Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/91809
PLANT PROFILE Successful Business crete. But, since the cement silo hadn't been erected, they had to physically move the bags of cement into the plant. Canda had to go out and buy sacks of cement throughout the day. They continued to work this way for a year until they could afford to rent a crane to erect the cement silo. Once the cement silo was in place, A1 Quality Redi-Mix was born. As time passed, the Aguilars purchased property 10 miles north of Socorro, in Polvadera, where they extracted sand and gravel. "Dad and Mom ran the business," Steven says. "Dad was the mechanic, batcher, and delivery man, while Mom was the secretary, accountant, and parts runner. Before long, Uncle George [Pablo's brother], my brother, Paul, and I became em- ployees of the business." Business was steady, and two years later, a full-time secretary and four additional employees were hired. "We grandsons all worked when we were little, when we were 7, 8, and 9 years old," says Jason Aguilar, Steven's son and plant manager at the quarry. "I was always there, even at 3 in the morning. Sometimes they'd leave without me, and I'd bawl my eyes out." In 2000, the Aguilars bought a computerized batching plant and 200 additional acres in Socorro where they could extract sand, gravel, and crusher fines. They now have two screening plants and two crusher spreads — one in each location. They expanded their business to include a hot-mix plant as well. The company grew and prospered and now provides full-time em- ployment for 26 people. Daily operations The quarrying operation produces sand and gravel for use in concrete, hot-mix asphalt, and as road base, among other things. "Right now, we're making five different products," Jason says. "I'm the foreman, but my grandpa and my dad are the big boss- es. It's a family business." At the Socorro location, quarrying is fairly simple. "We just scoop it up," Jason says. "We have 200 acres here, and the de- posit goes 170 feet down. There's only 8 to 10 feet of overbur- den, which is just dirt, so we simply push that off. We don't have to do any blasting." According to Jason's grandfather, however, "It's still a lot of hard work, that's why I have Jason doing it now." AGGREGATES MANAGER November 2012 27