Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in Martin Marietta common stock or debt securities involves risks and uncertainties. You should consider the following factors carefully, in addition to the other information contained in this Form 10-K, before deciding to purchase or otherwise trade the Company’s securities.

This Form 10-K and other written reports and oral statements made from time to time by the Company contain statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities law. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and are based on assumptions that the Company believes in good faith are reasonable, but which may be materially different from actual results. Investors can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate only to historic or current facts. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “scheduled,” and similar expressions in connection with future events or future operating or financial performance are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any or all of the Company’s forward-looking statements in this Form 10‑K and in other publications may turn out to be wrong.

Statements and assumptions on future revenues, income and cash flows, performance, economic trends, the outcome of litigation, regulatory compliance, and environmental remediation cost estimates are examples of forward-looking statements. Numerous factors, including potentially the risk factors described in this section, could affect our forward-looking statements and actual performance.

Investors are also cautioned that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, the reader should not consider any such list to be a complete statement of all potential risks or uncertainties. Other factors besides those listed may also adversely affect the Company and may be material to the Company. The Company has listed the known material risks it considers relevant in evaluating the Company and its operations. The forward-looking statements in this document are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof based on management’s current expectations, and the Company does not undertake an obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by law.

For a discussion identifying some important factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, see the factors listed below, along with the discussion of “Competition” under Item 1 of this Form 10-K, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under Item 7 of this Form 10-K, and “Note A: Accounting Policies” and “Note O: Commitments and Contingencies” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data,” of this Form 10-K.

Industry and COVID-19 Risk Factors

Our business is cyclical and depends on activity within the construction industry

Economic and political uncertainty can impede growth in the markets in which we operate. Demand for our products, particularly in the private nonresidential and residential construction markets, could decline if companies and consumers are unable to obtain credit for construction projects or if an economic slowdown causes delays or cancellations of capital projects. State and federal budget issues may also hurt the funding available for infrastructure spending. The lack of available credit may limit the ability of states to issue bonds to finance construction projects. As a result of these issues, several of our top revenue-generating states, from time-to-time, stop bidding or slow bid projects in their transportation departments.

We sell most of our aggregates (our primary business) and our cement products, to the construction industry, therefore our results depend on that industry’s strength. Since our businesses depend on construction spending, which can be cyclical, our profits are sensitive to national, regional and local economic conditions and the intensity of the underlying spending on aggregates and cement products. Construction spending is affected by economic conditions, changes in interest rates, demographic and population shifts, and changes in construction spending by federal, state and local governments. If economic conditions change, a recession in the construction industry may occur and affect the demand for our products. The recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s (the Great Recession) was an example, and our shipment volumes were significantly reduced. Construction spending can also be disrupted by terrorist activity and armed conflicts.

While our business operations cover a wide geographic area, our earnings depend on the strength of the local economies in which we operate because of the high cost to transport our products relative to their selling price. If economic conditions

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and construction spending decline significantly in one or more areas, particularly in the Building Materials Business’ top five revenue-generating states of Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia and Iowa, our profitability will decrease. We experienced this situation during the Great Recession.

The Great Recession resulted in large declines in shipments of aggregates products in our industry. Subsequent to the Great Recession and until the impact from COVID-19 beginning in the first quarter of 2020, we experienced slow-but-steady construction growth that coincided with the longest economic recovery in United States history.

While historical spending on public infrastructure projects has been, comparatively, more stable as governmental appropriations and expenditures are typically less interest rate-sensitive than private sector spending, we experienced a slight retraction in aggregates shipments to the infrastructure market after uncertainty regarding the passage of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014. Contractors were not able to get any certainty on the availability of federal infrastructure funding until late 2015 with the enactment of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

Our Building Materials Business is seasonal and subject to the weather, which can significantly impact operations

Since the heavy-side construction business is conducted outdoors, erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other weather-related conditions affect our business. Adverse weather conditions, including hurricanes and tropical storms, cold weather, snow and heavy or sustained rainfall, reduce construction activity, restrict the demand for our products and impede our ability to efficiently transport material. Adverse weather conditions also increase our costs and reduce our production output as a result of power loss, needed plant and equipment repairs, time required to remove water from flooded operations and similar events. Severe drought conditions can restrict available water supplies and restrict production. Production and shipment levels of the Building Materials Business’ products follow activity in the construction industry, which typically are strongest in the spring, summer and fall. Because of the weather’s effect on the construction industry’s activity, the production and shipment levels for the Company’s Building Materials Business, including all of its aggregates-related downstream operations, vary by quarter. The second and third quarters are generally subject to heavy precipitation, and thus are more profitable if precipitation is lighter, while the first and fourth quarters are subject to the impacts of winter weather, and thus are generally the least profitable. The Company’s operations in the southeastern and Gulf Coast regions of the United States and The Bahamas are at risk for hurricane activity, most notably in August, September and October.

