2015 Hall of Fame class unveiled

By |  January 20, 2015

Pit & Quarry’s 2015 class of Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony and dinner at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 15. The event follows the NSSGA Chairman’s Welcome Reception at the Hilton Baltimore.

The four new inductees, detailed below in alphabetical order, were selected by a group of peers from a pool of nominees submitted by industry experts and you, our readers. This group joins the 13 current members in the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame.

To purchase tickets to the black-tie induction ceremony and dinner, click here. In addition, you can nominate a worthy individual for the 2016 class of the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame today at www.pitandquarry.com/hall-of-fame.

Glen Barton, Caterpillar
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Glen Barton, who joined Caterpillar as a trainee in 1961, led the company into the 21st century during a career that spanned nearly 43 years. Barton was named chairman and CEO of the company in 1999, emphasizing diversification of products and services during his five-year leadership term. He is credited with redirecting Caterpillar’s efforts into areas that exhibited higher demand, including truck engines and smaller machines. Barton worked for Caterpillar on four continents during his tenure and served as a group president overseeing mining, construction and forestry equipment from 1990 to 1998.

Photo: Glen Barton

Eli Whitney Blake, Blake Rock Crusher Co.
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Eli Whitney Blake, a 19th-century inventor, found a less costly and more efficient way to crush stone when he developed a rock crusher in 1851 that he patented by the end of the same decade. Before Blake’s invention, stones were crushed with hand hammers in what amounted to an expensive and tedious process. As a town committee member in New Haven, Conn., Blake took an interest in this area because road builders were encountering challenges with the construction of a two-mile road leading out of town. Blake’s answer to their challenge was the development of a steam-powered machine that consisted of a pair of jaws that crushed stone into desired shapes and sizes. Blake originally called his invention a “stone breaker.” He later formed the Blake Rock Crusher Co. Photo: Blake Rock Crusher Co.

Paul Detwiler III, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co.
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Paul Detwiler III, president and CEO of New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., has carried on the traditions of his family-owned company whose origins trace back nearly a century. Today, New Enterprise Stone & Lime is a top 25 U.S. aggregate-producing company and a top 10 crushed-stone producer. Detwiler, who is currently the chairman of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), has been a champion in achieving improvements in operations and safety. His top priority as NSSGA chairman is to implement Rocks Build America, the association’s strategic plan to rebuild the nation’s crumbling transportation infrastructure, create jobs and drive economic growth. Photo: Paul Detwiler III

Neil Schmidgall, Superior Industries
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Neil Schmidgall, whose career began as a Minnesota sand-and-gravel producer, founded Superior Industries in 1972. As a man who started as an aggregate producer, Schmidgall realized equipment mobility was necessary to meet the needs of an industry that required action from site to site. He applied his engineering skills to build greater portability into his own washing, screening and conveying equipment. Schmidgall’s early innovations included the first washing and dry screening plant mounted on a single chassis, as well as the first jig-mounted portable plant for the removal of deleterious materials. The addition of a conveyor idler line was a crowning achievement of his, as well.

Photo: Neil Schmidall

 

Media: Pit and Quarry

Kevin Yanik

About the Author:

Kevin Yanik is editor-in-chief of Pit & Quarry. He can be reached at 216-706-3724 or kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

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