Turning Excess Concrete into Profits

BB & T Bank in Virginia has a backfilled site wall made with Cornerstone Foundation?EUR??,,????'?????< Courtesy of World Block

Years ago, when the popular practice of dumping excess concrete anywhere one could find open land was banned, concrete companies had to figure out new ways to handle excess concrete coming back from jobs.

Recognizing that reclaiming concrete with machines would be expensive for this market segment, World Block got its start by engineering an inherently green building form which would allow these companies to turn their excess concrete into a sellable product. 

This simple idea to help ready-mix concrete companies reuse left-over product has exploded to become World Block’s primary product line. The company’s first V-Interlock block form in 1996 was so useful it generated new customers quickly, mostly by word of mouth.

Since then, the company has developed and added new product lines—growing from a tiny one-man operation to a leading market player, with customers throughout the U.S. and across the globe.

World Block, a steel products manufacturer based in Minnesota, is no stranger to novelty design. For years the innovative company (formerly named Design Pro) has been coming up with practical solutions to everyday problems in the construction industry and beyond.

Since the first form was developed, a variety of groups looking to extend the concept towards new proprietary uses. Mining, radiation shielding, military warfare and recycling companies are now among customers to develop custom solutions to solve daily challenges.

Block forms for the construction industry, however, continue to be the company’s core business. With an array of building-oriented products, today’s popular retaining wall forms include landscape and mid-size blocks; decorative liners adding limestone, river rock, chiseled and cut stone finishes to blocks; and accompanying accessories—including patent-pending, eco-friendly clean-up solutions.

– Courtesy of Brusre News