Our businesses could be adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or any other outbreak of disease, epidemic or pandemic, or similar public health threat, or fear of such an event and its related economic and societal response

Our businesses could be negatively impacted by the widespread outbreak of an illness or other communicable disease, or any other public health crisis that results in economic and trade disruptions. In or around December 2019, COVID-19 was initially reported. Four months later, in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic. The proliferation of COVID-19 cases in the United States, and the extent that geography of outbreaks primarily matches the regions in which the Company’s Building Materials Business principally operates, in combination with the related governmental orders limiting individuals’ movements and social gatherings, as well as requiring many businesses to close for an undetermined period of time, are negatively impacting economic activity, consumer confidence and discretionary spending, and overall market conditions. Further, COVID-19 could continue to negatively affect the health of our employees, employee productivity, customer purchasing patterns and fulfillment of purchase orders, availability of supplies, pricing for raw materials, and the ability to transport materials via the Company’s distribution network. While our operations have been designated as “essential” under applicable government orders otherwise restricting business activities to prevent further outbreak of COVID-19, and accordingly have been permitted to continue to operate during the pendency of these orders, it is possible that they may not continue to be so treated under future government orders, or, even if so treated, site-specific health and safety concerns might otherwise require certain of the Company’s operations to be halted for some period of time. We are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and on our product demand. Due to economic uncertainty related to COVID-19, contractors and customers may delay advancing, or ultimately cancel, building projects. In addition, reduced travel due to remote working and stay-at-home practices, including as a result of governmental orders restricting activity, may continue to negatively impact fuel tax revenues that fund highway projects. While we do not currently expect that the virus will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, we are unable to accurately and fully predict the impact that COVID-19 will have on the results of operations due to various uncertainties, including the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities and

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other third-parties in response to COVID-19 and the timing and pace of any economic recovery as COVID-19 impacts ultimately abate.

Competition and Growth Risk Factors

Our Building Materials Business depends on the availability of quality aggregates reserves or deposits and our ability to mine them economically

Our challenge is to find quality aggregates deposits that we can mine economically, with appropriate permits, near either growing markets or long-haul transportation corridors that economically serve applicable markets. As communities have grown, they have settled in and around attractive quarrying locations and have imposed restrictions on mining. We try to meet this challenge by identifying and permitting sites prior to economic expansion, buying more land around our existing quarries to increase our mineral reserves, developing underground mines and developing a distribution network that transports aggregates products by various methods, including rail and water. While our distribution network allows us to transport our products longer distances than would normally be considered economical, we can give no assurances that we will be successful at this strategy.

Our businesses face many competitors

Our businesses have many competitors, some of whom are bigger and have more resources than we do. Some of our competitors operate on a worldwide basis. Our results are affected by the number of competitors in a market, the production capacity that a particular market can accommodate, the pricing practices of other competitors and the entry of new competitors in a market. We also face competition for some of our products from alternative products. For example, our Magnesia Specialties business may compete with other chemical products that could be used instead of our magnesia-based products. As other examples, our aggregates, ready mixed concrete, and asphalt and paving businesses may compete with recycled asphalt and concrete products that could be used instead of new products and our cement operations may compete with international competitors who are importing products into the United States from jurisdictions with lower production and regulatory costs.

Our future growth may depend in part on acquiring other businesses in our industry, and we may acquire businesses by paying all or in part with shares of our common stock

We expect to continue to grow, in part, by acquiring other businesses. In the past, we have made acquisitions to strengthen our existing locations, expand our operations and enter new geographic markets. We will continue to pursue selective acquisitions, joint ventures or other business arrangements we believe will help our Company. However, the continued success of our acquisition program will depend on our ability to find and buy other attractive businesses at an appropriate price and our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our existing operations. We cannot assume there will continue to be attractive acquisition opportunities for sale at reasonable prices that we can successfully integrate into our operations.

We may decide to pay all or part of the purchase price of any future acquisition with shares of our common stock. We may also use our stock to make strategic investments in other companies to complement and expand our operations. If we use our common stock in this way, the ownership interests of our existing shareholders at that time will be diluted and the price of our stock could decline. We operate our businesses with the objective of maximizing long-term shareholder return.

