MARTIN MARIETTA MATERIALS INC (MLM) Business
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1 Business text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
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ITEM 1 – BUSINESS
General
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (the Company or Martin Marietta) is a leading natural resource-based building materials company. The Company supplies aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) through its network of approximately 400 quarries, mines and distribution yards in 28 states, Canada and The Bahamas. In 2025, aggregates generated 88% of the Company’s total reportable segment gross profit. As of December 31, 2025, Martin Marietta also provides other building materials, namely, cement, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving services in targeted markets where the Company has a notable aggregates position. The Company’s heavy-side building materials are used in infrastructure, nonresidential and residential construction projects. Aggregates are also used in agricultural, utility and environmental applications and as railroad ballast. The aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving operations are reported collectively as the “Building Materials business”.
The Company also operates a Specialties business (formerly known as the Magnesia Specialties business) with production facilities located in Michigan, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania. The Specialties business produces high-purity natural and synthetic magnesia-based products, including magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide, that are used in environmental, industrial, agricultural, construction, consumer and specialty applications. The Specialties business also produces dolomitic lime, which is sold primarily to external customers for use in steel production and soil stabilization, and is also used internally as a raw material input in synthetic magnesia production. Specialties’ products are shipped to customers domestically and worldwide.
The Company was formed in 1993 as a North Carolina corporation to succeed the operations of the materials group of the organization that is now known as Lockheed Martin Corporation. An initial public offering of a portion of the Company’s common stock was completed in 1994, followed in 1996 by a tax-free exchange transaction resulting in all of the Company’s common stock becoming publicly traded. Since its initial public offering, the Company has completed over 100 acquisitions, as well as a number of strategic dispositions, strengthening and expanding its aggregates-led presence in the building materials marketplace.
On January 12, 2024, the Company acquired Albert Frei & Sons, Inc., a leading aggregates producer in Colorado. This acquisition added more than 60 years (at current production levels) of high-quality, hard rock reserves, strengthening the Company's aggregates platform in the Denver metropolitan area and improving service to new and existing customers.
On February 9, 2024, the Company completed the sale of its South Texas cement business and certain of its related ready mixed concrete operations to CRH Americas Materials, Inc., a subsidiary of CRH plc, for $2.1 billion in cash. The divested facilities included the Hunter cement plant in New Braunfels, Texas, related cement distribution terminals and 20 ready mixed concrete plants serving the Austin and San Antonio region. This divestiture optimized the Company's portfolio and product mix and provided proceeds that were used to consummate the Blue Water Industries LLC acquisition discussed below. The transaction resulted in a pretax gain of $1.3 billion. The historical financial results of the divested operations and the gain on divestiture were reported in continuing operations for the West Group.
On April 5, 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of 20 active aggregates operations in Alabama, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee and Virginia from affiliates of Blue Water Industries LLC (BWI Southeast) for $2.05 billion in cash. The BWI Southeast acquisition complemented Martin Marietta’s existing geographic footprint in the southeast region by expanding into new growth platforms in target markets, including Tennessee and South Florida.
During October 2024, the Company acquired pure aggregates assets in South Florida and Southern California. In December 2024, the Company completed an aggregates-led, bolt-on acquisition in West Texas.
On July 25, 2025, the Company acquired Premier Magnesia, LLC (Premier), a privately-owned producer and distributor of magnesia-based products. Premier is the largest producer of natural magnesite and magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salt, in the United States, with facilities in Nevada, North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania. This transaction expanded the Company's product portfolio and enhanced its domestic magnesia mineral reserves and chemical processing capabilities.
On August 3, 2025, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Quikrete Holdings, Inc. (QUIKRETE) for the exchange of certain assets. Under the terms of the agreement, Martin Marietta would receive aggregates facilities producing
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approximately 20 million tons annually across Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Vancouver, British Columbia, and cash proceeds. In exchange, QUIKRETE would receive the Company’s Midlothian cement plant, related cement distribution terminals, Texas ready mixed concrete assets and certain nonoperating land. The aggregates facilities to be acquired will complement Martin Marietta’s existing geographic footprint in its Central Division and establish new growth platforms in key target markets, including Virginia and the Pacific Northwest. The divesture of its sole cement business and remaining Texas ready mixed concrete operations will optimize the Company's portfolio and product mix and preserve balance sheet capacity to pursue pure-play aggregates opportunities. The Company’s Midlothian cement plant, related cement distribution terminals and Texas ready mixed concrete plants, which are reported in the West Group, meet the criteria for classification as held for sale and their associated financial results qualify as discontinued operations. Accordingly, the Company has recast historical financial information, unless otherwise noted, to reflect this classification for all periods presented.
On December 19, 2025, the Company completed an aggregates-led, bolt-on acquisition in Minnesota.
Business Segment Information
The Company conducts its Building Materials business for continuing operations through two reportable segments, organized by geography: the East Group and the West Group. The East Group provides aggregates and asphalt products. The West Group provides aggregates, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving services. The Company’s Specialties business is reported as a separate segment and includes its magnesia-based products and dolomitic lime businesses. For more information on the organization and geographic areas of the Company’s business segments, see Note A: Accounting Policies and Note O: Segments of the Notes to Financial Statements of the Company’s consolidated financial statements, which appear in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this Form 10-K), all of which are incorporated by reference.
