Are you ready for barbeque, baseball, jazz, iconic historical monuments and museums and enough fountains to rival Rome, Italy?
All of that and more can be found in the dynamic next-door neighbors, Kansas City, Kansas (KCK), and Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO), where we’re taking you to visit CarbonCure Technologies customer Geiger Ready Mix and the Greater Kansas City area that it serves.
This is the third stop on our Around the World with CarbonCure series; watch for more about where we’re headed next at the end of this blog!
Family-owned Geiger Ready Mix (GRM) has been in the construction materials business since 1892 and has focused on concrete since 1949. Over time, Geiger has grown to 270 employees,155 trucks, five locations and nine plants in total. But it still retains its family and heartland values, and they helped drive Geiger’s decision to adopt CarbonCure’s concrete technology in the fall of 2020.
“One of our core values is to show respect for our community and environment,” said Jim Jauernig, Vice President of Sales at Geiger. “This core value dates back to 1995, long before it was something we heard about in our daily lives. CarbonCure seemed to be a natural fit for GRM’s commitment to the environment while still providing the level of quality our customers have come to expect.”
Following an easy installation of CarbonCure’s technology, during which Jauernig said that he was particularly pleased with the professionalism, industry knowledge and tools that the technical support and market development teams provided, Geiger already has a number of notable projects slated for completion this year and next.
“Initially we switched all residential work and light commercial work not requiring submittals to CarbonCure,” Jauernig said. “Recently we started incorporating CarbonCure in some projects requiring submittals.”
In Kansas, Geiger is using CarbonCure concrete for the courtyard of Garmin International’s headquarters in Olathe and a student housing project at Kansas City, Kansas, Community College.
Geiger’s first project using CarbonCure in KCMO is fittingly a running and biking trail at the 41-acre Briarcliff Greenway Park. In Liberty, Missouri, Geiger is using CarbonCure’s concrete solution in a significant expansion of one of its own plants.
Looking to the future, Geiger is working with its local promotion association and CarbonCure to win over local municipalities and the Missouri and Kansas Departments of Transportation to sustainable concrete.
Now for the fun! Here are some ideas from Geiger and CarbonCure team members for enjoying some time off in “the heart of America,” as both Kansas Cities are known.
Experience Kansas City Barbeque
Kansas City is not the only locale in America to call itself the “Barbeque Capital of the World,” but there is no contest when it comes to the cuisine that the city is best known for or that its residents most love. Last year, KCMO showed its love for barbecue by declaring July 3rd Henry Perry Day, a nod to the early 20th century pitmaster who is considered the father of Kansas City Barbeque. And in typical years, barbecue contests and festivals last all summer long.
Luckily for visitors, the classic Kansas City recipe—dry-rubbed cuts of a variety of meats cooked long and slow over hickory and oak and finished with a tangy tomato and molasses sauce—can be found more than 100 local barbeque restaurants. If you’re overwhelmed, see this KCMO must-try list and one for KCK here.
Visit an Iconic Museum or Historic Place
Union Station, a majestic and massive 1914 architectural gem, is now a vibrant arts and science center as well as an active train station. It offers live theater, the interactive Science City, a planetarium and a railroad exhibit as well as big-screen movies.
For war history buffs, the Kansas city area offers the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the Eisenhower Museum and Library, the Black Veterans Memorial, the Korea-Vietnam War Memorial, and the World War II Bomber Builders’ Monument.
Jazz lovers know that Kansas City was an exciting and influential cradle of jazz in the 1920s and 1930s. Visitors can get a taste of this time in the 18th and Vine District and its jazz clubs and American Jazz Museum, one of many places that honor the contributions that African Americans have made to Kansas City’s history and culture.
Take in a Professional Game or Race
Both KCK and KCMO are big sports towns, and whether you want to hit a watch party in the Power and Light District (an eclectic eight-block entertainment hub where the revelry continues late into the night), snag seats at a stadium, or visit another sports attraction, such as the national museum dedicated to the history of African-American baseball. There is plenty to choose from!
For pro games, the baseball options are the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Monarchs (formerly the T-Bones); in football, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Storm; and for soccer, Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City NWSL and the Kansas City Comets. The local hockey team is the Missouri Mavericks and Kansas City also hosts NASCAR cup events in May and October.
Finally, shoppers will want to check out Country Club Plaza and theatergoers, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Our Next Stop
Next month, music and car lovers may want to be sure to join us on a trip to Detroit to visit Superior Materials, the first ready mix company to bring sustainable concrete to Southeast Michigan. If you haven’t had a chance yet, sign up here to avoid missing it. We hope to see you there!
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