Our integration of the acquisition or business combination with other businesses may not be as successful as projected

We have a successful history of business combinations and integration of these businesses into our heritage operations. However, in connection with the integration of any other business that we acquire, there is a risk that we will not be able to achieve such integration in a successful manner or on the time schedule we have projected or in a way that will achieve the level of synergies, cost savings or operating efficiencies we forecast from the acquisition.

Any other significant business acquisition or combination we might choose to undertake may require that we devote significant management attention and resources to preparing for and then integrating our business practices and operations. Based on our history, we believe we would be successful in this integration process. Nevertheless, we may fail to realize some of the anticipated benefits of any potential acquisition or other business combination that we pursue in the future, if the

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integration process takes longer than expected or is more costly than expected. Potential difficulties we may encounter in the integration process include:

	•	the inability to successfully combine operations in a manner that permits us to achieve the cost savings and revenue synergies anticipated to result from the proposed acquisition or business combination, which would result in the anticipated benefits of the acquisition or business combination not being realized partly or wholly in the time frame currently anticipated or at all;

	•	lost sales and customers as a result of certain customers of either the Company or former customers of the acquired or combined company deciding not to do business with the Company;

	•	complexities associated with managing the combined operations;

	•	integrating personnel;

	•	creation of uniform standards, internal controls, procedures, policies and information systems;

	•	potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses, delays or regulatory issues associated with integrating the remaining operations; and

	•	performance shortfalls at business units as a result of the diversion of management attention caused by completing the remaining integration of the operations.

Our acquisitions could harm our results of operations

In pursuing our business strategy, we conduct discussions, evaluate opportunities and enter into acquisition agreements. Acquisitions involve significant challenges and risks, including risks that:

	•	we may not realize a satisfactory return on our investment;

	•	we may not be able to retain key personnel of the acquired business;

	•	we may experience difficulty in integrating new employees, business systems and technology;

	•	our due diligence process may not identify compliance issues or other liabilities that are in existence at the time of our acquisition;

	•	we may not be able to bring the acquired business up to our expected levels of safety standards as soon as anticipated;

	•	we may have difficulty entering into new geographic markets in which we are not experienced; or

	•	we may be unable to retain the customers and partners of acquired businesses following the acquisition.

Our cement and Magnesia Specialties businesses may become capacity-constrained

If our cement or Magnesia Specialties businesses becomes capacity-constrained, we may be unable to timely satisfy the demand for some of our products, and any resulting changes in customers would introduce volatility to the earnings of these segments. We can address capacity needs by enhancing our manufacturing productivity, increasing the operational availability of equipment, reducing machinery down time and extending machinery useful life. Future demand for our products may require us to expand our manufacturing capacity further, particularly through the purchase of additional manufacturing equipment. However, we may not be able to increase our capacity in time to satisfy increases in demand that may occur from time to time. Capacity constraints may prevent us from satisfying customer orders and result in a loss of sales to competitors that are not capacity-constrained. In addition, we may suffer excess capacity if we increase our capacity to meet actual or anticipated demand and that demand decreases or does not materialize. While we are permitted to expand production by up to 0.8 million additional tons at our Midlothian cement plant, it could take us a significant period of time before such production expansion could come to fruition.

Our cement business could suffer if cement imports from other countries significantly increase or are sold in the U.S. in violation of U.S. fair trade laws

In the past, the cement industry has obtained antidumping orders imposing duties on imports of cement and clinker from other countries that violated U.S. fair trade laws. Currently, an antidumping order against cement and clinker from Japan is set to expire but is under review for extension by the Federal Trade Commission. As has always been the case, cement operators with import facilities can purchase cement from other countries, such as those in Latin America and Asia, which could compete with domestic producers. In addition, if environmental regulations increase the costs of domestic producers compared to foreign producers that are not subject to similar regulations, imported cement could achieve a significant cost

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advantage over domestically produced cement. An influx of cement or clinker products from countries not subject to antidumping orders, or sales of imported cement or clinker in violation of U.S. fair trade laws, could adversely affect our cement product line.

Economic, Political and Legal Risk Factors

Changes in legal requirements and governmental policies concerning zoning, land use, the environment, health and safety and other areas of the law, as well as litigation relating to these matters, affect our businesses. Our operations expose us to the risk of material environmental liabilities

Many federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to zoning, land use, air emissions (including carbon dioxide and other GHGs), water use, allocation and discharges, waste management, noise and dust control, mining, reclamation and other environmental, health and safety matters govern our operations. Some of our operations require permits, which may impose additional operating standards, and are subject to modification, renewal and revocation. Certain of our operations may from time to time involve the use of substances that are classified as toxic or hazardous within the meaning of these laws and regulations. Despite our extensive efforts to remain in strict compliance at all times with all applicable laws and regulations, the risk of liabilities, particularly environmental liabilities, is inherent in the operation of our businesses. These potential liabilities could result in material costs, including for fines or personal injury or damages claims, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and profitability.