Building Materials Business
The profitability of the Building Materials business, which serves customers in the construction marketplace, is sensitive to national, regional and local economic conditions and construction cyclicality, which are in turn affected by fluctuations in public-sector infrastructure funding; interest rates; access to capital markets; and demographic, geographic, employment and population dynamics. The heavy-side construction business is conducted outdoors, as are a significant portion of the Building Materials business’ operations. Therefore, weather patterns, seasonal changes and other climate-related conditions, including precipitation, flooding, hurricanes, snowstorms, extreme hot and cold temperatures, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts, can significantly affect production schedules, shipments, costs, efficiencies and profitability. Generally, the financial results for the first and fourth quarters are subject to the impacts of winter weather, while the second and third quarters are subject to the impacts of heavy precipitation and excessive heat.
The Building Materials business markets its products primarily to the construction industry, with 37% of its 2025 aggregates shipments sold to customers for use in highway and other public infrastructure projects and the balance of its shipments sold primarily to customers for nonresidential and residential construction projects. The Company believes the business’ mix of public sector-related shipments lessens the impacts of fluctuations in nonresidential and residential, or private-sector, construction spending. Funding of public infrastructure, historically the Company’s largest end-use market, is discussed in greater detail under Building Materials Business’ Key Considerations—Public Infrastructure in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this Form 10-K.
The Building Materials business covers a wide geographic area. The ten-largest revenue-generating states (Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, California, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Arizona, Iowa and Minnesota) accounted for 76% of the Building Materials business’ revenues from continuing operations in 2025. The Building Materials business is accordingly affected from time to time by the economies in these regions and has been adversely affected in part by episodic recessions and weaknesses in these economies and may be affected by future economic downturns, recessions or inflationary conditions.
Aggregates
Aggregates, consisting of crushed stone, sand and gravel, are an engineered, granular material manufactured to specific sizes, grades and chemistry for use primarily in construction applications. The Company’s operations consist primarily of open pit quarries; however, the Company is the largest operator of underground aggregates mines in the United States, with 13 active underground mines located in the East Group.
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Natural aggregates sources can be found in relatively homogeneous deposits in certain areas of the United States. Proximity of quarry facilities to customers’ plants, construction sites or long-haul transportation corridors is an important factor in competition for the sale of aggregates products. Generally, the distance shipments travel by truck from a given quarry is limited because the cost of transporting processed aggregates to customers is high relative to the price of the product itself. The Company’s distribution system mainly uses trucks, but also has access to rail and waterborne networks where the per-mile unit costs of transporting aggregates are lower.
The Company’s distribution network moves aggregates materials from certain domestic and offshore sources via its long-haul rail and waterborne distribution network to markets where aggregates supply is limited due to geological constraints. The Company’s rail network primarily serves its Texas, Southeast and Gulf Coast markets, while the Company’s locations in The Bahamas and Nova Scotia transport materials via oceangoing ships to primarily serve the East Coast and Gulf Coast markets. The Company’s strategic focus includes acquiring distribution facilities and port locations to offload and sell transported material. As of December 31, 2025, the Company’s aggregates distribution facilities consisted of 89 distribution yards.
The Company’s rail-based distribution network, coupled with the extensive use of rail service, increases the Company’s dependence on and exposure to railroad performance, including track congestion, crew availability, railcar availability, locomotive availability and the ability to negotiate favorable railroad shipping contracts. The waterborne distribution network also increases the Company’s exposure to certain risks, including, among other items, meeting minimum tonnage requirements of shipping contracts, demurrage costs, fuel costs, ship availability and weather disruptions. The Company has agreements with shipping companies to provide vessels to transport its aggregates to various coastal ports.
The Company generally acquires contiguous property around existing quarry locations. Such parcels can serve as buffer property or additional mineral reserves, assuming the underlying geology supports economical aggregates mining. In either instance, the acquisition of additional property around an existing quarry typically allows the expansion of the quarry footprint and extension of quarry life. Some locations having limited reserves may be unable to expand.
Due to the nature of the indigenous aggregates supply in the midwestern United States, a long-term capital focus for the Company is underground limestone aggregates mines. Production costs are generally higher at underground mines than surface quarries because the depth of the aggregates deposits and the access to the reserves result in higher costs related to development, explosives and depreciation costs. However, these locations often possess marketplace transportation advantages that can lead to higher average selling prices than more distant surface quarries.
The construction aggregates industry has been consolidating, and the Company has actively participated in the industry’s consolidation. The Company’s Board of Directors and management continue to review and monitor the Company’s long-term strategic plans, commonly referred to as SOAR (Strategic Operating Analysis and Review), which include assessing portfolio optimization strategies such as business combinations and arrangements with other companies engaged in similar businesses, investing in internal expansion projects in high-growth markets, divesting businesses or nonoperating assets that are not core or do not further management’s strategy and pursuing new opportunities in the Company’s existing markets or new markets. Acquisition opportunities include public companies, public company carve-outs and private sponsor-owned and family-owned businesses, as well as asset swaps and divestitures from companies executing their strategic plans, rationalizing non-core assets and repairing financially-constrained balance sheets. When acquired, new locations sometimes do not satisfy the Company’s internal safety, maintenance, pit development or other standards, and may require additional investments before benefits of the acquisitions are fully realized.
Management believes its aggregates reserves are sufficient to permit production at present operational levels for the foreseeable future. The Company does not anticipate any significant difficulty in accessing reserves used for production. The Company’s aggregates reserves at December 31, 2025 average approximately 85 years, based on the 2025 annual production level. However, certain locations may be subject to limited reserves and may not be able to expand. Moreover, environmental, zoning and land use regulations will likely make it more difficult for the Company to expand its existing quarries or develop new quarry operations. Although it cannot be predicted what policies will be adopted in the future by federal, state and local governmental bodies regarding these matters, the Company anticipates that future restrictions will likely make zoning and permitting more difficult, thereby potentially enhancing the value of the Company’s existing mineral reserves.
