Nugent Sand

What Nugent Sand does

Nugent Sand Company is a privately held, family-owned producer of construction aggregates and landscape materials, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky since 1962, and operating continuously since its founding as W.F. Nugent & Bros. in 1896. The company extracts, processes, and distributes sand, gravel, and crushed limestone from seven production and sales locations across Kentucky and Indiana, serving the Ohio River Valley region with reach into Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania via a multimodal distribution network encompassing truck, rail, and barge. Products span three organized lines: core construction aggregates (multiple sand grades, round and crushed gravel, crushed limestone) for ready-mix concrete, asphalt, road base, and infrastructure applications; landscape products via the Got Rocks! retail subsidiary for homeowners and commercial landscapers; and custom blended materials for golf courses, athletic fields, and public utility specifications. The Nugent Organics division produces compost and screened topsoil from recycled yard and farmland material at Utica, Indiana.

The underlying technology centers on conventional aggregates processing — screening, washing, and classifying raw materials extracted from natural deposits in land pits, lakes, and rivers, supplemented by full land reclamation of mined sites. Capital infrastructure includes a 580-acre plant in Warsaw, Kentucky, dedicated river towboat assets (M/V Thomas C.L. Nugent), waterfront docks at multiple Ohio River mile markers, and a rail partnership with R.J. Corman Railroad Company for distribution into Central Kentucky. The company holds no disclosed patents, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary technology platforms beyond its processing know-how.

Nugent Sand operates a sales-led, predominantly B2B business model selling bulk aggregates by weight (per ton) or volume (per cubic yard) to ready-mix concrete producers, contractors, developers, and landscapers, supplemented by a consumer-facing retail channel through Got Rocks! storefronts in Louisville and Columbus, Indiana. Minimum transaction size is $20. Delivery is priced based on tonnage and distance. Customer segments are horizontally distributed across construction, landscaping, residential, and specialty turf/athletic field applications, with no disclosed single-customer concentration. The company has grown primarily through acquisition since the 1984 merger with E.T. Slider Company (whose German investors remain partners), executing six acquisitions between 1984 and 2011, most notably the 1987 Martin Marietta purchase that doubled sales volume and enabled expansion upriver into West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Name

Nugent Sand

Legal name

Nugent Sand, Inc.

Website

https://nugentsand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Nugent Sand is a family-owned construction aggregates producer founded in 1896, operating 7 locations across Kentucky and Indiana to mine, process, and distribute sand, gravel, and crushed limestone to ready-mix concrete companies, contractors, landscapers, developers, and homeowners across the Ohio River Valley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Aggregates

NAICS

Construction Sand and Gravel Mining (212321), Industrial Sand Mining (212322), Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (2123), Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying (21232)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030), Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Sand & Gravel Extraction & Processing (IMAKAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Aggregates Mining & Processing (Sand, Gravel, Crushed Stone) (IMADAAAI), Silica & Quartz Mining (Industrial Silica Sand, High-Purity Quartz) (IMAKAGAK), Bulk & Silo Storage (Dry Bulk) (TLALAAAH)

Keywords

• Construction aggregates
• Sand and gravel
• Crushed limestone
• Landscape materials
• Land reclamation

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Construction Aggregates Sales: Sale of sand, gravel, and crushed limestone for commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects. Products include concrete, asphalt, base material, foundations, road bases, and drainage applications. Sold in bulk by weight or volume.
2. Landscape Products Sales: Sale of landscaping materials through Got Rocks! subsidiary including mulch, topsoil, compost, decorative gravel, and hardscape products for residential and commercial landscaping applications.
3. Custom Mixes: Custom blended materials for golf courses, athletic fields, top dressing, and public utility specifications. Products include top dressing, green mixes, turf maintenance mix, athletic fields mix, garden soil, and public utility specification soil.
4. Delivery Services: Delivery of all products based on amount of material and distance to travel. Rate-based pricing for delivery services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nugent Sand is a construction aggregates producer that mines, processes, and sells sand, gravel, and crushed limestone for commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects. It also supplies landscape materials, custom soil blends, and golf course/turf mixes through its Got Rocks! and Nugent Organics divisions.

Product overview

Nugent Sand Company is a construction aggregates producer offering a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into three main divisions: core Construction Aggregates (sand, gravel, crushed limestone), Landscape Products via the Got Rocks! subsidiary (mulch, topsoil, decorative gravel, garden mixes), and Golf Course/Turf Mixes. The company also operates Nugent Organics, a composting division. Products are available for pick-up or delivery in bulk from seven locations throughout Kentucky and Indiana, serving commercial contractors, landscapers, developers, and residential customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Got Rocks!: Subsidiary division of Nugent Sand focusing on landscaping materials for commercial and residential customers, selling sand & gravel, limestone, topsoil and mulch products.
• Nugent Organics