Future events, including changes in existing laws or regulations or enforcement policies, or further investigation or evaluation of the potential health hazards of some of our products or business activities may result in additional or unanticipated compliance and other costs. We could be required to invest in preventive or remedial action, like pollution control facilities, which could be substantial or which could result in restrictions on our operations or delays in obtaining required permits or other approvals.

Our operations are subject to manufacturing, operating and handling risks associated with the products we produce and the products we use in our operations, including the related storage and transportation of raw materials, explosives, products, hazardous substances and wastes. We are exposed to hazards including storage tank leaks, explosions, discharges or releases of hazardous substances, exposure to dust, and the operation of mobile equipment and manufacturing machinery.

These risks can subject us to potentially significant liabilities relating to personal injury or death, or property damage, and may result in civil or criminal penalties, which could hurt our productivity or profitability. For example, from time to time we investigate and remediate environmental contamination relating to our prior or current operations, as well as operations we have acquired from others, and in some cases we have been or could be named as a defendant in litigation brought by governmental agencies or private parties.

We are involved from time to time in litigation and claims arising from our operations. While we do not believe the outcome of pending or threatened litigation will have a material adverse effect on our operations or our financial condition, an unexpected and material adverse outcome in a pending or future legal action could potentially have a negative effect on our Company.

Climate change and related legislation or regulations may adversely impact our business, including potential physical and financial impacts

Amid concerns that GHG emissions are contributing to climate change, a number of governmental bodies, including the U.S. Congress and various U.S. states, have proposed, enacted or are contemplating legislative and regulatory changes to mitigate or address the potential impacts of climate change, including provisions for emissions reductions or the use of alternative fuels, carbon credits (such as a "cap and trade" system) and a carbon tax. For example, in the U.S., the USEPA promulgated a mandatory reporting rule covering GHG emissions from sources considered to be large emitters. The USEPA has also promulgated a GHG emissions permitting rule, referred to as the Tailoring Rule, which may require some industrial facilities to obtain operating permits for GHG emissions under the U.S. Clean Air Act. Although the U.S. Supreme Court subsequently ruled in June 2014 that the USEPA exceeded its statutory authority in issuing the Tailoring Rule but upheld the BACT requirements for GHGs emitted by sources that already require Title V operating permits or are subject to PSD requirements for other pollutants. With the change of the U.S. presidential administration, it is too early to tell whether the USEPA will proceed with revisions of the Tailoring Rule or proceed in a different direction, nor is it known how the USEPA may revise the BACT requirements. If future modifications to our Magnesia Specialties or cement facilities require PSD review for other pollutants, GHG permitting requirements may also be triggered, which could require us to incur significant additional costs. It is not possible, however, to estimate the cost of any future requirements at this time.

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U.S. President Biden has made climate change a central focus of his administration. In addition to reentering the Paris Agreement, on January 27, 2021, President Biden issued a pair of executive orders and a presidential memorandum making the climate change central to U.S. Policy and setting out several administrative priorities and undertakings. Although it is still too early to determine the actions the federal governmental will take to implement the orders, or the full scope, timing or ramifications of such measures, it is clear that the administration intends to make a significant and sweeping push on the climate front and, like other signatories to the Paris Agreement, intends to pursue a goal of a Net Zero GHG by 2050. The orders, combined with democratic control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress, suggest that additional executive and/or legislative action is likely, although the timing and scope of such action is unclear. Additionally, it seems probable that the USEPA and other agencies will likely use their rule-making authority and procurement decisions to further address climate change. Various states where we have operations are considering climate change initiatives as well, and we may be subject to state regulations in addition to any federal laws and rules that are passed. In light of the various regulatory uncertainties, we cannot at this time reasonably predict what the costs of any future compliance requirements may be, but we do not believe it will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of the operations of either the Magnesia Specialties business or Building Materials Business. We continue to monitor GHG regulations and legislation and its potential impact on our cement business, financial condition and product demand.

