Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/140126
OUTREACH TOOLBOX • 24 In the spring, approximately 400 runners made a 3.7-mile trek through the Quarry Crusher Run at Vulcan's Columbia quarry. The BIG LEAGUES As the largest aggregate producer in the United States, Vulcan Materials uses an assortment of community outreach tools to impact thousands. by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief Vulcan_AGRM0613.indd 24 W ith more than 300 aggregates sites, Vulcan Materials, the nation's largest aggregates producer, has a broad footprint across the United States. Its sheer size is reflected in the number and variety of its community relations programs. For example, in the East Region, alone, an estimated 11,000 to 12,000 students toured Vulcan facilities in 2012 through its Adopt-a-School programs. "With the economic downturn, we scaled back a little bit on what we were doing," says Jimmy Fleming, vice president of human resources, Vulcan Materials Co. – East Region. "With the economy being in the shape it's in, the schools have cut back on the number of tours they allow kids to go on." Buses and other expenses that are considered nonessential have been cut from school district budgets throughout the United States, including some that participate in Vulcan's Adopt-a-School partnerships. At its "high water mark," nearly 20,000 students per year visited operations throughout the Region. Despite fewer tours, however, the number of participants in its schools program is growing. The East Region now has 110 formal partnerships. "Despite the downturn, we consider strategic partnerships with schools as one of the things we need to continue to do," Fleming says. Based on each state's curriculum standards, Vulcan works with targeted grades of students, particularly those who are studying earth science. While that might be third and sixth grade in one state, it may be eighth grade in another. College programs focused on earth science and geology also participate in the program. 5/19/13 12:53 PM