Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In this conversation from ConcreteWorks 2024, the team interviews Justin Lazenby from Thomas Concrete. They discuss the importance of innovation and sustainability in the concrete industry. They reflect on their long-standing relationship and the evolution of concrete practices, emphasizing the need for open-mindedness and effective communication in adapting to new technologies. The conversation also highlights the significance of mentorship in fostering growth and innovation within the industry.
Creators & Guests
What is Add Ten Gallons Concrete Podcast?
Welcome to the Add 10 Gallons Concrete Podcast, where show hosts Paul Fendley and Joey Bell discuss everything related to the concrete industry. Join us as we explore topics ranging from concrete production and materials to construction, quality control, academia, equipment, manufacturing, industry shows, conventions, and other key issues pertinent to the concrete industry.
Alright. Welcome back Concrete Works 2024. We are seated with the man, the myth, the legend, Justin Lassaby of Thomas Concrete. Thank you, man. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Appreciate you guys having me come over. That was
Speaker 1:just good. So we've actually known each other for more than a decade. One of the best stories. We've already told the story twice today to people, but, we're gonna we're gonna say a little bit one more time, but Justin was the first person. Back in 2013, I walk into his concrete lab in Atlanta thinking I've got a new product that I need to tell the world about.
Speaker 1:I said, hey. Can you take a look at this? Let me know if I got something real. And he goes, oh, I've already looked at that. As I said, that's impossible, Justin.
Speaker 1:You can't have looked at my so to to he goes, no. I've already put up 30 mixes with your product, and he spent the afternoon teaching me about my product. So thank you for that. Yeah. We
Speaker 2:try to be innovative there, so we've we try to jump on things quicker than others. So we've we've been fortunate there.
Speaker 1:You have, but you it's not just Actagel you've given a break to. You were one of the very first people to use CarbonCure. I mean, I I I don't know there's ever been a time that I've been in y'all's lab and you didn't have, like, mixes of just random stuff that you're just looking at because you never knew what was gonna pop off.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. We're trying to stay ahead of things. It's the best part about being an employee of a family owned business, so we we can do whatever we want. You know?
Speaker 2:R and d and all that's kinda where we live, what we breathe. So we try to look at things early and often and and see what's out there so we know what's coming
Speaker 1:before it gets there. Yeah. Smart man. But you're in at you're based in Atlanta?
Speaker 2:Yep. I'm based in Atlanta. You know, Thomas is in southeastern US, Poland, Sweden, and then Germany as well. So we got a little bit of a knowledge base we can pull forward, but Southeastern US is kind of where where we make our our biggest impact there.
Speaker 1:When you went over to Poland recently to be a part of their technical thing, like, what's the conversation about? Is it just pure sustainability? Like, what are you what's Thomas looking at?
Speaker 2:It's everything. Sustainability is definitely forefront of everybody's mind right now. You know, it's hilarious. Years ago, when I first came to NRMCA, we called that the s word, you know, and wanted to talk about sustainability from the quality side, but but that's changed and softened over the years. So, but, yeah, sustainability is definitely there.
Speaker 2:A lot of talk about binders and what's coming next with cement. You know? A lot of that's changing the US. Europe went through that process, you know, 10, 15 years ago. So they're they're a little ahead of us there, but we're able to pull from our knowledge there and and see what's coming and what may change there.
Speaker 1:So, alright, we see things are changing, things are coming. So what is the thing that you see that's coming that's got you excited?
Speaker 2:I think people are becoming more open, you know, to letting people design concrete in a way that is you know, we're saying sustainable, but it's also performance driven. So those are things that that weren't always there. So we're getting a little further away from the prescriptive side. And, you know, that's really, really cool when you're you're a technical guy. You're trying to push things and do that.
Speaker 2:So so I think that's gonna be huge. The cements are are changing. Things are evolving. With that comes problems and different challenges, but it's it's always fun to to do things different and see what's here.
Speaker 1:I disagree. Nobody had any problems switching to one l. I don't know what's wrong with. Yeah. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:There's a few people
Speaker 2:in this room that may argue. We we were fortunate. I mean, we didn't fight it this hard, and I I'll say we're lucky. I mean or maybe we just were over prepared because we tested it for about 10 to 15 years before it came out. So so maybe we're just fortunate there, but, yeah, there definitely were some challenges.
Speaker 2:I don't know they were all cement driven, but I think there was maybe some communication lapses there that could have been fixed.
Speaker 1:I think well, actually, it's interesting to say that. We're we're gonna have Ben Lintoni from Heidelberg on here again today. He's he was on the podcast recently for a full thing. And that's what he said. He's like, man, I wish we'd have done a little bit better with communication.