Although our aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations are not major sources of GHG emissions, any additional regulatory restrictions on emissions of GHGs imposed by the USEPA will likely impact our magnesia-based chemicals operations in Woodville, Ohio, and Manistee, Michigan, as well as our two cement plants in Texas, each of which file annual reports of GHG emissions as required by the USEPA reporting rule. However, it is currently impossible to estimate the cost of any such future requirements at this time. In addition, we may not be able to recover any increased operating costs or taxes relating to GHG emission limitations at those plants from our customers in order to remain competitive in pricing in the relevant markets.

In addition to impacts from increased GHG and other climate-related regulation, climate change may result in physical and financial impacts that could have adverse effects on our operations or financial condition. Given the nature of our operations, physical impacts may include disruptions in production and/or regional supply or product distribution networks due to major storm events, shifts in regional rainfall and temperature patterns and intensities, as well as flooding from sea level changes. In addition, production and shipment levels for the Building Materials Business correlate with general construction activity, most of which occurs outdoors and, as a result, is affected by erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other unusual or unexpected weather-related conditions, which can significantly affect that business. Excessive rainfall and other severe weather events also jeopardize production, shipments and profitability in all markets served by our operations. In particular, our operations in the southeastern and Gulf Coast regions of the United States and The Bahamas are at risk for hurricane activity, most notably in August, September and October. In addition, climate and inclement weather can reduce the useful life of an asset.

Our businesses also are dependent on reliable sources of electricity and fuels. We could incur increased costs or disruptions in our operations if climate change legislation and regulation or severe weather impacts the price or availability of purchased electricity or fuels or other materials used in our operations. These and other climate-related risks also could impact our customers, such as a downturn in the construction sector, which could lead to reduced demand for our products. We may not be able to pass on to our customers all the costs related to mitigating these risks.

The overall impacts of climate change on our operations and the Company are highly uncertain and difficult to estimate. However, climate change legislation and regulation concerning GHGs could have a material adverse effect on our future financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business is dependent on funding from a combination of federal, state and local sources

Our products are used in public infrastructure projects, which include the construction, maintenance and improvement of highways, streets, roads, bridges, schools and similar projects. Accordingly, our business is dependent on the level of federal, state, and local spending on these projects. The visibility into future federal infrastructure funding was clarified and stabilized to some extent in 2015 with the passage of the current federal highway bill, the FAST Act, which reauthorized federal highway and transportation funding programs. The FAST Act was extended for one year and now is set to expire September 30, 2021. If a reauthorization bill is not finalized prior to the FAST Act expiration, the Company anticipates some level of funding would be continued with continuing resolutions. Uncertainty of federal funding has led to an increase in state and alternative methods of infrastructure funding. We expect to see increased infrastructure spending at the state and local levels in 2021, aided by $10 billion for state departments of transportation provided by the December 2020 federal stimulus package as well as $14 billion of approved ballot initiatives. At the federal level, we expect to see stable infrastructure

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spending in 2021 resulting from the FAST Act extension, but beyond that will be dependent on a successor bill to the FAST Act or continuing resolutions in the future for any greater federal impact on funding. Any enhanced federal infrastructure bill will require Congressional approval. We cannot be assured, however, of such approval or of the existence, amount and timing of appropriations for spending on future projects.

Our businesses could be impacted by rising interest rates

Our operations are highly dependent upon the interest rate-sensitive construction and steelmaking industries. Therefore, our business in these industries may decline if interest rates rise and costs increase.

Notably, demand in the residential construction market in which we sell our aggregates products is affected by interest rates which are currently at historically low levels. There can be no assurance, however, that interest rates will not increase in the future, affecting our business in an adverse manner. The residential construction market accounted for 24% of our aggregates shipments in 2020.

Aside from these inherent risks from within our operations, our earnings are also affected by changes in short-term interest rates. However, rising interest rates are not necessarily predictive of weaker operating results.

Rising interest rates could also result in disruptions in the credit markets, which could affect our business, as described in greater detail under “Disruptions in the credit markets could affect our business” below.

Increases in our effective income tax rate may harm our results of operations

A number of factors may increase our future effective income tax rate, including:

	•	governmental authorities increasing taxes or eliminating deductions, particularly the depletion deduction;

	•	the mix of earnings from depletable versus non-depletable businesses;

	•	the jurisdictions in which earnings are taxed;

	•	the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities;

	•	changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

	•	adjustments to estimated taxes upon finalization of various tax returns;

	•	changes in available tax credits;

	•	changes in stock-based compensation;

	•	other changes in tax laws; and

	•	the interpretation of tax laws and/or administrative practices.

Any significant increase in our future effective income tax rate could reduce net earnings and free cash flow for future periods.

