Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/420189
AGGREGATES MANAGER December 2014 10 T he words of the iconic coach sum up what makes the 2014 AggMan of the Year so special. When Rick Feltes com- mits to something — whether a goal, a committee, or an association — he does so fully. For more than 40 years, his willingness to jump in has made them all work. "Rick's commitment to NSSGA and our in- dustry is second to none," says Michael W. John- son, president and CEO of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). "Rick is a trusted adviser, a valued mentor, a respected voice among his peers, and, most importantly, a trusted friend." Ironically, a career in the aggregates industry was not what Feltes would have chosen for him- self. Throughout high school and college breaks, he worked at Feltes Sand & Gravel, the business founded in 1920 by his grandfather and great uncle. In 1972, he graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., with an accounting degree and intended to go to law school. His father, however, had different plans for him. He asked Feltes to join the family business for at least a year or two to help grow the business through marketing. "My dad promised me that if I didn't like it, I could do something else," he recalls. "The deci- sion I made to stay in the business was probably As a driving force behind AGG1, Rick Feltes puts industrial educational goals on the fast track. the best decision I made throughout my career." Once he joined the company, he and his busi- ness partner and cousin, Tim, focused on how to expand it. As a family-owned venture, education was high on their priority list, and they turned to what was then the National Stone Association (NSA) as a resource. "We needed a place to go learn what we could and take it back to apply to our business," Feltes says. "We both felt like we needed an educational perspective on how to grow and improve our business and work with other operators." Feltes Sand & Gravel was well known for in- novations. It was the first company to deliver coal via horse and buggy in Aurora, Ill., and was the first in its area to have a dump truck. The third generation of leaders wanted to continue the trend of innovation and found inspiration at an NSA Automation Conference. The seminar featured a Luck Stone plant that crushed rock at night with- out staff. That was the tipping point. "It's why we joined the association, and we never regretted it," Feltes says. "It's probably why my emphasis on education has been so active and emphatic." Over his years with the association, Feltes moved from student to teacher, leveraging what he learned not only for the family business, but the industry as a whole. In fact, Feltes Sand & Gravel was one of the last, and one of the most by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief 2014 AggMan of the Year "Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." — Vince Lombardi