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Vulcan names Hill president as James is now executive chairman
Vulcan Materials Co. named Tom Hill president and CEO and elected him to the board of directors. Hill, the company's former executive vice president and COO, succeeds Don James, who will assume the role of executive chairman. The company also promoted John McPherson, executive vice president and CFO, to executive vice president, chief financial and strategy officer. In this new position, McPherson will retain his current responsibilities while assuming the strategy and human resources functions of the company. "Having successfully navigated the worst downturn in our industry's history, now is the right time to put in place our new leadership team, led by Tom, to guide the company and expand our market leadership in the industry," James says, in a press release. "Tom has been a tremendous asset to our company over the years, particularly as we successfully enhanced Vulcan's profitability and financial strength during the market downturn and positioned the company for strong performance during the recovery." Vice Chairman Danny Shepherd and Daniel Sansone, executive vice president, strategy, will continue… Keep Reading
Case takes tour to Texas to promote infrastructure investment need
Case Construction Equipment partnered with the Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association and ASCO Equipment to bring its Dire States initiative to Texas in support of Proposition 1, the Texas Transportation Funding Amendment. The amendment, which would direct an estimated $1.4 billion each year from oil and gas tax revenues in the state's Rainy Day Fund, will be on the Nov. 4 ballot and support investment in new highway and transportation construction and maintenance. According to a press release, Dire States is a grassroots Case effort to raise awareness for the role state and local governments play in securing infrastructure investment, through legislative initiatives, public-private partnerships, state-revolving funds and other funding methods. The July tour will feature author and infrastructure expert Dan McNichol and his 1949 Hudson, as well as speakers from Texas Good Roads and other partner associations throughout the state. The initial blitz includes seven events in three days. Keep Reading
A look back at the industry nearly 100 years ago
The pages featuring the February 1918 issue of Pit & Quarry within our in-house archives are so old that their edges are crumbling and they're barely bound to the book that contains them. But the 96-year-old pages still offer a window into the events of the industry's past and a glimpse at the innovative equipment of the day through the black-and-white ads that appeared on those pages (see slideshow above for ads). According to the February 1918 issue, the National Crushed Stone Association was formed in January 1918 when crushed stone producers from Alabama Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin gathered for a meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting was reportedly arranged by telegraph so a national body could be formed that would be eligible for placement on the Highway Industries Association's board of directors. Also within the issue is a report about the Indiana Crushed Stone Association's 1918 convention that was shortened to one day out of respect for the ongoing war. According to Pit & Quarry,… Keep Reading
Lafarge, Holcim moving closer to massive merger
Lafarge and Holcim took additional steps toward their planned merger, LafargeHolcim. A divestment committee the companies set up drew up a list of proposed asset disposals in anticipation of potential competition authorities' requirements. The two companies propose to divest a number of assets – including Holcim's assets in Canada. Assets in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and the United Kingdom are on the companies' list. Assets in Brazil, Mauritius and the Philippines are on the list, as well. According to a press release, the companies expect to close the planned merger in 2015. They plan to operate in 90 countries around the world. Keep Reading
Schwarz named Johnson Crushers president
KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens named Jeff Schwarz president of Johnson Crushers International, the company's Oregon manufacturing facility. Schwarz is responsible for setting and achieving objectives for the manufacturing facility. According to a press release, Schwarz previously served as general manager of Astec AggReCon West, a KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens dealer headquartered in Eugene, Ore. Jeff Lininger, who previously served as director of products for KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens’ Oregon location, will now fill that role. Keep Reading
Mack boosts its service capacity in Canada
Two Mack Trucks dealers opened facilities in Quebec and Saskatchewan, Canada, respectively. Mack enhanced its presence in Quebec with the opening of Mack Laval near Montreal. The dealership was previously based in Anjou, Quebec, and known as Camions Lourds de Montreal. According to a press release, the 19,000 sq.-ft. facility has 14 service bays. A 3,500-sq.-ft. parts warehouse, an overhead crane, a lube pit and a high-tech lube system are also there. In addition, Redhead Equipment opened the doors to a 117,000-sq.-ft. facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. According to a press release, 15 Mack technicians are staffed at the truck service center, which features 27 service bays, including wash and welding bays, a lube pit, and an overhead crane and truck-lifting system. Keep Reading
MSHA details violations of California operation
Inspectors issued 172 citations, 21 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at two metal/nonmetal mines and 10 coal mines, according to MSHA. MSHA shared one operation's inspection details: BCJ Sand and Rock Inc. of Butte County, Calif. MSHA inspectors issued 19 citations and 17 orders to the mine operator. Among the hazardous conditions cited was the operator’s failure to properly store an oxygen cylinder, which created a potential fire or explosion hazard. Also, the mine operator failed to repair a haul truck operating with six severely damaged tires. In addition, the plant manager, who is considered a miner, continued to access the mine site without receiving the mandatory new miner training, despite being previously cited for this violation, MSHA reports. The mining company continued production operations in the face of an unwarrantable failure order that had not been abated, and it also allowed miners to clean the tail pulley of the main feed conveyor while the belt was in motion – a hazard MSHA says can injure… Keep Reading
Martin Marietta-Texas Industries merger approved by shareholders
Shareholders from both Martin Marietta Materials Inc. and Texas Industries overwhelmingly approved the proposed combination of the two companies at their respective meetings. According to a press release, more than 99 percent of the shares voting at the Texas Industries meeting voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. More than 98 percent of the shares voting at the Martin Marietta meeting voted in favor of the proposal to approve the issuance of Martin Marietta common stock to Texas Industries stockholders. The boards of directors of both Martin Marietta and Texas Industries previously approved an agreement under which the companies will combine, with Texas Industries becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Martin Marietta in a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction. Martin Marietta and Texas Industries have now received all necessary approvals and expect the transaction to close promptly. Keep Reading
Volvo Financial Services names president
Volvo Financial Services named Scott Rafkin president. He will start his new position July 1. According to a press release, Rafkin is currently the acting president of Volvo Financial Services and was previously CFO. He has held various senior positions within Volvo Financial Services since 2001, and he's been the acting company president since January of this year, when he replaced Martin Weissburg as president. Keep Reading
