This longtime Whatcom County gravel supplier was sold to an international firm
A Whatcom County company that has been around more than 75 years was sold to an international firm.
Cowden Inc. was acquired by Aggregate Industries, according to a Monday, Jan. 3, company news release. Aggregate is a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, which has 35 sites across the U.S. and employs around 7,000 people. LafargeHolcim is part of the Holcim Group, which is a Swiss multinational company that manufactures building materials and has around 72,000 employees.
Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.
Established in 1945, Cowden has more than 100 employees in Whatcom County handling gravel and concrete mixing operations. The company supplies gravel and ready-mix services to commercial and residential projects. The company also offers trucking transportation services.
According to the news release, Cowden will keep the company name and continue to operate as a local supplier. The company has three facilities in the county, including one in the Bellingham Irongate area. It also operates three pits/quarries in the area, according to its website.
“We live here, and we work here,” says Brent Cowden, president of Cowden Inc. “We know how important it is for our customers to be able to continue to have a trusted local supplier.”
Brent Cowden will remain as president of the company and customers won’t see any big changes right away, said Jill Truscott, a communications manager for LafargeHolcim. The company is open to growth opportunities, but the main focus is integrating Cowden Inc. into the rest of the company.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
