The Story of Mark Bouri is the Story of Cement

Under his father's tutelage, Mark Bouri and his brothers have taken over leadership of world cement leader Seament. If you aren't in the cement industry, you may not know the names Mark Bouri or Seament – but to those who are in development or construction, Seament has become legendary. That's because it's the group that transformed how cement companies do business and first brought quality building materials en masse to the developing world.

In the 1970s, Nigeria was ready to spring from a third world country to a developing nation. Industrialization was the buzzword of the era. But while local business leaders and their foreign counterparts were all excited about Nigeria's potential, actual development was slow because of a painful practical consideration: Nigeria had a shortage of cement.

Most countries take cement for granted, but the reality is that not every nation has the natural resources necessary to create cement. That means that in many countries, cement is an import. And without this crucial import, almost any modern development will stall. Cement is needed for the foundations of houses and offices, for the walls of apartment buildings and tall skyscrapers, for bridges and highways, and (of course) for factories, power plants, airports and refineries. Nothing in the developed world happens without cement, the most versatile building material there is.

Mark Bouri's father founded Seament to combat that problem. Initially he began importing cement as best he could, and his superior salesmanship and dedication to quality meant early success. However, no salesman can succeed forever if he runs out of product. And Nigeria at the time had a shortage not because of lack of local initiative, but because of its ports.

Nigeria's ports were outdated. They could handle some seagoing vessels, but not the giant cement ships that are needed to carry cement in bulk. These ships were just too big for the ports to take. Seament decided to fix that. They built and launched their own floating loading platform—essentially a mini port unto itself—and anchored it offshore. This platform was able to accommodate the large cement ships and then bring the cement to shore. The innovation secured Seament's position as a world leader in cement.

Seament has now passed to Mark Bouri and his siblings. But the change in leadership only reflects an even greater commitment to the same values and innovation of their father. Mark Bouri has kept Seament as a well-positioned, highly successful international cement company.