Personnel Risks

Labor disputes could disrupt operations of our businesses

Labor unions represent approximately 10% of the hourly employees of our Building Materials Business and all of the hourly employees of our Magnesia Specialties business. Our collective bargaining agreements for employees of our Magnesia Specialties business at the Woodville, Ohio, lime plant and the Manistee, Michigan magnesia chemicals plant expire in June 2022 and August 2023, respectively.

Disputes with our trade unions, or the inability to renew our labor agreements, could lead to strikes or other actions that could disrupt our businesses, raise costs and reduce revenues and earnings from the affected locations.

We depend on the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel, and our failure to attract and retain such personnel could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued services of, and on our ability to attract and retain, our key personnel and executive officers, including qualified management, technical, marketing and sales, and support personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting or retaining such qualified personnel, which could negatively affect our business. In addition, because of our reliance on our senior management team, the

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unanticipated departure of any key member of our management team could have an adverse effect on our business. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to identify and develop or recruit talent to succeed our senior management and other key positions throughout the organization. If we fail to identify and develop or recruit successors, we are at risk of being harmed by the departures of these key employees. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution.

Financial, Accounting and Cost Management Risk Factors

Our business is a capital-intensive business

The property and machinery needed to produce our products are very expensive. Therefore, we require large amounts of cash to operate our businesses. We believe that our cash on hand, along with our projected operating cash flows and our available financing resources, is adequate to support our anticipated operating and capital needs. Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow depends on future performance, which will be subject to general economic conditions, industry cycles and financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash to operate our business, we may be required, among other things, to reduce or delay planned capital or operating expenditures.

Our earnings are affected by the application of accounting standards and our critical accounting policies, which involve subjective judgments and estimates by our management. Our estimates and assumptions could be wrong

The accounting standards we use in preparing our financial statements are often complex and require that we make significant estimates and assumptions in interpreting and applying those standards. These estimates and assumptions involve matters that are inherently uncertain and require our subjective and complex judgments. If we used different estimates and assumptions or used different ways to determine these estimates, our financial results could differ.

While we believe our estimates and assumptions are appropriate, we could be wrong. Accordingly, our financial results could be different, either higher or lower. We urge you to read the Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates section included under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of the Form 10-K.

The adoption of new accounting standards may affect our financial results

The accounting standards we apply in preparing our financial statements are reviewed by regulatory bodies and are periodically changed. New or revised accounting standards could, either positively or negatively, affect results reported for periods after adoption of the standards as compared to the prior periods, or require retrospective application changing results reported for prior periods. We urge you to read about our accounting policies in Note A of our Consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Form 10-K.

Reports from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) inspections of public accounting firms continue to outline findings and recommendations which could require these firms to perform additional work as part of their financial statement audits. Our costs to respond to these additional requirements may increase.

Disruptions in the credit markets could affect our business

We have considered the current economic environment and its potential impact to our business. Demand for aggregates products, particularly in the infrastructure construction market, have been negatively affected by federal and state budget challenges and the uncertainty over future highway funding levels. Further, delays or cancellations to capital projects in the nonresidential and residential construction markets could occur if companies and consumers are unable to obtain financing for construction projects or if consumer confidence is eroded by economic uncertainty.

A recessionary construction economy can also increase the likelihood we will not be able to collect on all of our accounts receivable with our customers. We are protected in part, however, by payment bonds posted by many of our customers or end-users as well as state lien rights. Nevertheless, we may experience a delay in payment from some of our customers during a construction downturn, which would negatively affect operating cash flows. Historically, our bad debt write-offs have not been significant to our operating results, and we believe our allowance for doubtful accounts is adequate.

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The credit environment could impact our ability to borrow money in the future. Additional financing or refinancing might not be available and, if available, may not be at economically favorable terms. Further, an increase in leverage could lead to deterioration in our credit ratings. A reduction in our credit ratings, regardless of the cause, could also limit our ability to obtain additional financing and/or increase our cost of obtaining financing. There is no guarantee we will be able to access the capital markets at financially economical interest rates, which could negatively affect our business.

We may be required to obtain financing in order to fund certain strategic acquisitions, if they arise, or to refinance our outstanding debt. It is possible a large strategic acquisition would require that we issue new equity and debt securities in order to maintain our investment-grade credit rating and could result in a ratings downgrade notwithstanding our issuance of equity securities to fund the transaction. We are also exposed to risks from tightening credit markets, through the interest payable on any variable-rate debt, including the interest cost on future borrowings under our credit facilities. While management believes our credit ratings will remain at a composite investment-grade level, we cannot be assured these ratings will remain at those levels. Also, while we believe the Company will continue to have adequate credit available to meet its needs, there can be no assurance of that.

