Building Nevada - January 2001

CSR Nevada: A Reputation Set in Concrete

by Ed Dodrill

CSR America continues to be a leader in the U.S. construction and building materials industry. It is the largest producer of concrete pipe and concrete block in the United States, as well as one of the largest producers of aggregate, ready-mixed concrete and cement. Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., CSR America operates in 29 states employing more than 7,000 people at over 230 locations.

According to Robert A. Albano, vice president and general manager of Las Vegas operations, the parent company’s policy of operating each location as a local company has advantages for consumers. "We have as many as 25 people out in the field working with our customers, and more important, with their crews. We get to know them and their needs on the job, and we can serve them better," Albano said. At the same time, they have the resources of a large worldwide company so, if necessary, they can use the expertise of their environmental scientists, quarry experts, legal staff and others.

For the past 14 months the company has been realigning its management so general managers such as Albano can oversee their business and learn about their employees. "We are also a union company with Teamsters and Operating Engineers. This gives us the training and skilled workforce we need in a growing market such as Las Vegas," he said.

CSR Nevada, through the acquisition of ARC Materials, Corp., formerly WMK Materials, has been a part of the community for over 50 years. Some of its more recent large projects include the Venetian, Stratosphere and Luxor Hotels. In addition to getting its fair share of the hotel construction business, Albano said the three big segments of the market - residential construction, infrastructure and commercial construction - are the mainstays of the company. CSR’s Las Vegas operation, with revenues of $100 million annually, employs 500 people in six locations with a $25 million payroll. The company is the largest supplier of building materials in Nevada.

In addition to operating the country’s largest concrete plant, CSR West LLC has been conducting a mining and rock-processing operation on a 160-acre parcel located at Buffalo north of Tropicana Aveune. In 1970, the Clark County Commission granted permanent zoning to permit CSR’s predecessor, WMK Transit Mix, to mine and crush gravel at the site and to construct and maintain a rock crusher and ready-mix concrete plant. The CSR property has provided quality building materials on which Southern Nevada’s growth has literally been built. The company maintains three concrete plants within the Clark County area and has five portable plants that can be moved close to the most active construction areas to keep road travel and delivery times to minimum.

Albano pointed out the company is continually training its employees in the skills they need for their specific jobs as well in knowledge of the company. "All of our employees are trained in all of the products we have," he said. "We also have a full-time safety director - all our employees wear hard hats even if they are not required on some job sites. We continually review safety procedures and every employee is committed to safety," he said.

"We offer everything in one phone call, and that sets us above the competition," said Albano. "We offer ready-mix, concrete pipe, block, aggregate and building materials. A customer can call one salesperson and have everything delivered," he added. After a few last-minute details are completed, the company will be offering customers e-commerce services using the Internet to check invoices, print a copy of a lost document, order supplies or seek information anytime. "This will allow customers to do business with us 24 hours a day," Albano said.

The company has extensive measuring systems to rate its quality of service and materials to benchmark itself with other companies. CSR America also maintains an extensive testing facility in Palm Beach, Fla., where both raw materials as well as samples of finished products are sent for evaluation to make sure they live up to the company’s high standards.

"With all this," said Albano, "the bottom line is really our employees. We have well-trained, productive, hard-working employees, who, like our company, are committed to serving a growing share of the dynamic Las Vegas market.»