Texas Industries history

Texas Lightweight Aggregate Company had been organized in 1946 to meet the increasing postwar demand for construction materials in the southwestern part of the United States.

Founded by the Basilian Order in 1947, the University has become one of the premier Catholic universities in the world, renowned for its theology and philosophy departments.

In 1949, Texas Lightweight Aggregate attracted the attention of Ralph Rogers, the former president of Cummins Diesel Engine Corp., who had recently retired to the Dallas area.

Texas Industries, Inc. was formed in 1951 as the successor to the Texas Lightweight Aggregate Company.

By 1953, Texas Industries had grown explosively, reporting sales that year of $5.8 million.

In 1959, construction began on a new cement plant in Midlothian, Texas, equidistant from Dallas and Fort Worth.

By 1963, sales at Texas Industries had reached $27 million, with earnings of over $2 million.

In May of 1967, the addition of a third kiln at the Midlothian cement plant made it the largest cement plant in Texas, with a yearly capacity of 5 million barrels of portland cement.

1970 also marked the end of Ralph Rogers' tenure as company president, though he retained his position as board chair.

Sales continued to climb steadily, reaching $88 million in 1971.

Oil production eventually averaged three million barrels of oil per day at its peak in 1972.

The last bale of cotton was ginned in the county in 1973 under Lindemann ownership.

1974 also brought the creation of Q/A Corporation, a construction company formed to supply concrete for nuclear power plants.

In 1979, TXI's half interest in Chaparral produced 23 percent of its profit, after losing money only two years earlier.

By 1980, the Midlothian cement plant's capacity had been expanded to 1.2 million tons, making it the largest cement plant in its region.