P&Q Profile: Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association’s Pat Jacomet

By |  May 11, 2018

Headshot: Pat Jacomet

As executive director of the Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association, Pat Jacomet represents more than 200 producers and suppliers of construction materials and associated goods and services.

P&Q: How did you make your way into the aggregate industry?

Jacomet: My dad was a heavy highway construction foreman, building the Eisenhower highway system during the 1960s and ‘70s. We moved our house trailer and family all over Ohio to follow the work. I remember the hard-working people in the construction industry and the way they always helped each other out and, more often than not, they became lifelong friends. I wanted to be like them.

P&Q: What areas are you and other industry state association execs particularly focused on these days?

Jacomet: Safety is always our primary focus. Following that is workforce development and retention. The aggregate industry has a great story to tell and offers boundless career opportunities. We are working to spread this message and make sure a career in the aggregate industry is something a young person considers. Training, education and outreach are key focal points. In Ohio, we are working with teachers, colleges and career centers to develop training and outreach programs to prepare our next generation of aggregate professionals.

Photo by Darren Constantino

The OAIMA offices in Gahanna, Ohio. Photo by Darren Constantino

P&Q: Is there a key industry issue out there that you find unique in Ohio?

Jacomet: Zoning and land-use challenges continue to be a barrier to locating green sites or expanding existing operations. The opposition is highly mobilized, spurred by the use of social media and access to information and, oftentimes, misinformation.

We provide valuable and indispensable services and products that enhance the quality of life of all Ohioans. We continue to advance and promote our education and outreach efforts to counter misinformation and change the perceptions of those who depend on us and the material we produce.

P&Q: What new technologies are your members gravitating toward?

Jacomet: There seems to be something new every day, from drone photography to plant automation. We are seeing more automated loadout and ticketing operations, as well as remote monitoring and control operations via smartphone.

OAIMA opened a brand-new office last year. How is the space in Gahanna, Ohio, treating you?

Our new office is a standalone building with plenty of parking and meeting space. The building offers plenty of space for our safety and aggregate technician training, as well as the Ohio Mining & Mineral Education Program office. We are adding a learning center and have an extra office for members to make calls or check emails while in the Columbus area. Additionally, the new office is only a short 15-minute drive to the Ohio Statehouse.


Five things

FIRST JOB – Shoveling gravel,picking mud and greasing idlers at a local sand and gravel plant.

TRAVEL SPOT – In a deer stand on a hill in Hocking County, Ohio.

HOBBIES – Being with my wife, working on our cabin.

BOOK – “John Adams” by David McCullough.

SPORTS – Columbus Blue Jackets.

Joe McCarthy

About the Author:

Joe McCarthy is a former Associate Editor of Pit and Quarry Magazine.

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