“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.”- H. L. MenckenVirginia keeps pouring concrete for data centers like the pace is normal…

“Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.” — Charles Mackay A guy wrote that in 1841. 1841.&nb…

Keep your eye on the prize. (Adobe)You’ve probably seen the dumb version of this story already.“Trump wants cheap oil.” “Exxon won’t touch Venezuela.” “Guyana hit the jackpot.” “Russia and Ch…

When the lights get expensive, everything else follows.For the last few years, Europe has been trying to run an industrial economy on wishful thinking.It looked fine in speeches. It looked even better in press releases.Then the bill showed up.…

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…

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 …

Follow the Line. Follow the Money.If you’ve been following the Type IL situation the last few years, you’ve heard every excuse under the sun about why Portland limestone cement suddenly became the “future” of American concr…

Pipe dream. (Adobe)Every once in a while, the cement industry drops a headline so painfully obvious you wonder if anyone has been awake for the last decade.  This week’s gem?  Europe is sounding the alarm that cement prices cou…

Progress. (Adobe)Dominion Energy just filed its 2025 Renewable Portfolio Standard plan with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. It’s their roadmap for meeting Virginia’s renewable energy mandates under the Clean Economy Act.If y…

Changing of the guard. (Adobe) Back in July, we covered the U.S. Department of Energy report A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate. It didn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. The report—…

Don’t worry, we’ll just dig our own—how hard can it be?For decades, we’ve been told that free trade keeps the world out of trouble. The logic was simple: if countries are busy buying, selling, and shipping each other’…

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 …

Is NVIDIA an Astros fan? (Getty Images)Enron was the golden child. By 2000, it was the seventh largest company in America, worth more than sixty billion dollars. The business magazines loved them. Wall Street analysts couldn’t say enough goo…

Raising cane (Adobe).If you think groceries are expensive now, just wait—this winter they could double.Back in March, I wrote about McKinley’s tariffs and how history showed us exactly what happens when governments play with trade ba…

By Victor Gillam - https://pixels.com/featured/monroe-doctrine-1896-granger.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82247860I read an article from Doomberg, one of my favorite geopolitical writers, and it got me thinki…

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…

 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…

 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…

For decades, oil has been the dominant force in the energy world, with its price affecting everything from transportation to the cost of goods. But that dominance is fading as natural gas emerges as the new key player in the energy market—some…

 In 1987, President Ronald Reagan imposed a significant 100% tariff on selected Japanese electronics. At the time, this move was widely seen as bold and controversial. Understanding the rationale behind this action provides insight into the c…

As the U.S. once again debates the use of tariffs to protect domestic industries, history offers a valuable case study in how such policies play out over time. President William McKinley, one of the staunchest advocates for protectionism in U.S. his…

Federal Incentives and Policy Drivers for Type IL CementDuring 2019–2024, multiple federal actions incentivized the cement industry’s shift to Type IL (Portland-Limestone Cement). Congressional legislation explicitly promoted lower-car…