Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
The SS Selma, which first launched in 1919, was made out of concrete because we didn't have enough steel at the time. This 7,500-ton ship was the first to be made out of lightweight shale aggregate concrete. She was sunk off the coast of Galveston as a breakwater in 1922 and remains important to scientists today as a study of construction and durability. Selma is significant to Utah because Utelite Corporation in Coalville is using the same type of material for construction projects across the west.
Utelite Corporation produces shale aggregate expanded in rotary kilns to produce lightweight structural concrete. You can use this product in everything from road surfaces to construction projects. That's not surprising since it's lightweight, provides better insulation and is fire resistant. It also weights half as much as a traditional rock product and saves energy to increase the life cycle of new buildings.
This year Utelite is celebrating their 50th anniversary. In talking with company president Carsten Mortensen, he says his dad, Neal, was a coal mining engineer back in the early 60s. After he discovered the shale aggregate product, he understood its potential and started manufacturing it. Boy has the company taken off! In 2011, Utelite provided 90,000 cubic yards of their aggregate to build the largest solar-powered plant in the United States for a company in Arizona.
Over the last 10 years this type of material has become one of the fastest growing markets in the construction industry, especially in horticulture. Utelite products are ideal for rooftop gardens because they weigh less and drain better. You can also mix them into the soil to make a better quality top soil.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Utelite PO Box 387 Coalville, UT 84017 1-801-467-2800 www.utelite.com
