Arizona has historically touted its 5 'C's - cotton, citrus, climate, cattle, and copper - as the key elements of culture and economy. But today I heard half jokingly, that there is a 6th C - cement.
I was a lunch speaker at the Arizona Mining Alliance meeting, talking about potash, and one of the participants quipped about cement. Up until the past few years, I think you could make that argument. With Arizona as the # 1 or 2 fasted growing state in the nation, and the heavy concentration of the economy on housing construction, cement trucks filled the highways.
Today, things are slower, and the demand for cement is down as much as 50%. But once the economy rebounds, expect that our 6th C resumes its prominence. [right, Drake Cement plant, Arizona's newest]