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Nigeria's ports were outdated.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.

Giving Building Materials a New Lease on Life

The idea of reduce, reuse, recycle is something that many of us learn from a young age. It is not only a good way to teach young children how they can care for the environment, but it is also something adults should keep in mind. As you look to freshen up your home or place of business this year, take some time to really look at the materials you are going to be replacing. If you are going to be using a lot of building supplies, you may even consider contacting Mark Bouri for assistance.

Recycle

Recycling is one way consumers of all ages can help reduce the amount of waste in landfills. Before you fill up the first trash bag or rent a dumpster to clear out the building, take a close look at the materials in question. Can any of them be donated to a charity or are they worth any money in terms of scrap? Charities are always looking for donations and will gladly take a wide variety of items off your hands. Certain products built in the past may contain a lot of steel or other metals that have since been replaced by cheaper materials. Instead of just tossing them, see if they could be utilized by someone else.

Reuse

Reusing or repurposing any items that are salvageable may make a world of difference to your next project. For instance, if you are looking to restore an older home back to its original glory, reuse as much of the original as you can. Not only will this help keep the history of your building intact, but it will also reduce the amount of waste created by the project.

If you have no use for the leftovers in your next project, but they are still in good shape, consider donating them to a friend or charity. You may even want to give them to an organization such as Habitat for Humanity, which can use the materials in one of their developments.

Create New

Instead of trying to keep an item in its original form, reuse it to create something new. For instance, Mark Bouri and his company are able to take environmentally friendly repurposed items and create new products and structures for their clients. This gives you an opportunity to place a unique touch on a project that may need just a little something more to help it stand out.

Becoming more environmentally aware is something we should all be doing. Whether you recycle small items or reuse large ones, take the time to give items a new life. It will give you a chance to be creative and help the environment!

Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring Friends and Family

When you're a business owner you dealing with your customers can be almost as stressful as dealing with friends and family members who want to be involved in your business.  Maybe your best friend wants you to get their teenager a job for the summer, or perhaps your uncle wants to show off his business expertise by helping you manage the company.  Every business owner from Mark Bouri to the owner of the local bar have to deal with their loved ones and their desire to get involved with the business.  If you're concerned about hiring someone ask yourself these following questions, your answers will make the solution much more clear.

How will this person improve my business?

That question sounds like a no-brainer, but it's common for business owners in this position to consider giving their friend or loved one a job simply because they're a friend or loved one.  You should treat your potential employee the same way you would any other job applicant, think about their skills instead of their relation to you.

Can I resolve a conflict easily with this person?

If you're going to be closely involved with someone professionally you need to make sure that you're able to efficiently and peacefully confront and solve problems when they arise.  If you and your friend or family member always seem to be clashing over something, that could be a sign that going into business with them could be a big mistake. 

Can we separate our business lives and our personal lives?

When people give advice about navigating the professional world, someone will always tell them to learn how to leave business at the office and your personal problems at home.  Doing this on your own can be difficult, and when you're working with someone you personally know it becomes a lot more difficult.  If your friend always seems to be ranting about work at BBQs, or spends the work day e-mailing you about a personal problem, they may not be the best choice for a business partner.

Mark Bouri and EBM

The Bouri family is probably best known for founding Seament, the first company to utilize floating terminals to distribute bulk building materials, but this is far from the only project they have their hands on. Charles Bouri, for example, also manages Seabulk, and Alexander Bouri is on the board of directors for Envipco. The list goes on for all members of the immediately family, but EBM, or Environmental Building Materials, spearheaded by Mark Bouri, is one of the truly interesting companies in the bloodline.

We live in a day and age where the harm we are doing to our Earth is becoming visible and it's starting to plague our consciences. While some choose to turn the other cheek, others are deciding to be proactive, and that is exactly the purpose of EBM. EBM is a leading provider of bulk materials, but is also an innovator for conservation and waste elimination. They make it their mission to repurpose wasteful by-products into completely usable materials for construction companies. As a result, members of the construction industry are able to improve the quality of their jobs while also saving money. New markets are created in return, and what would once be a negative cost is now a positive return for these companies. It creates a win-win situation.