The Company generally sells its aggregates upon receipt of customer orders or requests. The Company generally maintains inventories of aggregates products in sufficient quantities to meet customer requirements.
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Other Building Materials
Cement is the basic agent used to bind aggregates, sand and water in the production of ready mixed concrete. Similar to aggregates, cement is used in infrastructure projects, nonresidential and residential construction, and the railroad, agricultural, utility and environmental industries. Consequently, the cement industry is cyclical and dependent on the strength of the construction sector. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has one production facility in Midlothian, Texas, south of Dallas/Fort Worth, which produces Portland and specialty cements, and which is reported as discontinued operations. The Company's cement operation generally delivers its products upon receipt of customer orders or requests. Inventory for products is generally maintained in sufficient quantities to meet customers' rapid delivery requirements. Clinker is the intermediate product in cement production, and the Texas production facility has an annual clinker capacity of 2.4 million tons. The Company completed a finishing capacity expansion project at the Midlothian plant in August 2024, which provided 0.45 million tons of incremental annual cement production capacity. Further, the Company has converted its Midlothian plant to manufacture a less carbon-intensive Portland limestone cement, known as Type 1L, which has been approved by the Texas Department of Transportation and allows the production of more cement with less clinker. The Company's Midlothian cement business and related cement distribution terminals are classified as assets held for sale in connection with the pending QUIKRETE transaction.
Ready mixed concrete is measured in cubic yards and specifically batched or produced for customers’ construction projects and then typically transported by mixer trucks and poured at the project site. The aggregates used for ready mixed concrete are a washed material with limited amounts of fines (such as dirt and clay) as well as natural or manufactured sand. As of December 31, 2025, the Company operated 67 ready mixed concrete plants in Arizona and Texas, of which the 58 plants located in Texas are classified as assets held for sale as part of the pending QUIKRETE transaction.
Asphalt is typically used in surfacing roads and parking lots and consists of aggregates and liquid asphalt, or bitumen (the binding medium). Like ready mixed concrete, each asphalt batch is produced to customer specifications. As of December 31, 2025, the Company operated 45 asphalt plants in Arizona, California, Colorado and Minnesota. The Company also offers paving services in Colorado. Market dynamics for these downstream product lines include a highly competitive environment and lower barriers to entry compared with aggregates and cement.
Results for the other building materials operations are affected by volatile factors, including energy-related costs, operating efficiencies and weather, to a greater extent than the Company’s aggregates operations. Liquid asphalt and cement serve as key raw materials in the production of hot mix asphalt and ready mixed concrete, respectively. Therefore, fluctuations in prices for these raw materials directly affect the Company’s operating results.
Specialties Business
The Specialties business produces and sells dolomitic lime from its Woodville, Ohio facility and manufactures high-purity natural and synthetic magnesia-based products, including magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide, that serve environmental, industrial, agricultural, construction, consumer and specialty applications at its Manistee, Michigan; Woodville, Ohio; Gabbs, Nevada; Waynesville, North Carolina; Greendale, Indiana; and Aspers, Pennsylvania facilities. These magnesia-based products have varying uses, including flame retardants, wastewater treatment, pulp and paper production and other specialty applications. In 2025, 67% of Specialties’ revenues were attributable to magnesia-based products, 32% to lime, and 1% to stone sold as construction aggregates.
Specialties generally delivers its products upon receipt of customer orders or requests. Inventory is generally maintained in sufficient quantities to meet customers' rapid delivery requirements. Dolomitic lime products sold to external customers are used primarily by the steel industry. Accordingly, a portion of the revenues and profitability of the Specialties business is affected by the steel industry's production and inventory trends, which are influenced by factors such as rates of consumer consumption, the flow of offshore imports and broader economic conditions.
The principal raw materials used in the Specialties business are dolomitic limestone, magnesium-rich brine and magnesite. Management believes that its reserves of dolomitic limestone, brine and magnesite are sufficient to permit production at the current operational levels for the foreseeable future.
In the Specialties business, a significant portion of costs is of a fixed or semi-fixed nature. The production process requires the use of natural gas, coal and petroleum coke. Therefore, fluctuations in their pricing directly affect operating results.
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Given high fixed costs, low-capacity utilization can negatively affect the segment’s results from operations, while providing a high degree of operating leverage in periods of high-capacity utilization. Management has shifted the strategic focus of the magnesia-based business to grow and diversify the specialty product portfolio to reliably produce at volume levels that support efficient operations, as these products are less dependent on the steel industry than the dolomitic lime product line. Management expects future organic profit growth to result from increased pricing, commercialization of new products, entry into new or adjacent markets and optimization of overall product mix.
The Specialties business is highly dependent on rail transportation, particularly for movement of dolomitic lime from Woodville to Manistee, magnesite from Gabbs to processing plants in North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania and direct customer shipments of dolomitic lime and magnesia-based products from Woodville, Manistee and Gabbs. The segment can be affected by the specific transportation and other risks and uncertainties outlined under Item 1A, Risk Factors of this Form 10-K.
