced its roots to the Southwestern States Portland Cement Company, established in 1907.

Holderbank originated with a Swiss cement company called the Aargauische Portlandcement-Fabrik Holderbank-Wildeggbegan, founded in 1912 by Ernst Schmidheiny.

The company was a success, and increased production capacity and earnings enabled it to acquire its rival, the Rheintalische Zementfabrik of Ruthi, in 1914.

Since 1927, Bayou has a rich history of serving customers in commercial, industrial, infrastructure and residential markets.

In 1932, the company changed its name to Mississippi Materials Company and was led by Ellis Hoffpauir.

The first trucks used to deliver concrete included used 1942 International R-900 trucks equipped with 2 cubic yard Jaeger transit mixers.

The plant had been built in 1948, and Holnam planned to spend around $100 million on new, state-of-the-art equipment that would double the plant's capacity.

The company’s growth during the 1950’s required B & B to identify a new, larger Tupelo plant location.

1953: Holderbank opens first North American subsidiary.

The company's second plant, in Mississauga, Ontario, was established in 1956 and would become Canada's largest cement plant.

Holderbank's first United States venture, the Dundee Cement Company in Dundee, Michigan, was formed in 1958, becoming fully operational two years later.

In 1959 the company invested in a larger concrete plant and over the next 20 years expanded operations into locations throughout the state of Mississippi under the leadership of General Manager, Mike Mockbee.

In 1960, a 20-acre site was purchased on Industrial Road and a new, modern plant was built.

In 1978, Dundee acquired the Santee Portland Cement Corporation of Holly Hill, South Carolina, which marketed cement and mortar exclusively in the southeastern states. Its second plant in Clarksville, Missouri, on the Mississippi River, was completed in 1967 and featured the world's largest cement kiln, which measured 760 feet long and 25 feet in diameter and could accommodate 1.4 million tons of clinker a year.

In 1970 the Lafarge operation merged with Canada Cement (still the largest cement producer in the country), creating Canada Cement Lafarge Ltd. (CCL), with 11 plants coast-to-coast.

The year 1972 saw the creation of a new subsidiary, Canfarge Ltd., to oversee its concrete-related, construction materials business.

In 1973 CCL moved south into the United States market.

Citadel began operations in January 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1976 Bayou Concrete was formed and operated in Bayou La Batre.

When the joint venture dissolved in 1977, CCL kept Citadel and two cement plants in the southern United States, incorporating the wholly owned subsidiary as Citadel Cement Corporation of Maryland.

In 1978, Dundee acquired the Santee Portland Cement Corporation of Holly Hill, South Carolina, which marketed cement and mortar exclusively in the southeastern states.

R.K. Hollister (Concrete Products in MS) bought Radcliff’s concrete division in 1980(±). Mr.

1981: Holdernam Inc., a subsidiary of Holderbank, forms its own subsidiary, Holnam Inc.

The 1982 recession in the United States slowed housing and other construction activity to a 20-year low, and CCL reported a net loss of $25 million on revenues of $900 million.

In 1983 CCL underwent a major reorganization.

It also began cutting labor costs, which led to a six-month strike during 1984.

By 1985 the company was again operating in the black, with net sales of $944.5 million.

In 1986 Holderbank reportedly paid nearly $110 million for a 66 percent interest in the struggling Denver-based Ideal Basic Industries.

In the fall of 1987 the company moved to Reston, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., to be closer to its Canadian offices and French parent and more central to its markets.

Effective January 1988, CCL changed its name to Lafarge Canada Inc. in recognition of the growth of its construction materials business as well as its cement operations, and General Portland was merged into the company.

First, in March 1990, Dundee and Ideal merged under the name Holnam Inc., which was then listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Holnam did receive permission from other state regulatory agencies, and by the end of 1991 kilns in California, Alabama, Michigan, Missouri, and other locations began burning paint thinners and dry cleaning solvents for fuel.

In mid-1992 Robert Murdoch resigned, and Michel Rose, a Lafarge Coppée executive, assumed the positions of president and CEO.

An Improving Market and Gypsum Wallboard: 1993--96

By February 1994, Holderbank Financière Glaris had acquired 100 percent of Holnam, and it operated the company as a private subsidiary.

A couple of years later, the Seymour plant was purchased from Strickland Bridge Company and in 1997, the Windthorst plant was added.

The company's 1998 acquisitions, combined with the strong construction economy, boosted net income of 29 percent over the previous year, and revenues of 33 percent to $2.45 billion, a new high for Lafarge Corporation.

In 1999, Mississippi Materials Company changed its name to MMC Materials, Inc. and growth continued across all areas of the business.

K. Hollister retired in 2001, Bayou’s partners, MMC Materials, purchased the family’s ownership interest and became the managing partner and principle owner.

In 2002, Gulf Concrete experienced significant growth and Danny Rodgers, President and COO of MMC and Gulf, provided leadership.

In about 2005, David Litteken purchased the remainder of the business from his family and is the current president of OK Concrete Company, which is headquartered in Wichita Falls and operates 8 plants throughout Northwest Texas.

In 2006, Rodney Grogan, then current President of sister company Dunn Road Builders, became President of MMC Materials, Inc.

In 2007, the company grew from the reconstruction of Hurricane Katrina and changed to one name, Bayou Concrete, LLC. With this change, came a color change in our mixer trucks.

In the Summer of 2014, City Concrete, Inc. exited the ready mixed concrete business in the Wichita Falls market.

In 2018, B & B constructed a new state-of-the-art ready-mix plant, office, and shop building in Oxford to accommodate the growth of Oxford and Lafayette County.