CalPortland

Corporate brand

CalPortland is a major American producer of cement and building materials, operating primarily in the Western United States and owned by Japan's Taiheiyo Cement.

Last updated October 29, 2026

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Overview

CalPortland Company, commonly known as CalPortland, is an American corporation that produces cement and other building materials. Founded in 1891 as the California Portland Cement Company, it claims to be the largest such company in the Western United States. The company was established in California but today maintains its headquarters in Summerlin, Nevada. Since 1990, it has been owned by Taiheiyo Cement, a Japanese company. CalPortland's history is marked by expansion and diversification. It began with a single cement plant in Colton, California, and grew through the addition of plants in Arizona and Mojave, California. In 1984, it merged with Consolidated Rock Company to form CalMat Company, which diversified into sand, gravel, and asphalt. After a hostile takeover attempt by New Zealand investor Ron Brierley in 1988, the cement business was sold to Onoda Cement (later Taiheiyo Cement) in 1990. The remaining CalMat assets were acquired by Vulcan Materials Company in 1998. California Portland Cement changed its name to CalPortland Company in 2008. Today, CalPortland operates through subsidiaries such as Glacier Northwest in Washington state, which was a party to the 2023 Supreme Court case Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. Teamsters. The company remains a key player in the Western U.S. building materials market, producing cement, aggregates, and ready-mix concrete.

History

CalPortland Company, originally the California Portland Cement Company, was incorporated on September 18, 1891, in Los Angeles County, California, with a capital stock of $500,000. Its first board of directors included John P. Culver, Frank H. Jackson, Ernest Waycott, Harry R. O'Bryan, and R. H. Waycott. The company's first cement plant was at Mount Slover in Colton, California, where cement was packed in wood barrels and shipped via mule trains. By 1896, the plant was producing 400 barrels of cement per day, and a warehouse completed in 1897 stored up to 10,000 barrels. In 1949, the company opened a plant in Rillito, Arizona, under the name Arizona Portland Cement. A third cement plant, in Mojave, California, began production in 1956. In 1960, California Portland Cement reported net income of $7.3 million. The following year, it formed Arizona Sand & Rock Company to manufacture prestressed and ready-mixed concrete. By the late 1960s, profits had fallen, and the company diversified into new areas, founding subsidiaries such as Spancrete (1966), Colton Industrial Park Company (1969), and Calport Financial Corporation (1970). It also acquired a 54% stake in State Exploration, a petroleum exploration company, in 1969, and founded Soldier Creek Coal Company in 1971. In 1984, California Portland Cement merged with Consolidated Rock Company to form CalMat Company. California Portland Cement shareholders owned 57% of CalMat, and Conrock shareholders 43%. CalMat sold State Exploration and Soldier Creek Coal in 1985 and acquired Coast Asphalt in 1986. In March 1988, New Zealand investor Ron Brierley launched a nearly $1 billion hostile takeover attempt. The CalMat board resisted, and Brierley eventually sold his 19% stake to Onoda Cement for $41.75 a share ($242 million), giving Onoda the right to purchase California Portland Cement and 13 Los Angeles-area ready-mix concrete plants for around $310 million. Onoda Cement exercised its option and purchased California Portland Cement from CalMat in 1990 for $316 million. Onoda Cement merged with Chichibu Cement in 1994, then with Nihon Cement in 1998 to form Taiheiyo Cement, CalPortland's current parent. The rest of CalMat was acquired by Vulcan Materials Company in 1998. California Portland Cement changed its name to CalPortland Company on June 20, 2008. The original Colton plant stopped production on November 20, 2009, due to decreased demand during the Great Recession. CalPortland's subsidiary Glacier Northwest, Inc., incorporated in Washington state, traces its history to the 1890s when it supplied gravel for forts around Puget Sound. Glacier Northwest was a party to the 2023 Supreme Court decision Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. Teamsters, which found that the right to strike under the National Labor Relations Act does not preclude lawsuits against the union for actions related to the strike.

2023
Subsidiary Glacier Northwest was a party to Supreme Court case Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. Teamsters.
2009
Original Colton plant stopped production on November 20.
2008
Changed name to CalPortland Company on June 20.
1998
Onoda Cement merged with Nihon Cement to form Taiheiyo Cement, the current parent company.
1990
Onoda Cement purchased California Portland Cement for $316 million.
1984
Merged with Consolidated Rock Company to form CalMat Company.
1956
Third cement plant in Mojave, California, began production.
1949
Opened Arizona Portland Cement plant in Rillito, Arizona.
1891
Incorporated as California Portland Cement Company in Los Angeles County, California.

Products and positioning

Largest building materials company in the Western United States

Cement
Ready-mix concrete
Aggregates
Asphalt

Recent events

2026.08.28
Reported2026.08.28
CANXPORT export logistics hub opens in Prince Rupert[2]CANXPORT出口物流枢纽在鲁珀特王子港启用grandforksgazette.ca
CANXPORT, a $750-million rail-to-container export logistics facility on Ridley Island in Prince Rupert, officially opened on Aug. 28, 2026, as the first major project in a planned $3-billion port expansion. The facility is designed to move Canadian products such as petrochemical resin, agricultural commodities and pulp into containers for export to Asia, with first-phase capacity of 400,000 TEU annually and potential to reach 750,000 TEU.
2026.08.28
Reported2026.08.28
CANXPORT opens $750M export logistics hub in Prince Rupert[3]CANXPORT在鲁珀特王子港启用7.5亿加元出口物流枢纽vernonmorningstar.com
CANXPORT officially opened its $750-million rail-to-container export logistics facility on Ridley Island in Prince Rupert on Aug. 28, 2026, the first major project in a planned $3-billion port gateway expansion. The facility is designed to handle up to 400,000 TEU annually in its first phase, with potential to reach 750,000 TEU, moving Canadian exports such as petrochemical resin and agricultural commodities to international markets.

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