The company is able to succeed as the result of intensive research and market analysis. They perform testing and quality control on their products, projects, and development to ensure that each company that uses their products gets the desired results. As a result, the earth benefits due to the reduction of waste and the decreased depletion rate of precious resources.

It would be ideal for all businesses to begin employing environmentally conscious strategies in an attempt to control and reduce the potential damage to the environment. That may be far-off into the future; however, businesses like EBM and Envipco are most certainly a good start.

Literal Solid Investments

Investing and creating a business are essentially like gambling in an elaborate and legal way.  If you're "good" at it you have the potential to earn a surprising amount of money, but if you're terrible at it you could lose everything you've worked so hard to earn.  Successful businessman Alexander F. Bouri started a cement trading business in the 1960s with a small business loan.  Today his business Seament is one of the largest cement traders in the world, and his son Mark Bouri along with Alexander's other children help run his cement empire.  Recently people were shocked to learn that the richest woman in Brazil was a grandmother worth over $13 billion because she owned electricity and cement companies  These stories of success may sound strange to you, but if you think about it their success makes perfect sense. 

Need Investments

If you want to succeed in business or investing you need to invest in or provide something that has been proven to be necessary and popular.  Cement was created over 2000 years ago in Macedonia from a mixture of slacked lime and pozzolan, and since then it's been an essential element used in nearly every construction project.   Cement and concrete are the literal building blocks of modern society, and people who own or invest in cement and concrete manufacturers have earned a considerable amount of wealth. 

Overseas Success

Building materials will always be in demand, but there's no biggest demand for the materials than in the world's two most populated countries: China and India.  China has a voracious appetite for cement; they make and consume half of the cement in the world.  India's cement use and manufacture is second only to China's, and thanks to large government construction projects it looks like the country's need for building materials won't be decreasing any time soon. 

China and India aren't the only countries with a high demand for cement; Brazil is in need of more construction materials.  Brazil is going to need a lot of building materials in order to prepare for the busy years ahead, the country has received the honor of hosting the 2014 FIFA World cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.  The needed infrastructure for these events will require a lot of concrete and cement, and that won't even be the largest infrastructure project happening in the country.  Brazil has already started phase 2 of its massive PAC 2 growth acceleration project, a multi-billion dollar effort that will focus on improving the country's transportation, energy, sanitation, and housing sectors. 

All of these projects point to one thing: the ever growing need for concrete and cement.  If you want a strong investment or an idea for a new business focus on cement and concrete.  Those materials have stood the test of time and will be a human necessity for many more years. 

Recycling Waste into Building Materials

More companies than ever are now basing their goals and objectives on "going green." Some companies are even completely based on making building materials out of various types of waste. Whether its garbage or power plant waste, these businesses are making it a point to recycle as much as possible to help the environment.

Mark Bouri is the Founder and CEO of Environmental Building Materials (also known as EBM), a company that turns thermal power plant waste into building materials. EBM is considered to be a leading provider of bulk materials that strongly serves the construction industry by turning by-products in valuable resources that would have otherwise been overlooked. EBM's clients who use their products are able to improve quality and performance at lower costs while EBM creates new markets and turns negative costs into positive returns around the globe.

Environmental Building Materials specializes in testing and quality control, research and development, market analysis, certification, project design and management, logistics and transportation, shipping and bulk handing, and marketing and sales support. EBM uses power plant waste, particularly Fly Ash, Pozzolana, Slag, and GGBS to create their building materials. Mark Bouri's company strongly believes in the environmental impact that turning power plant waste into building materials can make. The reuse of waste provides an excellent, environmentally-preferred alternative to other waste management methods due to the fact that it reduces air, water and land pollution, limits the need for new natural resources, such as timber, petroleum, fibers and other materials.