Johnson Concrete Company announces addition of CarbonCure Masonry Technology

Words: Christie ColvilleJohnson Concrete Company, a family owned business with locations across North Carolina, has announced the addition of the CarbonCure Masonry Technology in its Lexington plant. The CarbonCure technology recycles waste carbon dioxide into concrete products, effectively making Johnson concrete masonry units more environmentally friendly.

The Johnson Concrete Company was founded in 1947 by Allen Starling Johnson Jr., an All-American starting guard for the Duke University football team. When Allen passed away in 1982, his wife Frances Johnson assumed the role of President. Meanwhile, Charles Newsome, who had begun his career at Johnson in 1968, took on the position of Executive Vice President. To this day, Johnson’s children and Newsome continue to serve on the executive leadership team.

The decision to license the CarbonCure technology was not taken lightly by Newsome, who oversees the business and operations at Johnson. Says Newsome, “We completed extensive due diligence into the viability of the technology, and its potential to create value for Johnson Concrete, and we are now pleased to offer our customers concrete products with a reduced carbon footprint.”

The CarbonCure technology injects carbon dioxide gas captured from nearby smokestacks into concrete products during the mixing phase. Once introduced into the concrete mix, the carbon dioxide chemically converts into a solid calcium carbonate mineral. Since the gas has been converted into a mineral, it will never escape into the atmosphere. This means that Johnson Concrete will continue to provide high quality concrete products, and effectively get rid of local air pollution at the same time.

The Johnson announcement comes on the heels of Charlotte-based ready mixed company Concrete Supply Co.’s addition of the CarbonCure Ready Mixed Technology. Architects, engineers and developers in the Charlotte metropolitan area now have access to green concrete in both poured concrete and masonry products. In addition to Washington, DC, Charlotte is the second metropolitan center in the world to offer concrete made with recycled carbon dioxide in both ready mixed and concrete masonry products.

Robert Niven, CEO and founder of CarbonCure Technologies, remarks, “I am excited by the opportunity to work with Charles Newsome and the Johnson family. Johnson Concrete Company has held a long-standing reputation as a highly ethical, quality-driven operation. On behalf of CarbonCure, I welcome Johnson Concrete Company to the growing CarbonCure family.”
Restoring the Breath of the Building: The Life-Saving Science Behind Historic Masonry Repairs
July 2026

When I first set out to become a historic preservation and restoration mason, I imagined that most of my trade would involve repairing the effects of old age. Instead, 99 percent of my work is attempting to stabilize and reverse damage caused by recent an

Laying the Foundation for the Future: Workforce Development at the Arizona Masonry Council
July 2026

For generations, masonry has been built on a simple but powerful principle: knowledge passed from one set of hands to the next. In Arizona, the Arizona Masonry Council (AMC) is working to ensure that tradition continues by investing in one of the industr

What Mason Contractors Don't Know Is Costing Them Money
July 2026

Most mason contractors can tell you exactly what a job should cost before it starts. Bid labor hours, material takeoffs, and crew rates per square foot. The numbers are on paper, and they look right. What most can't tell you is whether those numbers held

Preserving Masonry Aesthetics with Concealed Lintel Systems
July 2026

Masonry has long been valued for its ability to create buildings with character, permanence, and visual appeal. Features such as arches, deep reveals, corbelling, and decorative brickwork continue to be popular design elements in modern architecture. Howe