BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The ready-mixed concrete and aggregate assets held by Whatcom County-based Cowden Inc. have been acquired by Aggregate Industries (AI) according to a press release issued today. January 3rd.
LafargeHolcim in the United States announced today the acquisition of the ready-mix concrete and aggregate assets held by Cowden Inc., a longstanding supplier in Washington state, via its wholly-owned subsidiary Aggregate Industries (AI). “This acquisition strengthens our presence in this strong growth market while contributing to AI’s overall strategy to expand our range of sustainable construction materials,” shares René Thibault, Head of North America for Holcim.
Cowden Inc., established in 1945, has been a trusted building partner in the Bellingham, WA area, growing in the region to include ready-mix concrete plants, aggregate facilities and a hauling fleet. Supplying both large commercial and small residential projects, Cowden’s team combines quality with meaningful customer experiences. “We live here, and we work here,” says Brent Cowden, President of Cowden Inc. “We know how important it is for our customers to be able to continue to have a trusted local supplier.”
More than 100 Cowden employees will join AI’s organization. “We are happy to welcome these professionals to our team,” says Thibault. “Collaboration and innovation are a key part of our culture.”
The organization will operate as Cowden, a division of Aggregate Industries Pacific Northwest, and will become a member of the LafargeHolcim family of companies in the US. LafargeHolcim US is part of Holcim, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.BusinessWire press release issued by LafargeHolcim (January 3, 2022)
Aggregate Industries, according to their website, produces and supplies construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete. LafargeHolcim, part of the Holcim Group, has close to 350 locations in 43 states and employs 7,000 people.
The article fails to explain that AI is a British company and is an example of the selling of America at a local level
Actually, I think AI US is a subsidiary of a Canadian company that is a division of a Swiss company… But I guess that’s just semantics…;)
This acquisition means that all ready mix cement facilities in Whatcom County are owned by foreign companies, and none too savory companies at that.
Cadman is, I think, the only alternative to Cowden now in the county. According to Cadman’s website, they are owned by Heidelberg Cement, a German company. Heidelberg Cement was founded in 1874 in Heidelberg Germany (duh!). They used forced labor during WWII. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeidelbergCement for more information.
On the other hand, LaFargeHolcim (now called Holcim Group) has been accused in court in the European Union for paying ISIS in 2011 to keep its plants open in Syria. It’s not clear that the management of the Holcim Group is responsible, but there is little question that payments were made. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holcim_Group