GIANT CEMENT HOLDING, INC. (GCHI), headquartered in Summerville, South Carolina, produces cement, concrete and aggregate for residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. It is also one of the largest users of waste-derived fuels in the United States. Its subsidiaries include Giant Cement Company, Inc., Keystone Cement Company, Giant Resource Recovery, Inc. (GRR!), and Dragon Products Company, LLC. These companies manufacture and sell Portland Cement and masonry products throughout the eastern United States. GCHI is the fourth largest producer of cement on the east coast. Giant Cement Company, established in Egypt, Pennsylvania in 1883, commenced production at its Harleyville, South Carolina plant in 1948 and moved its corporate Headquarters to South Carolina in 1970. In 1984, Keystone Cement Company of Bath, Pennsylvania, became part of the Giant Group. In 2006, the parent company of Dragon Products Company, LLC, and Coastal Cement Corporation was merged into GCHI.Giant Resource Recovery, established in 1987, primarily recycles industrial waste products as a fuel source for the cement kilns. Cement kiln recycling provides an environmentally safe method of disposing of unwanted wastes, realizes significant energy conservation, preserves natural resources, and reduces the amount of coal needed to manufacture cement. Cementos Portland Valderrivas, S.A., based in Madrid, Spain, purchased GCHI and all of its subsidiaries in 1999. Cementos Portland Valderrivas is the largest cement company in Spain and operates cement plants worldwide.

Nearly as old as the aggregate it mines, Granite Rock (founded on Valentine's Day, 1900) operates four quarries, a design center, and other facilities in Northern California. The company, often referred to as Graniterock, provides materials for construction and landscaping: rock, sand, gravel, stone, concrete, asphalt, road oils and asphalt coatings, and masonry and wall-system products. The company has a fleet of railroad cars to transport rock, sand, gravel, and concrete; it also operates a fleet of delivery trucks. Its Pavex Construction unit builds roads and airports, as well as commercial and residential projects. CEO Bruce Woolpert (the grandson of founder A. R. Wilson) and his family own Granite Rock.

Grasim is in touch with its soft side and its tough side. Once primarily a textile manufacturer, Grasim Industries Limited is also engaged in the production of cement and chemicals. Grasim makes 18 million meters of textiles a year in its Haryana and Madhya Pradesh plants in India; its synthetic suiting (sold under the Grasim and Graviera brand names) is sold in a network of more than 250 showrooms and wholesalers. Grasim Industries Limited also produces viscose staple fiber (VSF). Grasim is a major producer of cement; it ventured into cement production in the 1980s and now operates about two dozen plants throughout India. A subsidiary of Aditya Birla, Grasim was established in 1948.

Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) sees the road to riches paved with plain old cement, not gold. The group's subsidiaries produce, market, and distribute cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and other construction materials in the US, Mexico, and Bolivia. With about 10 facilities in operation, GCC has an annual production capacity of approximately 5 million tons of cement. Additional products include cement blocks and prefabricated concrete products. Holding company Control Administrativo Mexicano owns about three-quarters of GCC.

Hammerstone (formerly Birch Mountain Resources) is trying to climb to the top of the heap in the industrial minerals business. The company was exploring and developing precious metal properties, but is now concentrating on industrial mineral properties (primarily lime and concrete aggregate) in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta. Formed in 1994, the company has two major divisions: industrial minerals and mineral exploration and technology. In 2008, after defaulting on a loan with its primary banker, Birch Mountain Resources went into receivership. An affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management acquired the assets of the company, including a limestone quarry in Alberta, in 2009.

Hanson was quite a catch for HeidelbergCement, which bought the building materials giant in 2007 to become one of the world's top cement companies. Hanson Limited makes and delivers aggregates (crushed rock, sand, and gravel), ready-mixed and precast concrete, asphalt, bricks, flooring, and other building materials. Its products are used for civil as well as commercial, residential, and industrial jobs. Hanson also provides civil engineering services through Hanson Contracting (road surfacing) and Irvine-Whitlock (specialist brick and block laying). In the UK, Hanson Limited operates more than 350 manufacturing sites (more than half are cement plants) and maintains a delivery fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles.

Hanson Pipe & Precast is a division of Hanson Building Products North America, which is part of HeidelbergCement. Not to be confused with the kind smoked by Sherlock Holmes, Hanson Pipe & Precast makes pipes of the concrete variety. The company is the top manufacturer of concrete pipes and structural precast products in North America, with more than 150 plants in the US and Canada. Products include drainage structures, bridge arches, protective linings, ceilings and foundations, road noise barriers, and precast manholes, all of which are routinely used in the construction industry. Clients include state transportation departments, public authorities, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and private entities.

In 1949 J. M. "Bill" Harper founded Harper Construction, which eventually expanded operations to become Harper Industries. If Harper Industries can't help you get it built, not many can. The company operates a group of subsidiaries that provide a full range of construction services and products including design-build, project management, facilities maintenance, and construction materials and equipment. It serves commercial, power, and government clients for projects ranging from manufacturing plants and office buildings to schools and highways and bridges.

HeidelbergCement AG has operations in 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Subsidiary Hanson is a top building materials company in the UK. HeidelbergCement believes in concrete results. The company is one of the world's leading producers of cement and clinker (more than 100 million tons annually), and concrete; it is the largest cement producer in Germany. Cement, concrete, and aggregates together account for more than 90% of the company's sales. HeidelbergCement also has group services which manage fossil fuels and electricity for its operations and trade internationally in cement and clinker (an intermediate product used to make portland cement).

High Concrete Group offers concrete solutions for your building needs. The company produces precast concrete structures, including walls, architectural facades, and floor slabs, to create everything from office buildings to sports arenas. It is one of the leading makers of precast parking structures in the US. Its StructureCare service provides preventive maintenance to extend the life of those structures. A subsidiary of High Industries, High Concrete Group counts architects, contractors, and building owners among its customers. It primarily serves the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and New England regions of the country, with projects that include the Baltimore Ravens' stadium and a Harrah's casino parking garage.

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