Our Magnesia Specialties business faces currency risks from its overseas activities

Our Magnesia Specialties business sells some of its products outside the United States. Therefore, the operations of the Magnesia Specialties business are affected from time to time by the fluctuating values of the currency exchange rates of the countries in which it does business in relation to the value of the U.S. Dollar. The business tries to mitigate the short-term effects of currency exchange rates by primarily denominating sales in the U.S. Dollar. This still leaves the business subject to certain risks, depending on the strength of the U.S. Dollar.

Unexpected equipment failures, catastrophic events and scheduled maintenance may lead to production curtailments or shutdowns

Our manufacturing processes are dependent upon critical pieces of equipment, such as our kilns and finishing mills. This equipment, on occasion, may be out of service as a result of planned maintenance, failures or damage during accidents. In addition to equipment failures, our facilities are also subject to the risk of catastrophic loss due to unanticipated events such as fires, explosions or violent weather conditions. We have one- to two-week scheduled outages at least once a year to refurbish our cement and dolomitic lime production facilities. In 2020, the cement operations incurred shutdown costs of $19.7 million during the year. In 2020, the Magnesia Specialties business incurred shutdown costs of $5.1 million during the year. Any significant interruption in production capability may require us to make significant capital expenditures to remedy problems or damage as well as cause us to lose revenue due to lost production time.

Our paving operations present additional risks to our business

Our paving operations face challenges when our contracts have penalties for late completion. In some instances, including many of our fixed-price contracts, we guarantee project completion by a certain date. If we subsequently fail to complete the project as scheduled, we may be held responsible for costs resulting from the delay, generally in the form of contractually agreed-upon liquidated damages. Under these circumstances, the total project cost could exceed our original estimate, and we could experience a loss of profit or a loss on the project. In our paving operations, we also have fixed-price and fixed-unit-price contracts where our profits can be adversely affected by a number of factors beyond our control, which can cause our actual costs to materially exceed the costs estimated at the time of our original bid. These same issues and risks can also impact some of our contracts in our asphalt and ready mixed concrete operations. These risks are somewhat mitigated by the fact that a majority of our road paving contracts are projects that are short in duration.

Our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving product lines have lower profit margins and operating results can be more volatile

Our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations typically generate lower profit margins than our aggregates and cement operations due to potentially volatile input costs, highly competitive market dynamics, and lower barriers to entry. Therefore, if we expand these operations, our consolidated gross margin would likely be adversely affected. Our overall ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations’ gross margin was 10.9% for 2020 and 10.4% for 2019.

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Part I ♦ Item 1A – Risk Factors

Suppliers, Raw Materials, and Energy Costs Risk Factors

Short supplies and high costs of fuel, energy and raw materials affect our businesses

Our businesses require a continued supply of diesel fuel, natural gas, coal, petroleum coke and other energy. The financial results of these businesses have historically been affected by the short supply or high costs of these fuels and energy. Changes in energy costs also affect the prices that we pay for related supplies, including explosives, conveyor belting and tires. While we can contract for some fuels and sources of energy, such as fixed-price supply contracts for coal and petroleum coke, significant increases in costs or reduced availability of these items have and may in the future reduce our financial results. Moreover, fluctuations in the supply and costs of these fuels and energy can make planning for our businesses more difficult. Because of the fluctuating trends in diesel fuel prices, we may enter into fixed-price fuel agreements from time to time for a portion of our diesel fuel to reduce our diesel fuel price risk.

Our Magnesia Specialties business has fixed-price agreements for 63% of its 2021 coal, natural gas, and petroleum coke needs. The cement operations have fixed-price agreements for a portion of their 2021 coal and natural gas needs.

Cement production requires large amounts of energy, including electricity and fossil fuels. Energy costs represented approximately 21% of the 2020 direct production costs of our cement operations. Therefore, the cost of energy is one of our largest expenses. Prices for energy are subject to market forces largely beyond our control and can be quite volatile. Price increases that we are unable to pass through in the form of price increases for our products, or disruption of the uninterrupted supply of fuel and electricity, could adversely affect us. Accordingly, volatility in energy costs can adversely affect the financial results of our cement operations.

