Big River Announces New Brand

Big River Industries announced a new branding initiative to showcase the company’s expanded clay lightweight aggregate spanning six applications, including masonry, concrete, geotechnical, asphalt, horticulture, and storm water management. The initiative features a new brand name, Riverlite, which is being implemented to consolidate three previous brands, Gravelite, Livlite and Arkalite.

Part of Oldcastle Architectural since 1987, the company began in 1954 with the production of Gravelite, a rotary kiln expanded clay lightweight aggregate produced near Baton Rouge, La. In 1984, a second expanded clay lightweight aggregate, Livlite, was added with the acquisition of the Tombigbee Lightweight Aggregate Co. in Livingston, Ala. Growth continued in 2005, when the company purchased its Arkalite plant near West Memphis, Ark., making Big River Industries the nation's largest producer of expanded clay lightweight aggregate. Today, Big River's annual production capacity exceeds 2.5 million cubic yards.

Each of the facilities is located purposely on a river, allowing for barge shipments to customers in other states and regions. From inception, the intentional proximity to the rivers led to the company name of Big River Industries. The company namesake combined with the lightweight characteristic of its aggregate products incited the new Riverlite brand name.

The consolidation of the former three brands to Riverlite was based upon market research involving an evaluation of the construction, engineering and other relative industries in the Southeast and Midwest, where Big River’s products are distributed.