MOORESVILLE — US Brick Holdings, LLC, has acquired the General Shale brick manufacturing plant in Mooresville, the company announced Tuesday.
The move is part of the nascent company's expansion to Indiana and four other states, making it one of the largest brick companies in the United States.
US Brick also announced the purchase of brick manufacturing plants in Gleason, Tennessee, and Bessemer, Alabama, along with several distribution centers. Also included in the agreement are storefront locations in the surrounding service markets.
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, US Brick was formed in April 2020 by a management group that was previously heavily involved in the forest products industry, according to US Brick CEO Mikee Johnson. Prior to its recent acquisitions, the company was known as one of the leading commercial brick manufacturers in the southeast.
"Demand (for brick) is at an all-time high right now, post-Great Recession," Johnson said in an interview Wednesday. "The industry can't make bricks fast enough."
While inflation and supply chain shortages are hampering the construction industry, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law on Nov. 15 by President Joe Biden, will help drive construction projects, Johnson said.
"The economy's good, the winds of change are good, except costs are rising," he said. "Some people are deciding to delay a construction project because they're hoping costs are coming down, but costs are running so fast...they can't wait anymore."
Like many employers, Johnson is having difficulty finding workers and raising wages as a result. The Mooresville facility currently has about 65 employees, company officials said. US Brick has around 270 employees.
Earlier this year, General Shale completed its acquisition of Meridian Brick. As part of an antitrust deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, they were required to sell off certain assets, one of them being the Mooresville plant. The company will keep control over its plant in Terre Haute.
Johnson said General Shale will continue to be "a great industry leader" and an economic partner with US Brick.