Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85639
MONTANA Missouri Helena Sand and Gravel was named the business of the year by the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce. The Helena Independent Record reports that the business was started in 1927 by area building contractor George Jacoby, who opened a gravel pit to supply his operation. "Gravel pits are not always a bad thing, as some people think," President Scott Olsen quipped as he accepted the award. The compa- ny has played a significant role in the community's develop- ment, with approximately 180 workers in its peak months. NEW YORK S.A. Dun Sand & Gravel Co. owners are seeking state permission to At its annual convention, members of the Missouri Limestone Pro- ducers Association (MLPA) elected the following officers: Rodney Linker, president; John Griesemer, vice president; and Dick Kaler, secretary-treasurer. Producer members elected to serve three-year terms include Mark Bussen, Bussen Quarries; Zach Green, Delta Companies; Todd Griesemer, Anchor Stone Co.; and Dick Kaler, Hunt Martin Materials. The MLPA board elected Randy Bailey, Bailey Quarries, to serve a one-year unexpired term and Steve Rust, River- stone Quarries, to serve a two-year unexpired term. Sam Hayes, The G.W. Van Keppel Co., represents associate members on the board. OHIO expand their mine, as well as to use it to dispose of construction and demolition debris once mining is complete. According to the Times Union, the company wants to expand the 58-acre mine by an additional 10.5 acres. If approved, it would still be subject to the 100 truck trips per day limitation that has been in place since the mine received its last approval from the state Department of Environmental Conservation in 1993. Pennsylvania The Warren County Coroner's Office ruled that the death of a 31-year-old man whose body was found in Oeder and Sons Sand and Gravel pit was accidental. The Middletown Journal reports that workers found the wrecked car of the victim at the site. He was apparently driving along a road bordering the op- eration when he lost control of the vehicle. The car traveled off the highway into the quarry, out of the road's sight lines. Based on footprints around the car, officials believe he got out of the passenger side of the car before the vehicle shiſted in the gravel and trapped him beneath the car in a large pool of water where he drowned. There were no signs of foul play. The Associate Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Aggregate and Concrete Association (PACA) announced that Lou Harris of Cliſton Steel Co. has been elected to serve a three-year term (2012-2014) as PACA director. PENNSYLVANIA For a number of years, Martin Stone Quarries, Inc. has part- OREGON Jerry's Delta Sand and Gravel provided free sand and sand bags to area residents facing floods. According to KVAL 13, residents were able to pick up those supplies at home improvement cen- ters in Springfield and Eugene, as well as county locations. nered with the local Washington Elementary School to enhance student learning of rocks and minerals through a field trip to its site. When recent school budget cuts forced the elimination of this year's field trip, quarry representatives worked with the teaching staff to bring the field trip to the students. Rod Martin talked to one class about the quarry and aggregate production, while senior sales representative Eric Gehman presented an introductory program about wetlands and a project undertaken by Martin Stone Quarries to create large wetlands adjacent to one of its quarries. Students received a photo of a Martin Stone Quarries dump truck and t-shirt at the end of the program. South Carolina WASHINGTON Ash Grove Cement Co.'s Seattle plant received the Association of Washington Business' Better Workplace Safety Award from Gov. Chris Gregoire. "This is an important recognition of our team's ef- forts, because safety is a cornerstone of how we operate every min- ute of every hour of every day," Plant Manager Todd Hinton said in a company press release. According to the company's corporate director of health and safety, each of the company's eight manufac- turing plants actively participates in the company's health and safety management system, which includes injury prevention, compliance management, audits, and training to ensure a safe work environment for employees. Workers at Vulcan Materials Co.'s Liberty Quarry worked with members of the local fire department to sharpen their safety skills. According to The Pickens Sentinel, the operation hosted a fire extinguisher training session for its employees. "Safety is number one in our industry, and we want to stay sharp," Plant Manager Tracy Snapp told the newspaper. "It is our goal that ev- eryone who works here leaves safely every day. If you don't think about these things on a regular basis, then when an emergency does happen, you don't know what to do." As part of the compa- ny's partnering efforts with the fire department, it also provides space for firefighters to practice life-saving situations. 10 AGGREGATES MANAGER March 2012 PROVINCE NEWS Lafarge's Stonewall Aggregates received international recognition for its contributions to wildlife habitat conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council's (WHC) 23rd Annual Symposium. According to WHC, the site was honored for its commitment to environmental stewardship and increas- ing native biodiversity by achieving Wildlife at Work certification. The 1,300-acre site is located in southern Manitoba and is surrounded by property that is either farmed or mined. The Wildlife Management Team is working with the University of Winnipeg on an innovative composting and reclamation project that aims to restore the site to an ecological status that is similar to the undisturbed condition. In addition, it has engaged in several outreach and education events.