Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/140126
SCHOOL TOURS 33 SCHOOL TOURS • 33 SCHOOL TOURS •33 Karen Hubacz-Kiley (far left) and her daughter, Sadie (far right), talked with students from Worcester Technical High School about various aspects of minerals extraction and careers in the industry. Higher EDUCATION S chool tours have long been a staple among community relations programs at many aggregate operations. Both operational staff and young children look forward to the day when a yellow bus full of elementary school age children arrives to tour the grounds and pick up some pretty rocks. It's a great way to engage children—and their parents—as they form their impressions and opinions about the industry. But Spencer, Mass.-based Bond Construction Corp. took the standard school tour to a new level this year as it welcomed high school students to its operation earlier this year. "We've done random events in the past," says Karen Hubacz-Kiley, chief operating officer of Bond Construction, noting that the Boy Scouts SchoolTours_AGRM0613.indd 33 and other groups have toured the facility. This school partnership, however, evolved from customer interaction. Worcester Technical High School teacher Ron Anderson was at the site picking up product late last year when he asked if the company was amenable to hosting a student tour. "I jumped right up and said we'd be happy to do tours," Hubacz-Kiley recalls. She gave him a business card and invited him to follow up with a class tripo. A few months later, Anderson contacted her to set up the tour, which resulted in two groups of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors visiting the site on March 21 and 28. Students arrived at the site and were greeted with treat bags from the company that contained While young kids are cut, older students learn not only about mining, but also job opportunities. by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com 5/16/13 9:11 AM