For the seventh consecutive year, Fortune magazine has named TDIndustries Inc. to its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. The magazine ranked the employee-owned, Dallas-based company as the nation's seventh best employer.

"TDIndustries continues to set a high standard of excellence for the Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry and the entire U.S. business community," said Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO. "We are proud that TDIndustries, an ABC member firm, has again been recognized as one of the 100 best employers in America."

CARBO Ceramics Building New Manufacturing Plant in Georgia

Irving-based CARBO Ceramics Inc. recently announced that it will construct a new manufacturing plant in Wilkinson County, Ga. The plant is designed to have an annual manufacturing capacity of 250 million pounds, an increase of more than 35 percent from the company's current annual capacity and is expected to be operational by the end of 2005 at a cost of approximately $62 million.

CARBO Ceramics is the world's leading producer and supplier of ceramic proppants, which are used in the hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells. Headquartered in Irving, the company manufactures its products in three U.S. locations: New Iberia, La; Eufaula, Ala; and McIntyre, Ga. A fourth manufacturing facility is currently under construction in Luoyang, China. The company has storage and distribution facilities in four U.S. locations, Canada, Europe and China.

Centex Announces Construction Products Spinoff

Centex Corporation recently set distribution ratios for shares of Dallas-based Centex Construction Products Inc. (NYSE: CXP), now known as Eagle Materials Inc., to be received by Centex stockholders in the tax-free spinoff of CXP by Centex. For each share of Centex stock owned on the record date, Centex stockholders were to receive approximately .19 shares of CXP stock.

Eagle Materials Inc. and its existing class of common stock will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EXP, while its Class B common stock, which has been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, will trade under the symbol EXP.B.

Jacobs Engineering Receives Contract for Offshore Platforms

A Houston-based subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. recently received a contract from PEMEX Exploration & Production (a subsidiary of PEMEX, Mexico's national oil corporation) to act as owner's engineer for the Ku-Maloob-Zaap Offshore Platform Project in the Gulf of Mexico.

The project includes 18 new offshore platforms with an investment of more than $2.5 billion during the next 5 years. The project supports Mexico's aggressive export program by improving oil production capabilities up to 800 thousand barrels per day and gas production capabilities by 600 million standard cu. ft. per day for the field.

"We are excited to join with our Mexican partners and expand our global offshore presence with PEMEX on this strategically important project," said Pete Evans, Jacobs Group vice president.

Dallas-based MGHerring Group Partners in California Mall Project

CBL & Associates Properties Inc. along with joint venture partner, Dallas-based MGHerring Group, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for Imperial Valley Mall in El Centro, CA. The 741,000-sq-ft. enclosed shopping center will have four department stores, a theater, approximately 100 well-known national specialty stores and businesses and a 10-unit food court. Imperial Valley Mall is expected to open in spring 2005.

CBL & Associates Properties is one of the top five owners of shopping centers in North America and the largest owner of malls and shopping centers in the Southeast.
The MGHerring Group has developed 30 major retail projects comprising 24 million sq. ft.

Port of Port Arthur Using Rubb Building System

The Port of Port Arthur recently added dockside warehouse space using a Rubb Building System that was specially designed for the port and is the biggest project Rubb has undertaken in Texas. After revisions to the site's concrete foundation and flooring was completed at a cost of $3.5 million, the $230,00 Rubb project took seven months to complete.

Rubb assembled a 220-ft.-wide by 525-ft BE range bi-link building with 32 ft. sidewalls, providing an additional 100,000 sq. ft. of transit storage in addition to covering the port's railroad siding. The building was designed to meet stringent Texas Gulf Coast building code requirements, including winds of up to 30 mph, and features six 36-ft-wide by 24-ft-high bi-parting Norco doors for access on the dockside as well as through the ends of the building. Two 18-ft.-wide single panel sliding doors provide additional access.

Rubb structures feature a steel frame, which is hot-dip galvanized after fabrication.
This lattice-type steel truss framework is covered by a heavy-duty,
high-quality PVC coated architectural membrane.