Challenge

Southwest Concrete, a ready-mix producer based in Fort Myers, FL, was bidding on a high-stakes Amazon project. The stakes were high: failure to provide the EPD would mean losing the job.

With just a few days' notice, the Amazon project team required an EPD for the concrete mix—a requirement the team at Southwest had never encountered before.

“If I couldn't produce an EPD for the mix, we wouldn't get the job.”

– Chris Paradiso, General Manager at Southwest Concrete

Southwest Concrete had no prior experience with EPDs and no internal sustainability resources. They needed a solution fast—and one that wouldn’t create operational drag.

Solution

With no existing familiarity with EPDs, Chris from Southwest turned to his network, looking for a partner that could help him understand what an EPD was—and more importantly, how to get one fast. That’s when he was referred to Pathways.

Pathways broke down the process in simple terms and took ownership of the heavy lifting. They didn’t expect the Southwest team to become LCA experts. Instead, they focused on what they already knew—how they batch their concrete, how their operations work—and translated that into what was needed to produce a verified EPD.

“It was the easiest experience so far.”
– Chris, Southwest Concrete

Pathways helped collect the right data, structured it behind the scenes, and then delivered the EPD in less than one week, allowing Southwest Concrete to meet Amazon’s deadline. No delays. No technical rabbit holes. Just clarity, speed, and results.

Ongoing Impact

Southwest Concrete not only met the urgent deadline and won the Amazon project—they also became self-sufficient. After that first EPD, Southwest Concrete generated six more on their own using the Pathways platform.

“Since we did that one, I ran six more on my own in the platform within a day.”

– Chris, Southwest Concrete

What started as a high-pressure scramble became a competitive advantage. Southwest Concrete now routinely runs EPDs in-house—turning what was once a blocker into a tool for growth.