Patents and Trademarks
As of January 31, 2026, the Company owns, has the right to use, or has pending applications for patents issued or pending in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions, as well as trademarks related to its business. The Company believes that its rights under its existing patents, patent applications and trademarks are of value to its operations; however, no one individual patent or trademark, or combination thereof, is material to the conduct of the Company’s business as a whole.
Customers
The Company’s products are sold principally to commercial customers in private industry. Although large amounts of construction materials are used in public works projects, relatively insignificant sales are made directly to federal, state, county or municipal governments, or their agencies. No material part of the business as a whole, or of any segment of the Company, is dependent upon a single customer or upon a few customers. The loss of any single customer would not have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Competition
The nature of the Company’s competition varies among its products due to the widely differing amounts of capital necessary to build and maintain production facilities. Crushed stone production from quarries or mines and sand and gravel production by dredging or otherwise are moderately capital intensive. Producing ready mixed concrete involves relatively low capital investment to build a concrete batching plant and acquire delivery trucks. Accordingly, certain market dynamics result in lower barriers to entry in some concrete markets. As a result, depending on the local market, the Company may face competition from small producers as well as large, vertically-integrated companies with facilities in many markets.
The Company operates in a highly fragmented industry, including large, public companies and a significant number of small privately-held companies. In 2025, other publicly traded companies among the ten-largest U.S. aggregates producers included the following:
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Amrize Ltd.
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Arcosa, Inc.
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CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.
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CRH plc
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Heidelberg Materials AG
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Holcim Ltd.
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Knife River Corporation
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Vulcan Materials Company
Due to the localized nature of the industry resulting from the high cost of transportation relative to the price of the product, the Building Materials business primarily operates in smaller, distinct geographic areas with varying market characteristics. The Company believes that its ability to transport materials by rail and waterborne vessels has enhanced its competitive position in the building materials industry.
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The Specialties business competes with various companies across different geographic and product areas principally on the basis of quality, price, technological advances and technical support for its products. While the revenues of the Specialties business in 2025 were predominantly domestic, a portion was derived from customers located outside the United States.
Environmental and Governmental Regulations
Overview
The Company’s operations are subject to and affected by federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations relating to zoning, land use, mining, air emissions (including carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases), water use, allocation and discharges, waste management, noise and dust exposure control, reclamation and other environmental, health and safety, and regulatory requirements. Certain of the Company’s operations may occasionally involve the use of substances that are classified as toxic or hazardous within the meaning of these laws and regulations. Environmental operating permits are, or may be, required for certain of the Company’s operations, and such permits are subject to modification, renewal and revocation.
Environmental Compliance and Costs
The Company regularly monitors and reviews its operations, procedures and policies for compliance with existing laws, rules and regulations, changes in interpretations of existing laws and enforcement policies, newly adopted laws and anticipated legal developments that could affect its operations, including with respect to climate change. The Company has a full-time team of environmental engineers and managers that perform these responsibilities.
The direct costs of ongoing environmental compliance were approximately $46 million in 2025 and $58 million in 2024 and are related to the Company’s environmental staff, ongoing monitoring costs for various matters (including those matters disclosed in this Form 10-K) and asset retirement costs. Capitalized costs related to environmental control facilities were $19 million in 2025 and are expected to be approximately $20 million in both 2026 and 2027. The Company’s capital expenditures for environmental matters were not material to its results of operations or financial condition in 2025 and 2024. However, the Company’s expenditures for environmental matters generally have increased over time and are likely to continue to increase in the future.
Despite the Company’s compliance efforts, the risk of environmental liability is inherent in the Company’s businesses, and environmental liabilities could have a material adverse effect on the Company in the future. Complying with governmental and environmental regulations did not have and is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position, other than as discussed in this section.
Many applicable environmental requirements are satisfied through procedures that the Company adopts as best practices in the ordinary course of its business. For example, plant equipment that is used to crush aggregates products may, in the ordinary course of operations, include an attached water spray bar that is used to clean the stone. The water spray bar also serves as a dust control mechanism that complies with applicable environmental laws. The Company does not separate the portion of the cost, depreciation and other financial information relating to the water spray bar that is attributable only to environmental purposes, because such an allocation would be arbitrary. The incremental portion of such operating costs that is attributable to environmental compliance rather than best operating practices is impractical to quantify. Accordingly, the Company records costs in that category when incurred as operating expenses.
Consistent with other cement producers, the Company’s cement operation produces varying quantities of cement kiln dust (CKD). This production by-product consists of fine-grained, solid, highly alkaline material removed from cement kiln exhaust gas by air pollution control devices. Because much of the CKD is unreacted raw materials, it is generally permissible to recycle the CKD back into the production process, and large amounts often are treated in such manner. CKD that is not returned to the production process or sold as a separate product is disposed in landfills. CKD is currently exempted from federal hazardous waste regulations under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
The environmental accruals recorded by the Company are based on internal studies of the required remediation costs and estimates of potential costs that arise from time to time under federal, state and/or local environmental protection laws. Many of these laws and their attendant regulations are complex and are subject to challenges and new interpretations by regulators and the courts. In addition, new laws are also enacted from time to time. It is often difficult to accurately and fully quantify the costs to comply with new rules until it is determined to which type of operations they will apply and the manner in which they will be implemented is more accurately defined. This process typically takes years to finalize, and the rules often change significantly from the time they are proposed to the time they are final. The Company typically has several appropriate alternatives available to satisfy compliance requirements, which could range from nominal costs to some alternatives that may
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be satisfied in conjunction with equipment replacement or expansion that also benefit operating efficiencies or capacities and carry significantly higher costs.
