Innovative Person or Team

Platte River Concrete is a family owned 4th generation Ready Mix company. Omaha is a hub for hyperscale data center construction, and Platte River has supplied concrete for multiple campuses in the Omaha area. Most major tech companies have committed to achieving carbon neutrality in their supply chains by 2030, and this includes the materials they use to build their data centers. When one of Platte River’s clients introduced requirements for EPDs in to the concrete specifications, Aaron dove in to learn everything he could about EPD’s and how to optimize mix designs to reduce carbon footprint. He didn’t just assign a staff member to do the research for him, he personally invested his own time to understand what the client was asking for and how to deliver. After providing EPD’s for all the concrete mixes on this particular data center build, the client wanted to understand what could be done to reduce the carbon footprint of the mixes used on their projects. Rather than pushing back and being resistant to change, Aaron rose to the occasion and brought multiple ideas to the table. He created a detailed matrix of each mix design used on the project, with proposed alternates with lower global warming potential (GWP). He invested in Carbon Cure, worked with the concrete finishers to determine maximum SCM content that could be used in certain applications without compromising schedule or quality, and donated materials to test pours and QC testing. He never once complained about the extra work and looked at the process as an opportunity to make his company better and more sustainable. When you think of sustainable concrete, you might not initially think of a producer in the Mid-West. But Aaron and Platte River are an example of what every ready-mix producer should strive to become as the industry works to achieve its collective goals of reducing carbon footprint. Aaron is incredibly deserving of this award.