Speaker 1:Maybe the message wasn't exactly right, and there's a lot of prework. And you mentioned prework as we said to you. Like, we just needed more prework in each given site. It was too much of a of a blanket message, one size fits all, and that's that's just not how concrete works.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Everybody's like, oh, it's a one for one replacement. Well, somewhere it is, but in a lot of places, it was.
Speaker 1:Well, if you, I mean, talking to the like, Scott Kelly was was an exam. They did a lot of research, you know, before, like, I guess, the major launch, you know, across the country. But if you talk to, you know, Scott, Justin, and a couple other guys across the country that say that, yeah, the transition wasn't that bad. That's because they did their homework. They did a lot of stuff, you know, before everybody else did.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean, then that's that's the key. I mean, some guys, I think, really bought into the, hey. It's one for 1. We're gonna be it's gonna be a quick, easy change, and I mean, I'm a quality guy.
Speaker 2:I mean, you gotta show me, prove to me it's gonna work. I'm not just gonna believe you at your word. And I think maybe that that helped us out, you know, being the smaller, you know, family owned type business. You know, we're we're gonna challenge that and we're gonna make sure before we do it as to where some others may have said, oh, okay. The big cement guy said this is what it is and and believed it, and and that may have caused
Speaker 1:him a few problems there. It's kinda funny to think about too, like, that that many people in the industry just took somebody's word for Yeah. This is usually went along with it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is usually a pessimistic industry. We don't change very easily. So No. So I think I think it was kind of odd that that people just assume that, oh, yeah. This is gonna be quick and easy.
Speaker 2:And and, I mean, it it it wasn't terrible, but, yeah, there were challenges, and you had to know what you were looking at or or you were gonna have issues.
Speaker 1:I I got a question. So I think it's important to say you do come from the QC, QA side. I mean, using as you now are such a big deal at Thomas and running the whole world or something. I I'm not sure what they got you, but I see your title changes on LinkedIn. You know, it's very impressive.
Speaker 1:Very, very impressive. But but that aside, I'd like to know mindset wise. You've always been open minded. So as as a guy in the quality department of a conservative industry, how'd you develop such an open mind to new products, new technologies?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think it's kind of my background as I've always loved innovation and change and what and what comes there. It also came from having a really, really open minded boss. John Cook's probably one of the easiest and, you know, most open guys that's, you know, a veteran of this industry. You know, he's been in it 40 years and and he's always been really open. So it's like, okay.
Speaker 2:Hey. If he's open, if I can push him to help him look at things different and things there, I think we've made a really good dynamic there and things work well. But I think that's just the key is, you know, never never being willing to be happy with just the status quo. You know, being being willing to go and and push and look at things different and and see what we can do better.
Speaker 1:Talk about I mean, I or sometimes we get lucky in life, but John Cook is your mentor. Like Yeah. Holy cow.
Speaker 2:I mean, little did I know when I started with Thomas Kinkner, I've been here 23 years, and it was gonna be a summer job. I literally went there. It's like, hey. I'm gonna work for the summer. It's been the longest summer of my life.
Speaker 1:But but
Speaker 2:but if it wasn't for people like John Cook, I would have never stayed in the industry. So, I mean, having having guys like him around, you know, a few years back, you know, as I moved up in the roles there, I was able to hire Michael LeGrand who worked for ready mix USAC mix for 30 years. So to have another, you know, really, really got, you know, strong guy come over to us and then a guy that's kind of a an unsung hero at Thomas Scott Reed and and Tommy McElroy. I mean, he's been in the industry over 40 years. A lot of times on the side.
Speaker 2:But when I started at Thomas, you know, here I am, a 19 year old kid, and he was willing to teach me and help me and listen to my my complaining and what didn't work and and really helped me learn. And I mean, that that that's invaluable. And these guys are starting to get ready to retire and, you know, unfortunately, we don't want them to, you know, because they're it's like you can't replace that type of experience. But you're super excited for these guys to get the chance to go enjoy the rest of
Speaker 1:it. That's right. Well, we wish John, the best with his health. Thank you for letting us know earlier today that, you know, he's battling that. So hope he's, sounds like he's close to making a full recovery.
Speaker 1:Right? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Things are going good there. You know, he had a rough couple months, but back in the saddle, I was probably wondering why I came back to have to deal with me more. But but, yeah, he's back, and everything's going great.
Speaker 1:I actually thought the same thing. If he's if he's got it he's getting that close to retirement, why why did he come back to deal with those problems?
Speaker 2:Gotta be my charming personality. It's all I can figure.
Speaker 1:Well, we appreciate you bringing that charming personality in the show. We're gonna have you back and do a a full length episode Yeah. One of these days. Enjoy it. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you, guys.