Management believes that its current accrual for environmental costs is reasonable, although those amounts may increase or decrease depending on the impact of applicable rules as they are finalized or amended from time to time and changes in facts and circumstances. The Company believes that its operations and facilities, both owned or leased, are in substantial compliance with applicable laws and regulations and any potential noncompliance is not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations or financial condition. See Legal Proceedings under Item 3 of this Form 10-K, Note N: Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Financial Statements of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplemental Data of this Form 10-K, and the Environmental Regulation and Litigation section included under Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this Form 10-K. However, future events, such as changes in or modified interpretations of existing laws and regulations or enforcement policies, or further investigation or evaluation of the potential health hazards of certain products or business activities, may give rise to additional compliance and other costs that could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Mine Safety and Land Reclamation
In general, mining, production and distribution facilities for aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete and asphalt must comply with air quality, water quality and other environmental regulations, zoning and special use permitting requirements, applicable mining regulations, and federal health and safety requirements. As the Company develops and acquires new production and distribution facilities, the Company works closely with local authorities during the zoning and permitting processes to design new quarries, mines, production and distribution facilities in such a way as to minimize disturbances. The Company frequently acquires large tracts of land so that quarry, mine, production and distribution facilities can be situated at a substantial distance from surrounding property owners. Also, in certain markets, the Company’s ability to transport material by rail or water allows it to locate its facilities further away from residential areas. The Company has established policies designed to minimize disturbances to surrounding property owners from its operations.
As is the case with other similarly situated companies, some of the Company’s products contain varying amounts of crystalline silica, a common mineral also known as quartz. Excessive, prolonged inhalation of very small-sized particles of crystalline silica has been associated with lung diseases, including silicosis, and several scientific organizations and some states, such as California, have reported that crystalline silica can cause lung cancer. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have established occupational thresholds for crystalline silica exposure as respirable dust. The Company monitors occupational exposures at its facilities and implements dust control procedures and/or makes available appropriate respiratory protective equipment to maintain the occupational exposures at or below the required levels. The Company, through safety information sheets and other means, also communicates appropriate warnings and cautions its employees and customers about the risks associated with excessive, prolonged inhalation of mineral dust in general and crystalline silica in particular.
The Company is generally required by state or local laws, or pursuant to the terms of an applicable lease, to reclaim quarry sites after use. Future reclamation costs are estimated using statutory reclamation requirements and management’s experience and knowledge in the industry, and are discounted to their present value using a credit-adjusted, risk-free interest rate. The future reclamation costs are not offset by potential recoveries. For additional information regarding compliance with legal requirements, see Note N: Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Financial Statements of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplemental Data of this Form 10-K.
The Company performs reclamation activities on an ongoing basis, as an integral part of the normal quarrying process, that may reduce the ultimate reclamation obligations. For example, the perimeter and interior walls of an open pit quarry are sloped and benched as they are developed to prevent erosion and provide stabilization. This sloping and benching meets both safety regulations required by MSHA for ongoing operations as well as final reclamation requirements. Therefore, these types of activities are included in normal operating costs and are not a part of the asset retirement obligation. Reclaimed quarry sites owned by the Company are from time to time available for sale, typically for commercial development or use as water reservoirs, or have been converted for recreational use by the local community.
Sustainability Risks and Opportunities
The Board and management have identified certain risks related to a lower-carbon economy, risks related to the physical impacts of climate change and other climate-related opportunities.
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Board Oversight and the Role of Management The Board of Directors has an essential role in determining the Company's strategic priorities, and sustainability matters are an integral part of its governance and oversight of the business. In 1994, the Company established an Ethics, Environment, Safety and Health (EESH) Committee, which currently meets at least four times annually. The EESH Committee receives reports directly from management relating to environmental, safety, ethics and other sustainability matters, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reviews input and engagement with investors on these matters, and monitors the Company's compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, as well as its public reporting and disclosure with respect to sustainability risks and opportunities and other environmental issues. The EESH Committee reports to the full Board.
Several other Board committees also have overlapping responsibility for sustainability matters. These include the Audit Committee, which reviews significant environmental matters and assesses the potential risks and liabilities they may pose to its business, and the Management Development and Compensation Committee, which reviews management's performance against its sustainability goals and considers those achievements in determining incentive compensation. While the Board oversees Martin Marietta's risk management, the executive officers are responsible for the day-to-day risk management processes, and management receives at least quarterly updates from operating personnel directly responsible for compliance relating to EESH matters. Management believes this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company.
The Company also has a Head of Sustainability, who reports directly to the General Counsel on environmental and other sustainability matters. The Company believes the above approach has been effective in integrating sustainability as a core element of its corporate governance.
Transition Risks
The Company's sustainability risk management framework is designed to identify various transition risks, including policy and legal risks, technology risks, market risks and reputation risks, associated with a lower-carbon economy.
Policy and Legal Risks Federal, state and local authorities continue to propose and implement climate-related requirements, including limits on GHG emissions, the use of alternative fuels, carbon credits (such as a cap-and-trade system), carbon taxes, mandatory GHG monitoring, reporting and assurance, and disclosure of climate-related risks and transition plans. For example, in the United States, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has adopted a rule mandating large emitters of GHGs to report those emissions.