Similarly, our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations also require a continued supply of liquid asphalt and cement, which serve as key raw materials in the production of hot mix asphalt and ready mixed concrete, respectively. Some of these raw materials we produce internally, but most are purchased from third parties. These purchased raw materials are subject to potential supply constraints and significant price fluctuations, which are beyond our control. The financial results of our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations have been affected by the short supply or high costs of these raw materials. We generally see frequent volatility in the costs for these raw materials.

Cement is sensitive to supply and price volatility

Cement competition is often based primarily on price, which is highly sensitive to changes in supply and demand. Prices may fluctuate significantly in response to relatively minor changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions and other market conditions, which we cannot control. When cement producers increase production capacity or more cement is imported into the market, an oversupply of cement in the market may occur if supply exceeds demand. In that case cement prices generally decline. We cannot be assured that prices for our cement products sold will not decline in the future or that such decline will not have a material adverse effect on our cement product line.

Our Magnesia Specialties business depends in part on the steel industry and the supply of reasonably priced fuels

Our Magnesia Specialties business sells some of its products to companies in the steel industry. While we have reduced this risk over the last few years, this business is still dependent, in part, on the strength of the cyclical steel industry. The Magnesia Specialties business also requires significant amounts of natural gas, coal and petroleum coke, and financial results are negatively affected by increases in fuel prices or shortages.

Cyber and Information Security Risk Factors

We are dependent on information technology and our systems and infrastructure face certain risks, including cybersecurity risks and data leakage risks

We are dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, including reliance on third-party vendors and third-party software. Any significant breakdown, invasion, destruction or interruption of these systems by employees, others with authorized access to our systems or unauthorized persons could negatively impact operations. There is also a risk that we could experience a business interruption, theft of information or reputational damage as a result of a cyber-attack, such as an infiltration of a data center, or data leakage of confidential information either internally or at our third-party providers. While we have invested in the protection of our data and information technology to reduce these risks and routinely test the

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Part I ♦ Item 1A – Risk Factors

security of our information systems network, we cannot ensure that our efforts will prevent breakdowns or breaches in our systems that could adversely affect our business.

Other Risk Factors

Delays or interruptions in shipping products of our businesses could affect our operations

Transportation logistics play an important role in allowing us to supply products to our customers, whether by truck, rail or water. We also rely heavily on third-party truck and rail transportation to ship coal, natural gas and other fuels to our plants. Any significant delays, disruptions or the non-availability of our transportation support system could negatively affect our operations. Transportation operations are subject to capacity constraints, high fuel costs and various hazards, including extreme weather conditions and slowdowns due to labor strikes and other work stoppages. In Texas, we compete for third-party trucking services with operations in the oil and gas fields, which can significantly constrain the availability of those services to us. If there are material changes in the availability or cost of transportation services, we may not be able to arrange alternative and timely means to transport our products or fuels at a reasonable cost, which could lead to interruptions or slowdowns in our businesses or increases in our costs.

The availability of railcars can also affect our ability to transport our products. Railcars can be used to transport many different types of products across all of our segments. If owners sell or lease railcars for use in other industries, we may not have enough railcars to transport our products.

We have long-term agreements with shipping companies to provide ships to transport our aggregates products from our Bahamas and Nova Scotia operations to various coastal ports. These contracts have varying expiration dates ranging from 2023 to 2027 and generally contain renewal options. Our inability to renew these agreements or enter into new ones with other shipping companies could affect our ability to transport our products.

Some of our products are distributed by barges along rivers in Ohio and West Virginia. We may experience, to a lesser degree, risks associated with distributing our products by barges, including significant delays, disruptions or the non-availability of our barge transportation system that could negatively affect our operations, water levels that could affect our ability to transport our products by barge, and barges that may not be available in quantities that we might need from time to time to support our operations.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and North Carolina law may inhibit a change in control that you may favor

Our restated articles of incorporation and restated bylaws and North Carolina law contain provisions that may delay, deter or inhibit a future acquisition of us not approved by our Board of Directors. This could occur even if our shareholders are offered an attractive value for their shares or if many or even a majority of our shareholders believe the takeover is in their best interest. These provisions are intended to encourage any person interested in acquiring us to negotiate with and obtain the approval of our Board of Directors in connection with the transaction. Provisions that could delay, deter, or inhibit a future acquisition include the following:

	•	the ability of the Board of Directors to establish the terms of, and issue, preferred stock without shareholder approval;

	•	the requirement that our shareholders may only remove directors for cause;

	•	the inability of shareholders to call special meetings of shareholders; and

	•	super-majority shareholder approval requirements for business combination transactions with certain five percent shareholders.

Additionally, the occurrence of certain change-of-control events could result in an event of default under certain of our existing or future debt instruments.