Association Representing U.S. Cement Manufacturing Industry Takes a New Name

Portland Cement Association, the national association representing U.S. cement manu-facturers since 1916, announced it is changing its name to the American Cement Association (ACA). President and CEO Mike Ireland shared the news in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 67th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference. 

Nearly 1,200 cement industry profession-als from around the world attended the event, which is hailed as the cement and concrete industry’s premier annual conference. The association will begin launching the new brand identity in June 2025. 

“The most important reason for the name change is that in recent years, U.S. cement manufacturers have expanded the types of materials they produce beyond Portland cement, working to develop more low-er-emission cements in an eff ort to decar-bonize the industry and increase domestic cement manufacturing capacity. The name ‘Portland Cement Association’ no longer accurately reflects the modern mindset of today’s manufacturers, or the materials they currently produce,” Ireland said. 

Lower-emissions cement consumption has grown more than tenfold since 2021 and now accounts for more than 60 percent of total cement consumed in the U.S. In 2024, all 50 state Departments of Transportation approved the use of Portland-limestone cement (PLC). PLC reduces the carbon footprint of projects by up to 10 percent. 

“Additionally, the rebranding makes it clear that we are a national association that speaks for cement manufacturers across the country,” Ireland said.  

During the announcement, Monica Manolas, region president — Ash Grove Cement, and ACA Board vice chair, shared a video with conference attendees, revealing the association’s new slogan: Sustainable Cement for Resilient Concrete. Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/1081878582.

“The slogan summarizes the industry’s commitment to staying the course with our Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality,” Manolas said. “We continue to focus on developing new technologies and products to achieve not only net zero by 2050, but also to increase the capacity of American cement manufacturing to meet demand.”