Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/581365
AGGREGATES MANAGER October 2015 36 by Dave Thomey R ecently, Maryland Materials, Inc. (MMI), a company for which I served as executive vice presi- dent for many years, was sold to Bluegrass Materials. Among the many factors that made me proud of Maryland Materials was our community outreach program. Part of that program was what we called our "Neighborhood Council." Through the council, we would invite neighbors into our operation on a regular basis. During this meeting, we would review quarry operations and listen to any challenges they may have due to their proximity to the site. The pro- gram was not original to us. I borrowed the idea from industry veterans Bernie Grove and Kim Snyder, who then worked for a Mary- land-based company called Genstar. The program was simple. We invited about 50 people with properties adjacent to, or strategically located near, the quarry. About 15 to 20 neighbors attended most meetings. During one of our first meetings, we told our neighbors that we wanted "to share our dreams with you and hope that you would share your dreams with us." Each time we met during the last 20-plus years, we have tried to adhere to that philosophy. The meetings, for the most part, occurred quarterly. We met on a Wednesday or Thurs- day evening for about one hour over coffee, cake, and cookies. Stock agenda items included sales and production forecasts for the quarter, the amount of night work to be performed by a hot-mix company that leased property from us, and any future plans we had for improvement Remember that the three C's of community relations could be cookies, cake, and coffee.