Concrete is everywhere in Indiana: Beneath the bridges crossing the White River, inside the walls of the newest hospital towers rising over South Bend, under the tarmac at Gary Airport, and in the foundations of the data centers and industrial facilities reshaping the state's economic landscape. Behind every cubic yard of that material stands a network of producers, engineers, contractors, and association professionals working to keep Indiana's built environment strong, safe, and modern. Understanding the current state of Indiana's ready mix concrete industry means understanding not just what is being built, but how, and why concrete remains the material of choice.
The Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association, IRMCA serves as the central organizing body for the state's ready mix sector. According to the association, 95% of the ready mixed concrete industry of Indiana is represented by IRMCA membership, making it one of the most comprehensively organized trade associations in construction. The IRMCA's primary objective, is to expand the use of ready mix concrete throughout the State of Indiana; through advocacy, education, networking, and regulatory guidance.
Indiana's concrete producers are not monoliths. The industry spans large regional producers like Ozinga Ready Mix and Kuert Concrete, alongside local operations such as Ernst Concrete, Cash Concrete Products, Shelby Materials, Smith Ready Mix, and Concrete Supply, LLC. The diversity of scale reflects the diversity of Indiana's construction need: From rural agricultural builds to urban mixed-use towers, from interstate highway work to airport cargo expansion.
The 2025 IRMCA Year in Review describes an industry that navigated steady demand alongside meaningful evolution. Public sector projects, particularly transportation, utilities, and municipal improvements, provided consistent production levels even as private development showed more regional variation, concentrating in areas of population growth and industrial investment. Labor shortages and rising material costs remained headwinds, pushing producers toward leaner operational models and greater investment in digital tools.
Technology adoption accelerated in 2025. Producers across Indiana increasingly adopted digital batching systems, GPS-enabled delivery logistics, and improved customer communication platforms. These upgrades enhanced scheduling reliability and helped companies better manage rising operational costs. As the IRMCA noted in its annual review, many ready mix operations entered 2026 with stronger data-driven processes and improved service models.
The breadth of Indiana's concrete work was on full display at the 2026 IRMCA Winter Mixer, where 13 Project Awards were presented across categories ranging from agriculture and aviation to healthcare, infrastructure, and community use. Highlights included Ozinga Ready Mix's work on the Gary Airport Cargo Area (Aviation Award), Kuert Concrete's Beacon Memorial Hospital Tower in South Bend (Healthcare Award), Ernst Concrete's Earlham College Runyan Center Revitalization in Richmond (Institutional Award), Shelby Materials' Holliday Park Playground in Indianapolis (Community Use Award), and Smith Ready Mix's Southlake YMCA Sports Complex in Crown Point (Commercial Award).
These projects are not simply business transactions. They are demonstrations of what the ready mix industry brings to communities across Indiana: Durable infrastructure, safe public spaces, and lasting economic value.
Looking beyond individual projects, Indiana's concrete producers are positioning themselves for the next wave of construction demand. Smart city infrastructure, from transportation systems to utility upgrades, expanded across the United States in 2025, and concrete played a central role in supporting those goals. The qualities that make concrete ideal for smart infrastructure are the same ones that have defined it for generations: durability, adaptability, and long-term performance (IRMCA Year in Review, 2025).
The IRMCA is also investing in the next generation of industry leaders. Launched in partnership with IU Indianapolis and developed through the Kelley School of Business and Tobias Leadership Center, the Developing Concrete Leaders program graduated its inaugural cohort in 2025, equipping emerging professionals with leadership skills designed specifically for the demands of the ready mix sector.
Indiana's ready mix concrete industry is not standing still. It is growing, adapting, and building the infrastructure on which the state's future depends. The next entry in this blog series examines the standards that govern how that concrete is specified, designed, and delivered: And why those standards matter.
Learn more about the Developing Concrete Leaders program.