P&Q Editors Blog
Competitive fires
January 5, 2012
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Martin Marietta Materials' takeover bid for Vulcan Materials has strengthened the competitive fire between the nation's two largest aggregate producers. And understandably so. The companies have been going at each other pretty good lately, since Martin Marietta announced its intentions on Dec. 12 to acquire Vulcan via an all-stock transaction valued at a reported $4.7 billion. Martin Marietta says a merger would work, creating a global leader in construction aggregates. Vulcan says it's a bad idea. To get a feel for where things stand between them, you only need to look at special web pages created by both companies that provide information on Martin Marietta's takeover attempt. Martin Marietta's information can be found at www.aggregatesleader.com. How about Vulcan's? www.realaggregatesleader.com. Say no more. – Brian Richesson
Safety on the roads
July 5, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Lafarge wrapped up its Health and Safety Month in June with a theme focusing on transportation and road safety. Mobile equipment poses the largest potential safety risk for employees and contractors at Lafarge plants, the company notes, and transportation and road safety affects everyone – drivers, passengers and pedestrians. The Lafarge Group launched a campaign called “Safe Choice Smart Move” about road safety and the personal choices everyone can make to prevent transportation-related incidents. Among the vehicle safety events held throughout the month: Defensive driving courses were offered at many Lafarge locations, and employees were encouraged to involve their families, especially children close to the driving age. At Lafarge offices in Lee’s Summit, Mo., a NASCAR DUI simulator demonstrated the dangers of driving under the influence, and the Ravena, N.Y., cement plant hosted a road safety event that engaged participants in a variety of exercises, including a distracted driving course and a blind spot exercise. A video supporting the campaign is available on the Lafarge Group’s YouTube channel. – Brian Richesson
Giving back
May 26, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
We often hear about aggregate companies giving back to their communities through donations, open houses and other commitments. And for each good deed we read about, hundreds more go unnoticed outside the local area. Many of these projects help not only the community, but the environment, as well.
The largest producer in the United States, Vulcan Materials, donated more than $64,000 worth of aggregates and services to construct an underwater reef in Virginia's James River. It's all part of a collaborative effort to restore the Atlantic sturgeon to the river and the Chesapeake Bay. And the reef project is only one of many community and environmental projects supported by Vulcan Materials.
The company's Grand Rivers Quarry near Paducah, Ky., made a $10,000 donation to the Livingston County Friends of the Library, and an anonymous donor is matching Vulcan's contribution. The funds will be used to buy books for the community's new library.
Lafarge North America also strives to be a good neighbor. As part of its ongoing partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, the company signed its 2050 Conservation Vision, a statement reaffirming its commitment to conservation in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. The company said it will continue to work with WWF Canada and Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation on studies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of wildlife in the Bow Valley area. These studies will inform future conservation activities in the region.
Lafarge North America also teams with local communities across the United States on environmental projects. To mark Earth Day this year, the company held festivities and open houses in several states, with events ranging from river cleanups to tree plantings. For example, in Pearl River, La., the company's Honey Island facility, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, planted 30 oak trees as part of the site’s commitment to ecosystem rehabilitation and in support of native species.
Of course, Vulcan Materials and Lafarge North America are not the only aggregate producers who give back to their communities. There are several stories of generosity from the largest producers to the smallest. And, as with everything else in life, the paybacks of giving are manyfold. –Darren Constantino
Help us look back
March 2, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Our readers tell us one of their favorite features in Pit & Quarry magazine is the Looking Back page. Looking Back features old photographs from the Pit & Quarry archives. Now is your chance to submit old photos of pits and quarries (pre-1980) for editorial consideration. We prefer to receive electronic images – scanned at 300-dpi resolution, saved as a JPG, and e-mailed to info@pitandquarry.com. Please include as much information as possible about the photo, including time and place, and send no more than three files. If you can only send prints, please mail them to: Pit & Quarry's Looking Back, 600 Superior Ave. E., Ste. 1100, Cleveland, OH 44114. We cannot guarantee submitted photos will run in the magazine, and we will not be able to return any prints mailed to us for scanning. – Darren Constantino
School of rock
November 29, 2010
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
In early November, we saw another example of aggregate producers reaching out to their communities in an effort to educate and grow relationships. Three major producers with operations in Sun City, Ariz. – Vulcan, Lafarge and Cemex – hosted a tour of their mining sites. With demand on the upswing, the companies, which mine the Agua Fria riverbed, wanted to showcase environmental improvements and demonstrate how they comply with regulatory requirements, according to an article in The Arizona Republic. About 50 people, including residents, city officials and school board members, toured the facilities. They learned about the industry's history by watching videos on their bus, the article described. The group also learned how the companies control dust and reduce pollutants, and how their building materials contribute to local projects. – Brian Richesson
