Continental Building Products LLC, a new company created after the sale of Lafarge’s gypsum assets in North America, officially launched as a business. Although the sale technically closed on August 30, September 3 is the first regular workday for employees at Continental’s headquarters in Reston, Va., and its gypsum and joint compound facilities in Buchanan, N.Y., Palatka, Fla., Silver Grove, Ky., and Chambly, Quebec.

“It is a new day for this company and I am excited about the future of Continental Building Products,” said Ike Preston, Continental’s new CEO. “Even though the name of our company is changing, our customers and employees will still see our focus on the core values of a safe workplace, operational excellence and personalized customer service.”

Preston served as the president of the same manufacturing and sales organization when it was owned by Lafarge North America and he has brought much of the leadership team with him to run Continental Building Products.

“This sale represents an opportunity for us to realize new levels of growth in the gypsum business, and is a testament to our exceptional employees and past performance,” added Preston. “I really want to commend our employees for staying so focused on delivering great product throughout the sale process. We also appreciate our customers who have been very positive about this transition. We will continue to serve them well in the future, as we have for many years before.”

The company’s transition from Lafarge to Continental will be phased in over the next 12 months. For example, Continental will unveil its new logo later this year and launch its new website in early 2014. However, Preston said that even though the name and ownership is changing, the goal to provide a high level of service and the same full range of quality products remains the same.