The manufacturing operations of the Company’s Specialties business release carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides during the production of lime, magnesium oxide and hydroxide products. The Company’s Manistee and Woodville facilities, as well as its cement plant in Texas, filed annual reports of their GHG emissions in accordance with the USEPA reporting rule. The primary business and operations of the Company, however, including its aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving product lines, are not considered “major” sources of GHG emissions subject to the USEPA reporting rule. Most of the GHG emissions from aggregates plant operations are tailpipe emissions from mobile sources, such as haul trucks, loaders and excavators.
The Company’s cement plant and its Woodville, Ohio and Manistee, Michigan Specialties plants are subject to comprehensive regulations with respect to GHG emissions and hold Title V Permits, and its cement plant and Woodville plant are also subject to the U.S. Clean Air Act's Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements, which require a permit program for certain new or modified sources of emissions. Although several large-scale projects for carbon capture are in the development phase, no technologies or methods of operation for reducing or capturing GHGs have been proven commercially viable at scale, other than improvements in fuel efficiency.
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If future modifications to the Company's facilities require PSD review for other pollutants, GHG permitting requirements may be triggered and may require significant additional costs, which the Company would expect to be passed on to customers. It is not currently possible to estimate the cost of any such future requirements. In addition, the USEPA and the U.S. Supreme Court have taken different positions with respect to the USEPA's authority to make rules in these and other areas, creating uncertainty regarding future regulatory obligations.
The Company's cement operation, like those of other cement producers, requires combustion of significant amounts of fuel to generate high kiln temperatures and creates carbon dioxide as a product of the calcination process, which is presently an unavoidable step in making clinker, the essential component for cement production. Accordingly, the Company continues to closely monitor GHG regulations and legislation and its potential impact on the Company's cement business, financial condition and product demand. The Company anticipates that any increased operating costs or taxes relating to GHG emission limitations at the Woodville lime plant or Midlothian cement plant would be passed on to customers.
The magnesium oxide products produced at the Manistee and Gabbs operations, however, compete against other products that, due to the form and/or structure of the source material, require less energy in the calcination process, resulting in the generation of fewer GHGs per ton of production. The Manistee and Gabbs facilities may be required to absorb additional costs, including for taxes or capital investments, to maintain competitive pricing in those markets.
In addition, the cement produced by the Company’s cement operation, like other U.S. producers, is subject to strict limits set by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and other agencies, including those relating to “clinker substitution”, or the replacement of ground clinker in cement with alternate materials such as pozzolan, slag and fly ash, which has implications for the Company’s fuel use and efforts to reduce GHG emissions from its cement operations. For example, various industry associations are engaged in an effort requesting the USDOT and other agencies to further revise their standards allowing for greater rates of clinker substitution, like the rates currently permitted for European cement producers. If higher rates of substitution and blending are, in fact, permitted in the future, the result is likely to be both reduced clinker and power consumption in cement production, which would, in turn, reduce GHGs emitted in connection with each ton of cement produced in the United States.
The Company has continued its rollout of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) with more than 90% of its Type I/II customers converted to the PLC product. PLC has reduced the GHG footprint of the Company's cement product line more than 10%.
States where the Company operates may adopt additional or more stringent requirements, such as market-based emissions programs, mandated use of alternative fuels, or climate-disclosure regimes which could add measurement, verification/assurance, reporting, and compliance costs and increase potential enforcement exposure.
Compliance with current or future climate-related rules could require capital investments, changes in operating practices, procurement of emissions allowances or credits, or participation in carbon markets. Given the various regulatory uncertainties, the Company cannot reasonably predict the costs of any future compliance requirements. Nonetheless, the Company does not believe it will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of the operations of either the Specialties business or Building Materials business.
Technology Risks Consideration of the impact of technology is integrated into the Company’s risk management process. The Company has adopted a corporate-wide sustainability risk-management strategy, which has resulted in multiple initiatives to identify and implement or evaluate GHG reduction processes and technologies that also improve operational efficiencies, including: using alternative fuels such as biodiesel; reducing overall fuel use by converting from quarry trucks to conveyor systems; rightsizing quarry haul trucks to align with production levels to reduce the number of required trips; replacing older railcars with more efficient, high-capacity models that reduce the number of required trips; adding rail capacity in lieu of truck movements; and installing state-of-the-art emissions control equipment at the Company’s Woodville lime plant and tire processing systems for fuel at the Company’s cement plant.
The Company’s Midlothian cement plant was recognized by the USEPA as a high-performing, energy-efficient facility following investments in innovative air pollution control technologies and usage of alternative fuels. The road to Net Zero for the Company and the broader industry requires operational changes, investments in sustainable energy, and in some cases, technology that is not yet available.
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
The Company continues to monitor various pilot projects being conducted relating to the development of carbon capture technology; however, no technologies or methods of operation for reducing or capturing GHGs from cement manufacture have been proven commercially viable at full-scale production, other than improvements in fuel efficiency. While awaiting further development of carbon capture technology, the Company has invested heavily and continues to look for opportunities to invest in its sustainability practices.
Market Risks The nature of the Company’s competition varies among its products due to the differing amounts of capital necessary to build and maintain production facilities and can be influenced by sustainability risks and opportunities particularly with respect to the Company’s small-but-strategic heritage cement business. Most domestic cement producers are owned by large non-U.S. companies operating in multiple international markets that report their results (including sustainability and emissions-related metrics) on a worldwide consolidated basis.
