In the early 1920s, as Chattanooga began to develop into the 20th century, local businessmen set out to solve a pressing problem: they needed a local source of cement.
Their new idea soon became a new factory. On the Suck Creek side of the Tennessee River, under the foot of a then-quiet Signal Mountain, the Signal Mountain Cement Co. began production on Oct. 12, 1923.
Today, 100 years later, the facility is still producing.
Owned by the Buzzi family of Italy, the Signal Mountain plant — known as Buzzi Unicem USA — produces a staggering 930,000 tons of cement annually.
“There’s a good chance if you buy concrete in Chattanooga, you’re using our cement,” says David Puzan, plant manager.