QUIKRETE Celebrates 75 Years

Words: Dan KamysThe QUIKRETE® Companies, a manufacturer of packaged cement and concrete products for construction, repair and home improvement projects, recently turned 75 years old. Widely recognized for establishing the pre-mixed packaged concrete category, QUIKRETE® helped shape the building and do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement industries with thoughtful product innovations, unmatched customer service and a dedicated staff of associates. The company’s evolution from small building materials business in Columbus, Ohio to multi-brand conglomerate catering to the needs of millions of homeowners and professionals annually is available at www.QUIKRETE.com/75. “We’re proud of our heritage as an American, family-run company that has helped revolutionize the building and home improvement industries during the past 75 years,” said James E. Winchester, Jr., CEO for The QUIKRETE® Companies. “From day one, my father, Gene Winchester was driven to meet the needs of both contractors and homeowners with the highest-quality products at fair market value, and that commitment remains a core value of QUIKRETE® today. It’s been quite the journey from a single plant in Columbus, Ohio manufacturing three products to plants across the country manufacturing hundreds of products, but a journey made possible thanks to our hard working employees and loyal customers.” The QUIKRETE® Companies offers professional-grade and consumer products including concrete mixes, mortar mixes, cements, concrete repair products, stuccos, waterproofing products, tile setting systems, hardscapes, blacktop products, floor underlayments, sand and aggregates, and other seasonal items. Today, the QUIKRETE® family of companies also features leaders from related industries including Pavestone®,Custom Building Products®, SPEC MIX®, Target Technologies®, Daubois and QPR®, which provides customers with a single source for unsurpassed product and service support. Collectively, QUIKRETE® manufactures and distributes products from nearly 150 facilities in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama and Peru. Supporting technical centers across the QUIKRETE® network also ensure that professionals and homeowners receive most innovative and highest quality products available. In addition to introducing the iconic yellow bag of pre-mixed packaged concrete, QUIKRETE® is credited with a number of other industry firsts including Vinyl Concrete Patcher, QUIKWALL Surface Bonding Cement, Fast-Setting Concrete, Concrete Resurfacer and Green Concrete. QUIKRETE® also proudly boasts a portfolio of high-profile, landmark building and restoration projects including the Statue of Liberty, Frank Lloyd Wright House, National Museum of the American Indian, The U.S. Capital, George W. Bush Presidential Center, San Francisco Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island. “Long before the term do-it-yourself was coined or HGTV existed, QUIKRETE was helping homeowners with easy, affordable projects around the house. However, we’ve also stayed true to our core customers in the building industry by providing heavy-duty products that meet the needs of even the most challenging projects,” said Winchester. “QUIKRETE has truly evolved from concrete in a bag into an iconic brand that lives up to its mantra, ‘What America’s Made Of™’ every day. We’re extremely grateful for the success and look forward to writing the next chapter in the company’s history.”
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