Shelby Materials, local contractors take home IRMCA project awards including 2025 Project of the Year Runner-Up

Shelby Materials and its project partners earned two major honors from the Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association, including Project of the Year Runner-Up, recognizing excellence in large-scale construction and community-focused design.

Shelby Materials earned Project of the Year Runner-Up recognition for its role in the Stoops Freightliner facility in Indianapolis, one of the largest and most complex projects honored by IRMCA in 2025.

The multi-year project utilized approximately 39,000 cubic yards of concrete supplied by Shelby Materials and involved collaboration with Halstead Architects, Elbrecht Concrete, Alt & Witzig, and Boyle Construction Management – all of which are central Indiana companies.

The state-of-the-art facility includes a 300,000-square-foot main building with radiant-heated slabs and polished concrete truck repair areas, along with 1.7 million square feet of fiber-reinforced concrete paving placed using advanced 3D laser grading. Careful phasing allowed the site to remain fully operational throughout construction.

“This project was all about planning and logistics,” said Justin Lowder of Shelby Materials. “Maintaining operations while placing tens of thousands of yards of concrete required precision and teamwork from start to finish.”

Shelby Materials also received the Community Use Award for the Holliday Park Playground, a $6 million investment creating a durable and engaging public space for Indianapolis families.

The project utilized 550 cubic yards of Shelby Materials’ concrete and included collaboration with Indianapolis-based firms Rundell Ernstberger Associates, Patterson Horth, and JQOL.

Concrete applications ranged from exposed aggregate and sand matrix to traditional exterior concrete, with custom features such as concrete slides, decorative pavers, picnic tables, and poured-in-place playground surfacing. The project remained on schedule to open last November.

“Holliday Park pushed us to combine creativity with precision,” said Trent Crabtree of Shelby Materials. “The variety of decorative concrete and elevation changes shows how concrete can elevate community spaces.”

The awards were presented during the 2026 IRMCA Indiana Winter Mixer and highlight the versatility and performance of ready mixed concrete across varying project types.

“Earning recognition for both a complex commercial facility and a community-focused project shows the full range of what ready mixed concrete can accomplish,” said IRMCA Executive Director Chad Montgomery. “These projects reflect the quality, innovation, and collaboration that continue to move Indiana’s concrete industry forward.”

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