Producers invest in long-term technology partnership with BCMI Corp.

Producers invest in long-term technology partnership with BCMI Corp.

Topics: aggregates, construction materials

As a BCMI co-founder retires, supporting materials producers step in to invest in the technology company. Minority shareholders will advance the Initiative’s long-term vision.

Several U.S. concrete and construction materials producers have purchased shares of BCMI Corp., for a minority stake in the company. The privately held, family-owned investors include BARD Materials (Dyersville, Iowa), Geiger Ready Mix Co. (Kansas City, Kansas), and leaders of Miles Sand & Gravel (Puyallup, Washington).

BCMI Co-founder, Bernard Benson, has retired and exited the company, leaving BCMI well positioned for this next growth stage. Co-founder Craig Yeack remains the majority owner of BCMI Corp. and will continue to lead the company as President & CEO, as well as serve on the Board of Directors.

“True to the spirit and intent of BCMI, Bernie Benson has created a firm foundation for meaningful investment opportunities within our network of materials producers,” says Yeack. “The investors are strategic, closely held, multi-generational materials producers aligned with the long-term BCMI vision.” The new minority shareholders will provide invaluable strategic guidance, including through representation on the Board of Directors.

BCMI remains resolutely committed to protecting customer data. “Our customers’ data belongs to them. Period,” says Yeack. “It is safeguarded and will never be shared without explicit, case-by-case consent with any other customers, regardless of shareholder status.”

BCMI receives guidance on technical development by a Producer Advisory Board. Advisors consist of key representatives from the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative producers’ group, independent of shareholder status. Advisors help define new functionality and contribute to prioritization of development plans. In this way, we work toward our common goal: to develop the innovative, long-term solutions our industry deserves.

“Ultimately, BCMI belongs in the hands of the construction materials industry,” says Yeack. “Our goal is to become a truly generational, sustainable technology partner. This initial investment by early supporters of the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative is just the first step toward achieving that collaborative vision.”

About BCMI Corp.

BCMI Corp. is a privately held software development company, co-founded by Craig Yeack and Bernard Benson in 2014. BCMI stands for the “Bulk Construction Materials Initiative.” BCMI has been producer-led from the beginning, when a group of eight materials producers – known as the “G8” – came together to contribute to the design and development of industry-specific software they envisioned. Today the BCMI Platform is a fully integrated, end-to-end software system for analytics, operational management, customer relationship management (CRM), quotation, fulfillment and delivery (dispatch), quality control and invoicing. BCMI provides a cloud-based platform for ready-mixed concrete producers and is in the process of extending the functionality to aggregate, cement and asphalt operations. Materials producers and their customers use the Material Pro and Material Now mobile apps for real-time communication and collaboration.

About BCMI’s equity investors

BARD Materials (Dyersville, Iowa)
Established in 1946 as a small sand and gravel company in Dyersville, Iowa, BARD grew to become one of the largest ready-mix providers in the region. While the company has grown and evolved, the people of BARD Materials remain committed to “Transforming Materials Responsibly to Build Better Lives, Communities, and Country.” BARD is a family-owned and operated materials producer, in its third generation of family leadership. The producer has been part of the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative since 2017.

Geiger Ready Mix Co. (Kansas City, Kansas)
Geiger is a fifth-generation family-owned business with over 70 years of ready-mix experience. The company began in 1892 as a small construction contracting business in Leavenworth, Kansas. Through a philosophy of honesty, integrity, respect and continuous improvement, the producer has grown into Kansas City’s leading concrete supplier. Geiger joined the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative in 2018.

Miles Sand & Gravel (Puyallup, Washington)
Lisa Kittilsby and Walt Miles, now minority shareholders of BCMI Corp., are leaders and owners of Miles Sand & Gravel, a supplier of aggregates and ready-mix concrete in the Puget Sound area. The fifth-generation, family-owned company was established in the early 1940s and has grown into a team of nearly 500 members that provides customers with innovative solutions and helps build strong communities. Since the beginning, the Miles Group of companies has operated by the simple but important principles of quality, integrity and honesty. Miles became a founding supporter of the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative in 2016.

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