The Company is subject to U.S. environmental regulations and there are critical regulatory differences between the U.S. and the European Union and differing calculation methodologies for carbon intensity calculations, blending and fuel choice that result in meaningful differences in the makeup of corresponding end-products and reported emissions metrics. Those differences, in turn, make like-for-like comparisons of the emissions performance of non-U.S. companies with the performance of the Company's heritage cement business challenging. To the extent that investors or consumers decide to use worldwide comparisons of these metrics in making investment and purchase decisions, the Company could be at a competitive disadvantage.
Geography is critically important when assessing market attractiveness and growth opportunities for the Company. Attractive geographies generally exhibit (a) population growth and/or high-population density, both of which are drivers of heavy-side building materials consumption; (b) business and employment diversity, drivers of greater economic stability, and (c) a superior state financial position, a driver of public infrastructure investment. All of these factors can be impacted by weather patterns.
Reputation Disruptions to the Company’s operations and to its customers' transportation activities resulting from weather-related risks could adversely impact the Company’s reputation and result in additional costs to the Company. Any failure or perceived failure to achieve or accurately report on the Company's current or future sustainability commitments, including its GHG reduction and net-zero ambition and targets, and any differences between its commitments and those of any companies to which the Company is compared, could harm the Company's reputation, adversely affect its ability to effectively compete (including as a result of the disclosure of proprietary information regarding its plants or changes in its ability to raise capital), adversely affect its recruitment and retention efforts and expose the Company to potential legal liability.
In addition, while the Company is committed to pursuing its sustainability objectives, there is no assurance that it will achieve any of its sustainability goals or commitments, that low- or non-carbon-based energy sources and technologies required to meet long-term emissions reductions in some of the sectors in which it operates will be available at scale in the United States on an economically feasible basis or that its suppliers can meet sustainability, emissions reductions and other standards that are required by current or future laws or established by its investors and other stakeholders. Failure to meet these commitments could result in reputational harm to the Company and changes regarding sustainability risk management and practices may result in higher regulatory and compliance risks and costs. Any violations of law (including environmental law) or improper conduct could damage the Company's reputation.
Physical Impacts In addition to impacts from increased regulation, seasonal weather patterns and adverse weather can create physical impacts that could have adverse effects on the Company’s operations or financial condition. Physical impacts may include disruptions in production and/or regional supply, product distribution networks and customer demand due to major storm events and shifts in regional rainfall and temperature patterns and intensities, as well as flooding from sea level changes.
In addition, production and shipment levels for the Building Materials business correlate with general construction activity, which occurs outdoors and, as a result, is affected by erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other unusual or unexpected weather-related conditions that can significantly affect that business. In the Company's other building materials operations, the physical impacts of weather may result in disruptions to its operations or its customers’ transportation activities, including impacts on production capabilities and capacities, supply chain interruptions and project delays that can impact the Company's reputation and result in additional costs.
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
Excessive rainfall and other severe weather jeopardize production, shipments and profitability in all markets served by the Company in its Building Materials business. In addition, inclement weather can reduce the useful life of an asset. In particular, the Company’s operations in coastal markets near the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Coast and in The Bahamas are exposed to hurricanes and tropical storms. The Company also faces risks from Pacific storms. Recent years have brought elevated levels of precipitation to the United States, particularly to Texas and the southeastern United States, notably the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, where such conditions have affected the Company’s facilities.
In addition, the Company's California operations face risks from wildfires, mudslides and water-use restrictions during periods of severe drought. An insufficient supply of water for the Company's operations in those areas could impact production. While reconstruction activities may offset some or most of the financial impacts on sales and demand, any of these events could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and operations.
As the Company's footprint of quarries and aggregates facilities has grown nationwide, management believes it has bolstered resilience in its operations by maintaining a geographically diverse business and distribution network that is increasingly able to adjust to local disruptions and source materials from different facilities. In addition, because the Company transports aggregates products by various methods, including rail and water, it may be able to mitigate supply or transportation issues in any location caused by severe weather or disruptions in any transport modality.
Sustainability Opportunities Notwithstanding the foregoing risks and uncertainties relating to climate change, there may also be opportunities for the Company to increase its business or revenues through sustainability opportunities. For example, warm and/or moderate temperatures in March and November allow the construction season to start earlier and end later, respectively, which could have meaningfully positive impacts on the Company’s first- and fourth-quarter results, respectively.
From a regulatory standpoint, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJ Act), which was signed into law in November 2021, provides billions of dollars in new funding for roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects which require aggregates for construction. New public transit and clean energy projects that address climate change may also result in increased demand for the Company's products. Other opportunities are likely to result from the passing of the IIJ Act and $24 billion of voter-approved state and local transportation-related 2025 ballot initiatives, all of which will fund infrastructure growth, repair and development.
In addition, the Company’s magnesium hydroxide products are used to increase fuel efficiency in various industries, including both coal- and gas-fired electricity generation, and its chemical-grade, high-calcium limestone is used as a desulfurization material in utility plants, all of which has a direct impact on reducing energy use and GHG emissions by more GHG-intense companies. Finally, the desire for sustainable building solutions has led to greater recognition of the benefits of concrete construction in the effort to move to a circular economy through innovative products, longevity and recyclability, and increased demand for green construction projects would have a direct impact on the Company’s cement and concrete business.
Land Management
The Company owns approximately 180,000 acres of land, the vast majority of which is used in connection with active facilities. The Company regularly reviews its land holdings to determine their highest and best use based on its management's expertise and strategic objectives. Land holdings that do not have economically recoverable reserves for current or future mining or are otherwise not in locations that complement the Company’s operating facilities are considered candidates for sale or development for sale.