Products and services

• Construction Aggregates Sand, gravel, crushed stone, and limestone products for commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects including concrete, asphalt, base materials, foundations, and road construction.
• Sand Products Various sand grades including Coarse Sand, IN No. 23/No. 4 Sand, Mortar Sand, Extra Fine Mortar Sand, Manufactured Sand, Fill Sand, and B-Borrow Sand for construction, drainage, and specialty applications.
• Gravel Products Round and crushed gravel including #12, 3/8 Pea Gravel, #67, #8, #57, #4, #5, Oversized Gravel, 4x8 Grit, and #610 Crushed Gravel for concrete, asphalt, landscaping, and fill applications.
• Crushed Stone Products Crushed limestone including #11, #9, #73, #8, #53, Dense Graded Aggregate, #57, #3, #2, Rip Rap, Aglime, Fill Lime, and Lime Dust for base material, asphalt, landscaping, and agricultural applications.
• Got Rocks! Landscape products subsidiary selling mulch, topsoil, compost, decorative gravel, and hardscape materials to commercial and retail customers for landscaping and garden applications, via retail storefronts in Louisville, KY and Columbus, IN.
• Nugent Organics Division that recycles local farmland and yard waste into organic compost and screened topsoil sourced from Kentucky and Indiana farmland.
• Mulch Products Dyed and natural hardwood mulches including AA Hardwood, Premium Black, Premium Brown, Starlite Brown, Starlite Black, and Shredded Bark Black for landscaping applications.
• Garden Mixes Custom soil blends of topsoil, compost, and sand including Garden Mix for lawns and gardens and Bio Mix with enhanced sand content for commercial drainage specifications.
• Topsoil and Dirt Processed and unprocessed topsoil including Processed Topsoil from Indiana glacial deposits, Unprocessed Soil, Fill Dirt, and Rotovated Dirt with sand for drainage and root growth.
• Golf Course, Turf, and Field Mixes Custom sand and peat blends for top dressing, green mixes, turf maintenance, athletic fields, and public utility specification soils serving golf courses and sports facilities.
• Decorative Gravel Decorative stone options including River Gravel, 5L Decorative, Alabama Sunset, Brassfield, Canadian White Marble, Haydite, Majestic Black, Rainbow Rock, Red Flint, Red Ruby Granite, Wisconsin Granite Cobbles, and Kenlite Lightweight.
• Materials Calculator Online calculator tool that estimates material quantities (cubic yards and tons) needed for projects based on width, length, thickness, and product type selections.

Quantifiable outcome

• One cubic yard of product covers approximately 100 square feet at 3 inches deep
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• R. J. Corman Railroad CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership initiated in 2005 for rail distribution. Nugent Sand ships sand by rail from its Louisville yard to a distribution yard in Lexington, Kentucky using R. J. Corman's railroad services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vulcan Materials Company: Largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States, operating hundreds of sites across multiple states including the Ohio River Valley region. Directly comparable as a sand, gravel, and crushed stone producer, though at vastly larger national scale.
• Martin Marietta Materials: Major US aggregates producer with extensive operations in crushed stone, sand, and gravel across the Midwest and Southeast. Nugent actually acquired Martin Marietta's Louisville First Street Yard in 1987, evidencing direct market overlap in the Ohio River Valley.
• Summit Materials: Public aggregates and cement producer with significant Midwest US operations including sand, gravel, and ready-mix concrete. Comparable end markets and product portfolio, though operates at much larger public-company scale with broader geographic reach.
• Heidelberg Materials (Lehigh Hanson): Global building materials company with substantial US aggregates operations through the Lehigh Hanson brand. Comparable as a major sand, gravel, and crushed stone supplier serving infrastructure and construction customers across multiple US regions.
• CRH plc: World's largest building materials company with extensive US aggregates operations through Oldcastle. Comparable product portfolio in sand, gravel, and asphalt, though operating at global public-company scale far larger than Nugent.

Direct peers

• Rogers Group: Privately held aggregates producer operating crushed stone plants and sand and gravel operations across the Midwest and Southeast. Closely comparable as a private, multi-site aggregates operator serving similar infrastructure and construction customers in overlapping geographies.
• New Enterprise Stone & Lime: Privately held producer of crushed stone, sand, gravel, and asphalt serving Pennsylvania and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states. Highly comparable as a family-founded, multi-generational aggregates company with overlapping river-basin geography and similar customer base.
• Luck Stone: Privately held family-owned aggregates producer operating across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, supplying crushed stone, sand, and gravel to construction customers. Directly comparable as a private multi-site aggregates company with similar product portfolio and family-ownership heritage.
• Vecellio Group: Privately held construction and aggregates company with mining, asphalt, and heavy highway operations across the Eastern US. Comparable as a private, vertically integrated aggregates and construction materials company with overlapping infrastructure customer base.

Regional players

• Dolese Bros. Co. Largest ready-mixed concrete and aggregates producer in Oklahoma, supplying sand, gravel, and crushed stone to construction markets. Comparable as a regional sand and gravel operator with similar product mix, though concentrated in a different geography than Nugent's Ohio River Valley footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nugentsandco
• Instagraminstagram.com/nugentsandco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nugent Sand