Who I am
I have been a professional economist for 37 years, and for all but five I have specialized in the North American cement, concrete, and stone industries. In 1979 I became the chief economist for the Portland Cement Association, the trade group for the American and Canadian cement industries. In 1986 I formed by own company, R.O.I. Economic Consulting, so that I could better serve building materials companies and people interested in them. The PCA was a great place to work as an economist, but there were restrictions on what I could discuss. For example, I was not allowed to talk about cement prices because of U.S. antitrust laws. Having my own independent firm freed me from these constraints and allowed me to expand my expertise to other building materials, including concrete, aggregates, gypsum, slag, and lime.
In the past 25 years, I have done research for virtually all the major cement companies operating in the United States and Canada, including the largest international companies: Holcim, Lafarge, Cemex, Heidelberg, etc. I have been the North American correspondent for the International Cement Review since 1990. Numerous banks, hedge funds, brokerage firms, and government agencies have also requested by services.
My goals for concrete-economics.com
I want to expand my audience and the topics on which I write. Rather than preparing only comprehensive, lengthy reports, this site gives me an outlet for shorter pieces on whatever subjects motivate me to research and write. It also welcomes feedback from readers, so that I get their thoughts and opinions. My emphasis will be on the North American cement, concrete and stone industries, the construction markets they supply, real estate markets, and the overall economy.
While affected by national and international influences, construction and building materials are fundamentally local businesses. As they say about real estate, the three most important factors are location, location, location. Geography is a key to understanding these industries. My postings will stress regional, state, county and city markets.
What have I been doing for a living the past 32 years? I tell cement, concrete and aggregate companies about the outside world and how it affects them. I also tell the outside world about how these industries operate and how they impact the rest of the economy. With the postings on concrete-economics.com, I will provide timely content that hopefully will enlighten and inform all interested parties.
