LBM Industries, like other divisions of the McNeely Companies, is known for its quality products, exceptional customer support and dedication to family.
Owned and operated by the McNeely family for more than 40 years, the Sapphire, North Carolina-based business specializes in crushed stone, aggregate base course, manufactured sand and boulders.
According to LBM Industries owner Bill McNeely, the company’s quarry was developed to fit a need in the business and, ultimately, help it grow.
“My father and I had been in the grading business and had some grading equipment and dump trucks,” McNeely says. “We were having to haul stone probably 25 miles – maybe more at the closest place – and just saw a need for a quarry here.”
Most of the current quarry was previously mountain laurel and white pine trees with a gravel road running through it. McNeely says LBM Industries logged the area for three years before opening the quarry.
“We knew the rock was here,” he says. “The location and having good rock were just a good place to start. The rest is history.”
Family is a big part of LBM Industries’ history, too.
“We’ve always got along well as a family,” McNeely says. “As all the kids grew up, they seemed to enjoy it. Many have come back after they finish school, which means a lot to us. We put in a lot of hard hours, days and weeks, but it’s all worth it. They have good jobs here and can stay right here in the community. Keeping the family close together is really rewarding.”
Mack McNeely, Bill’s son who serves LBM Industries as vice president, agrees.
“Growing up, just starting out the business, the kids were always around and interested in what was happening,” he says.” Luckily, we’ve been able to do well and grow into a company that most of our family is a part of.”
Friendship & reliability
Both McNeelys also see Tug Nix, their contact at Hills Machinery, as one of their own, relying on him over the years for expertise and equipment recommendations.
With Nix’s support and counsel, LBM Industries recently invested in a Hitachi EX1200-7B shovel. LBM Industries leaders even took some time to reflect on the purchase of a previous Hitachi mining excavator they acquired from Nix, with several family members recreating an old photo with a new one taken on the latest machine.
“It was kind of a special photo from back then,” Mack says. “We had mine and my sister’s children here that day, so we set them up on the tracks and took the first picture in 2005 – so 20 years ago. It was fun to recreate it.”
As the McNeelys describe, Nix has been their equipment salesman for more than 25 years. But even more so, he’s been a friend.
“Tug has been a great salesman and super supportive for us and the Hitachi brand,” Mack says. “He’s always been very engaged and involved in any type of issues, and he’s been a great person business wise. Over the years, we’ve all got to be good friends – and he’s basically family to us.”
While Hitachi’s affiliation with Hills Machinery is relatively new, the McNeelys say the support they’ve received has been impressive.
“Hills has been in this area for several years now, and they’ve been really reliable,” Mack says. “They hit the ground running and are eager to provide us with everything we need.”
Bill agrees.
“We’ve had quite a few dealings with other folks at Hills on other machines and parts and service – and it’s all been good,” he says.
Mack recalls how Nix worked hard to sell LBM Industries its first Hitachi machine. He says that first machine ultimately led to the second sale.
“The older machine was great for us for the size and type of pit and the way we work,” Mack says. “We had great service out of it. Looking at the new machine, we saw a lot of that old heritage in it. The only changes seem to be upgrades, so it made it an easy decision for us to invest in Hitachi again.”
Built for the challenge
The material the McNeelys produce at their Sapphire Quarry is used for construction, highway and hydroelectric projects, among others. Due to its hardness, Mack says hardy equipment is necessary to mine at the quarry.
“We have really hard and abrasive material, which, as far as the products we produce, is a blessing,” he says. “But actually producing products out of that hard material is kind of a curse.”
With a rated power of 760 hp and a shovel operating weight of 264,600 pounds, the new Hitachi EX1200 shovel has more than enough power to get the work done. The EX1200 offers a maximum shovel digging reach of 37 ft., 9 in. and a maximum digging depth of 15 ft., 8 in.
The shovel features Hitachi’s center-track frame that distributes stress through forged steel parts to improve the machine’s durability.
A Cummins Tier 4 Final, six-cylinder, 23.2-liter diesel engine, meanwhile, powers the shovel. It features an auto-idle function to save on fuel, while each individually controlled hydraulic pump provides efficient performance by using its own electric regulator.
The next generation
Reflecting on past and present Hitachi machine purchases and the family connection within LBM Industries, Bill can’t help but be nostalgic – especially when he looks at the old photograph next to his new one.
“Those kids were all small, and they had all the opportunity in the world ahead of them,” he says. “To see them all grown, doing well and interested in the family business is really fulfilling to me.”
Monica DeBrot is a longtime writer specializing in the construction, manufacturing and fabricating industries.
