—

Martin Marietta is one of America's two giant aggregates producers: it quarries crushed stone, sand and gravel — the heavy, low-value rock under nearly every road, bridge and building — and sells it close to home, because hauling it far kills the economics. A wave of acquisitions (Blue Water, the Quikrete aggregates exchange) has made it bigger and more aggregates-focused, while it has shed cyclical cement and concrete assets.

A business made of rock and distance

Martin Marietta sells crushed stone, sand and gravel — the cheapest, heaviest stuff in the economy. Because freight can cost more than the rock itself, each quarry mainly serves a local radius, which gives the company quiet pricing power and turns the whole business into a map of reserves near growing cities.

Tip · Click any company in the map to learn — in one sentence — what it actually does and why it matters.

Why this rating?