Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/339575
OPERATIONS ILLUSTRATED AGGREGATES MANAGER Voices of Experience W hen Buckhorn Materials, LLC permied the greenfield site that eventually became Lynch- es River Quarry in 2007, it encountered some community opposition, despite its rural location. "Once we had the permit, we wanted to show the community that we could blend in and not be a disturbance or an eyesore," says Rich Moses, general manager. As it developed plans for the en- trance, it incorporated the owner's pas- sion for deer hunting by using antlers in the logo that appears on the entrance sign and the front gate. "e goal was to make it look like either a subdivision or an upscale hunting lodge," he says. "We used the woods, the sign, and the rock from the mine. We had some small rip rap that we used for the columns, and we hired a very large masonry contrac- tor in this area who built the columns for us. e caps are made from granite from a nearby site that is very similar to ours." A 2,500-foot-long berm that is ap- proximately 60 to 70 feet high runs along the local highway, screening the plant and buffering the pit from the road. e berm has a 3:1 slope on the outside and has been passed over with a dozer and seeded to aractively screen the operation. In addition, the quarry has a large landscaped area near the office and scalehouse, as well as a trailer that serves as the employee break room. Customers driving across the scales enjoy the view of the well-manicured area and arac- tive presentation as they leave the plant, similar to the view they enjoy as they arrive. "We keep the roads clean. We keep the dust down with water trucks. We keep our boneyard neat," Moses says. "We just create an overall good first impression." Rich Moses ▼ Bart Mayer ▼ I n 2012, when a new outlet mall increased traffic along the highway exit leading to Vulcan's Pleasanton (Califor- nia) Plant, Plant Manager Bart Mayer says he knew it was time to make some changes to the plant entrance. "It brought the community a bit closer to us," he says. "We have a lile bit more interaction with them as far as truck traffic is concerned." Prior to the construction of the outlet mall, the company had a sign in front of the operation, but it was fairly unassuming, and many community residents either didn't know the aggregates operation was there or weren't aware of what it was. "We're proud of our location. We're proud of what we do. We're proud of what we do in the com- munity," Mayer notes. "So, we thought we'd try to announce ourselves and let everyone know who we are." Mayer worked with an onsite contractor, Ma Darden of B.K. Nelson Construction, to develop the entrance sign and landscap- ing. Mayer came up with the concept of the two-part sign, which incorporates the corporate and plant names, as well as the Wildlife Habitat Council's Certified Wild- life at Work logo. Darden designed the base area with the flag design and cobblestone ring. By incorporating the Wildlife at Work program, the signage highlights one way the plant adds value to the local com- munity. As it developed the program, the Pleasanton Plant teamed with a partner-in- education school, Livermore High School. Students there built 23 birdhouses for the site. ey received school credit for build- ing them, while the Pleasanton Plant is now beer able to aract wildlife. Mayer says the plant is now working with a pack of Webelos to build owl boxes. Vulcan will provide the materials and in- stall them on 20-foot-poles, but the scouts will build them and earn credit toward a badge while doing so. S afety comes first, even at the plant entrance, says Bill Larson, vice president of marketing for Glendora, Calif.-based CalPortland Co. "To integrate with the community, it's very important that you create a very safe space to work in," he says, noting that, through its Zero Accidents for Life initiative, safety is basically part of the corporate DNA. CalPortland's entrances are engineered to accommodate the traffic needs of its many vertically inte- grated operations and to allow for future expansion. Standard corporate signs serve as an address location at the main entrance to the sites, while closer to the operation, signage has more of a local flavor. For example, part of the sign at the DuPont plant is created from the fir trees that lined the property. A former employee, who is also a chainsaw artist, carved trees and mountains into the sign (see page 17) to reflect the local beauty. At other locations, Larson says that large rocks from the site may be etched with the CalPortland logo, while operation names are displayed in the corporate colors. In addition, signs note that the company has been awarded the U.S. EPA Energy Star Award for each of the last 10 years, as Partner of the Year. "We have a corporate- wide energy efficiency program," Larson notes. "We're continually switching things around so we reduce our reliance on electricity and fossil fuels. At all of our locations, you'll see the Energy Star proudly displayed at our entrances and on our facilities." Traffic signs also play a significant role at these operations. "I think it's important for you to lay out and enunciate traffic routes for people who don't travel to the plant very oen so they can see there is a high importance paid to safety," Larson notes. "It sets the mindset for them as they come onto your property." Bill Larson ▼