Human Capital Resources
As of January 31, 2026, the Company has approximately 9,600 employees, of which approximately 7,100 are hourly employees and approximately 2,500 are salaried employees. Approximately 1,200 hourly employees (13% of the Company’s employees) are represented by labor unions, representing 13% of the Building Materials business’ hourly employees and 59% of the Specialties segment’s hourly employees. The Company’s principal union contracts for the Specialties business cover employees at the Woodville, Ohio, lime plant, the Manistee, Michigan, synthetic magnesia plant and the Gabbs, Nevada, magnesia mine and processing plant. The Woodville, Manistee and Gabbs collective bargaining agreements expire in June 2026, August 2027 and June 2028, respectively. The Company believes it has good relations with its employees, including its unionized workforce.
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
Management believes the Company’s success depends on its ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel. Martin Marietta offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
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Competitive compensation;
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401(k) with Company match;
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Company-funded qualified pension plan;
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Employee stock purchase plan (described in more detail below);
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Medical (PPO and HDHP/HSA plan options);
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Dental and vision coverage;
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Prescription drug coverage;
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Flexible spending accounts;
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Paid holidays and generous paid time off;
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Educational/tuition assistance plan (described in more detail below);
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Employee discount program;
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Adoption assistance program;
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Life, AD&D and disability insurance;
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Employee assistance program; and
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Wellness programs.
As part of its ongoing efforts to promote employee financial wellness and enhance company-provided benefits, the Company launched the Martin Marietta Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) in 2025. Available to all U.S.-based employees, the ESPP provides a valuable opportunity to invest in Martin Marietta through the purchase of company stock at a 15% discount.
The Company’s management oversees various employee initiatives to develop its employees and the Management Development and Compensation Committee regularly reviews the compensation and development programs to achieve those objectives. The Company offers many training and development opportunities, including the following:
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On-the-job training in the field and through the Company's Martin Marietta University, an interactive learning management system that serves as the gateway to a variety of valuable learning resources that support employee development;
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A management associate program which provides entry-level opportunities for finance, human resources, engineering, geology or STEM graduates in the aggregates industry. This is a 12-to-18-month on-the-job training that allows recent college graduates to jump-start their career by gaining cross-functional experience and developing transferable skills at an accelerated pace. The program includes job rotations, training and executive mentorship;
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An Educational Assistance Program available for undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as individual vocational, undergraduate or graduate courses specifically related to an employee’s field;
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A partnership with the University of North Carolina to provide a Leadership Program for senior managers;
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A partnership with North Carolina State University to provide a Leadership Program for managers;
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An internal job board, as well as communications, reminding employees about this resource; and
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A robust performance review process.
Workplace health and safety is one of the Company’s core values. The Company's Guardian Angel safety program reinforces that every employee has the right, and the obligation, to stop any unsafe condition and that zero safety incidents is achievable. It includes the notion that every employee acts as a wingman for other employees, helping to identify and address conditions that could create unsafe situations. The Company-wide safety performance achieved the ninth consecutive year of world class or better lost-time incident rate and the fifth consecutive year for total injury incidence rate.
In addition to safety, the Company is committed to fostering an inclusive, engaged workplace that supports talent development, collaboration and long-term retention. The Company has long been committed to assuring that inclusion and engagement are ingrained in Martin Marietta’s culture and values. Doing so supports the Company's employer brand — ONE, which brings together its employees’ unique perspectives, experiences and talents to evolve a shared vision and future.
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
The Company supports three employee resource groups — Military and Veterans Community, Multicultural Employee Resource Group (MERGE) and Women Who Build — that provide opportunities for all employees to share their varied perspectives and experiences, grow their internal networks, develop their careers and give back to their communities. The Company also has expanded its academic outreach by partnering with Raleigh, North Carolina-based Shaw University to broaden awareness of career opportunities and strengthen its future talent pipeline.
Available Information
The Company maintains an internet address at www.martinmarietta.com. The Company makes available free of charge through its internet website its Annual Report on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, Current Reports on Form 8‑K, and amendments to those reports, if any, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), which are available as soon as reasonably possible after they are submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You can access the Company’s filings with the SEC through the SEC website at www.sec.gov or through the Company's website, and the Company strongly encourages you to do so. Martin Marietta routinely posts information that may be important to investors on its website at www.ir.martinmarietta.com, and it uses this website address as a means of disclosing material information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD). The contents of the Company's website are not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K and shall not be deemed “filed” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any statements herein for revisions or changes after the filing date of this Form 10-K other than as required by law.
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethical Business Conduct that applies to all of its Board of Directors, officers and employees. The Company’s code of ethics is available on the Company’s website www.martinmarietta.com. The Company will disclose on its internet website any waivers of or amendments to its code of ethics as it applies to its directors and executive officers.
The Company has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines to address matters of fundamental importance relating to the corporate governance of the Company, including director qualifications and responsibilities, responsibilities of key board committees, director compensation and similar matters. Each of the Audit Committee, the Management Development and Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors has adopted a written charter addressing various matters of importance relating to each committee, including the committee’s purposes and responsibilities, an annual performance evaluation of each committee and similar matters. These Corporate Governance Guidelines, and the charters of each of these committees, are available on the Company’s website at www.martinmarietta.com.
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are required to file with the SEC each quarter and each year certifications regarding the quality of the Company’s public disclosure of its financial condition. The annual certifications are included as exhibits to this Form 10‑K. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is also required to certify to the New York Stock Exchange each year that he is not aware of any violation by the Company of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards.