Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
SHOALS – Driving along US 50 in Martin County, it’s impossible not to notice huge stockpiles of gypsum.
For about 70 years in Shoals, gypsum has been mined underground and used to produce wallboard in the construction of homes, businesses and other types of buildings.
The gypsum industry is an integral piece of the Martin County economy, with two production facilities providing jobs to residents in and around Martin County.
Jessica Potts, executive director of the Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth, said, “I’ve toured the facilities and seen firsthand how wallboard is made. It’s pretty cool to see how fast the wallboard is made and learning about how many semis come in and out of the plants each day and take the wallboard that’s being made right here in Martin County, all over the world to be sold, and later hung in people’s homes and businesses. The gypsum plants are an industry that Martin County is proud to have housed here in the county. “
What is gypsum?
Gypsum is a soft mineral made up of the compound calcium sulfate. According to the Indiana Geological and Water Survey, gypsum is most abundant within an area that includes Shoals. Nearly 350 million years ago, a section of Indiana near Shoals was part of an ancient tidal flat. Gypsum accumulated as snow-white incrustations that exceeded 30 feet in total thickness. With the passage of time, the gypsum deposits were buried under other sediments, all of which became rock. At Shoals, a 30-foot-thick seam of gypsum lies buried within the bedrock more than 400 feet below the surface. It is mined by the U.S. Gypsum and National Gypsum Companies and is a major source of the mineral in the Midwest.
Production
To make wallboard, gypsum is crushed, then heated. The resulting powder can be mixed with water to form plaster of Paris that can be poured and molded. The mixture is placed between paper covers and heated to form wallboard that is then sized and shaped into the final product used to finish rooms in millions of homes, businesses and buildings.
Today, gypsum is mined several hundred feet below the surface in Martin County. One of those plants located in Shoals is Gold Bond Building Products, LLC Wallboard Plant.
Gold Bond Building Products, with more than 70 employees, has a long history in Martin County.
“We’re so proud to have roots in Martin County – we’ve been here for nearly 70 years!” said Beth Straeten, director of corporate communications, National Gypsum Company. “We simply wouldn’t be here this long without the support of our long-serving associates who have helped build the Gold Bond Building Products, LLC Wallboard Plant into a dedicated member of the Martin County community.”
Straeten said the company is an active supporter of educational and community services initiatives in the communities where plants are located.
“We are dedicated to building better futures,” she said. “In fact, our community involvement is driven at the local level – where we donate our time and resources in each region is decided by the members who live and work in that region. In Martin County, our associates selected the Shoals Community Schools’ robotic program. We (have) donated more than $50,000 since 2021 to help support the school’s digital fabrication lab and its participation in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL), a hands-on STEM program that immerses students in real-world problem-solving experiences. For the first time ever, the Shoals Robotics program had two teams advance to the state competition!”
Growth of global market
The gypsum board market was estimated at USD 45.08 billion in 2020, according to the Gypsum Association, a nonprofit trade association established in 1930 to promote the use of gypsum products.
The gypsum board market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.8% from 2021 to 2028 to reach USD 109.95 billion in 2028.
According to a report in Bloomberg, factors driving the growth of gypsum board are expanding home construction trends, rapid urban migration in key economies, higher government investment in residential real estate, and rising demand for upscale residential properties. The rising demand for residential construction projects is anticipated to boost the worldwide gypsum board market.