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Diamonds in the Rough
August 1, 2007 By: Mike Crummy Pit & QuarryGulf Coast Limestone meets rock-solid demands for custom riprap in Texas.
Few people would relate the everyday work of a diamond cutter to that of an operator running a hydraulic breaker in a quarry. While each makes a living working with rock or stone, the similarity between the two occupations seemingly ends there.
Certainly the skill of transforming a rough piece of rock into a dazzling diamond for a lucky lady's engagement ring is more of a science than busting up limestone or granite. But rock breaking also requires precision, particularly for those in the business of producing custom varieties of riprap — a coarse, angular-shaped rock primarily used in anti-erosion applications along shorelines. Given its successful history filling the riprap niche, Gulf Coast Limestone Inc. is one company that fully appreciates the art of producing this natural rock product.
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Based in Seabrook, Texas, Gulf Coast Limestone provides a number of services for various entities in north, central and southeast Texas. From specialty railcar unloading to providing crushed granite and concrete base materials, the company has earned a strong reputation for filling specific customer needs. While versatility is certainly a notable strength for Gulf Coast Limestone, its expertise in the production of riprap has become the company's calling card.
Gulf Coast Limestone didn't start out with an aim to become a big-time riprap producer. The company got off the ground in 1962 when its founder, G.W. Robinson, served as a board member for a school district that needed a new parking lot. After placing an order for a railcar of limestone and hiring someone to haul and unload it, Robinson decided to go into the aggregates business, essentially as a limestone dealer. The venture was financially successful from the get-go and quickly expanded.
History
In the early days, the company was just a rock broker, acquiring crushed stone from quarries before hauling and selling it to customers. In some ways, little has changed. Gulf Coast Limestone still doesn't operate its own quarries and relies on other producers for rock to sell. The business also has stayed within the family. The founder's three children — Bob Robinson, Suzy Mayfield and Glenda Walker — co-own the company, while grandson Bobby Walker is the operations manager.
The most significant adjustment in company history came after a decision by several big producers to get out of the riprap game.
"The specifications are so tight," says Walker, who began working with his family's company in 1977. "Several different entities and agencies need riprap, and each has their own strict set of requirements. It's very labor-intensive and time-consuming to meet the different specifications. Ultimately, many of the large quarry operations just didn't find it feasible to continue making riprap."
While Gulf Coast Limestone's established customer base still required and demanded riprap, the company's supply lines had seemingly been cut off.
"At that point we were basically forced to produce riprap ourselves," Walker says. "Fortunately we became pretty good at it."
The company now works with three different quarries, each providing a separate work area for Gulf Coast Limestone's operation. The arrangements have been mutually beneficial for both sides. Typically, any oversized boulders produced during a blast must be set aside in a stockpile. It can sometimes be a long wait before they are broken down and eventually crushed. With Gulf Coast Limestone on site, the boulders can be processed immediately, freeing up space for the quarry and keeping business flowing for its riprap-producing partner.
"It's far more efficient for them," Walker says. "They bring us the oversize rock, and we turn it into a saleable product."
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