October celebrates U.S. manufacturing, a $2.9 trillion industry employing 12.9 million workers, with Middle Tennessee adding 135,000 jobs. This month, the Chamber is highlighting our members adding to the industry and prosperity of the Middle Tennessee Region.
Tell us about your business and what others should know about your company.
Based out of Smyrna, Tennessee, SRM Concrete is the largest ready-mix concrete manufacturer in the country. Established in 1999 by Mike and Melissa Hollingshead in Rutherford County, the family-owned company owns and operates an expansive network of ready-mix concrete plants, quarries, cement terminals, and other ancillary services across 23 states. SRM Concrete focuses on producing and providing building material services across the commercial and residential construction segments.
Tell us about the industry in which your company operates.
While primarily a ready-mix concrete supplier, SRM also operates various ancillary businesses in other segments such as cement distribution, aggregates, truck manufacturing, and more. Broadly, we are a construction materials company. Worldwide, concrete is the most used man-made product, and the demand for ready-mix concrete has increased steadily since we began our business.
What is unique about your company that helps you differentiate yourself?
Of the five or six largest ready-mix suppliers in the U.S., SRM is the only one that is completely family owned. We pride ourselves on providing unmatched service with every load of concrete delivered, and our ability to stay consistent across over 500 locations is due to our leadership.
Why is the Nashville region a good place for your business?
Our business began in Smyrna in 1999 with a couple trucks and a concrete plant in the backyard of the Hollingshead family’s home. In 2014, SRM acquired the largest ready-mix supplier in the Nashville area, Metro Ready Mix. Overnight, our business had to scale, adapt, and overcome the challenges of tripling in size while continuing to supply concrete for the rapidly growing Nashville area. It was through this period in our history that established a culture of hard work and commitment to excellence that perseveres to this day. Today, the Nashville market continues to be one of our largest and most profitable markets, and we’re thankful to have played a part in the tremendous growth of the area– one concrete truck at a time.
How does your company ensure a safe, efficient, and positive culture for your workforce?
Our business is structured to empower people to make the right decisions, without being bound by countless systems, processes, and procedures. Our operators are the front line of our business– they are operating an 80,000lb vehicle on narrow streets, delivering a finely-tuned, perishable product to sites they have no prerequisite knowledge of to customers they may have never met. This role requires a remarkable amount of skill and expertise, which means it requires a tremendous amount of training. Our operators, regardless of experience, ride in a training truck for two weeks with an experienced trainer and an additional two weeks under the supervision of the trainer while they operate the mixer. This ensures our operators are thoroughly instructed on the many circumstances they could face throughout the day. Additionally, the owners of our company often work at concrete plants across the country alongside our team members- promoting a cooperative environment where the operators know that their leaders have their backs.
Who are your primary customers or users?
We provide ready-mix concrete for 60-story high rises, million-square-foot warehouses, residential slabs, and backyard patio extensions. Anyone from nationwide commercial contractors to DIY homeowners can pick up the phone, place an order, and have an SRM mixer truck at their curb in a timely manner.
What key lesson has your company learned running a manufacturing operation, and what recent achievement or solution best illustrates it?
Our manufacturing process is more variable than most, meaning due to external temperature, humidity, aggregate moisture, and other factors, our product can vary greatly from truck to truck as it arrives on the job site. With our operators being the last line of defense for quality control on most jobs, it takes an experienced operator to not only read and interpret the slump gauge on their truck, but to inspect the concrete in their drum, understanding the mix design and how it should perform given the slew of variables at play any given day. Through the implementation of two new positions: Area Quality Control Managers and Ready-Mix Instructors, the hundreds of new operators onboarded in 2025 have received extensive quality control training, ensuring our product is being delivered as it was ordered on every job.
Is your company exploring new technologies, processes, or markets? If so, why are they exploring these opportunities?
Our quality control team is second-to-none. They are able to meet specs for specific performance concrete that would have been unheard of even 5 years ago. From pumpable 12,000psi mixes, to the widespread implementation of type 1L cement, our team is pushing the boundaries of what concrete can do.
How is your company involved in or giving back to the community?
SRM has over 957 community partnerships across our nationwide footprint. With over 2,750 yards of concrete donated in 2024 and 542 schools assists, giving back is at the core of our business. Partnering with local non-profit organizations like Special Kids Nursing and Therapy, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and The American Red Cross of Tennessee, Homes4Homes, Brightstone, and many more, we have been blessed to support countless organizations continue to do meaningful work in Middle Tennessee.