If you walk through a Vulcan Materials operation on any given day, you might spot Tom Hill.
For the chairman and CEO of Vulcan Materials, this isn’t a public relations stunt but a regular occurrence. Ask Vulcan employees past and present, and they’ll tell you: Hill is a man of the people.
“He is a person who appreciates the lowest hourly worker in the plants and the quarries, and he appreciates those people in the C-suite,” says Danny Shepherd, who held a variety of positions at Vulcan throughout his 33 years at the company. “That approach, which I think was probably bred in him from the time he was a little boy, helped him be very successful at Vulcan.
“He doesn’t have a ‘sit in the corner office’ style of management,” Shepherd adds. “He’s out there among the ‘troops,’ and the team appreciates it. They recognize that he really wants to know what’s going on throughout the organization. He’s not an ivory tower guy.”
During Shepherd’s stint as executive vice president and COO, Hill, who was at the time senior vice president of Vulcan’s South region, reported directly to Shepherd. This arrangement gave Shepherd a front-row seat to Hill’s development and rise through the company.
“He was always willing to learn from his mistakes,” Shepherd says. “If he made a mistake, he only made it once. He’s always been curious and willing to ask for advice. He’s not a stubborn corporate executive who won’t change his course of action if someone can convince him he’s headed in the wrong direction.”
Hill’s path
Hill joined Vulcan in 1979 as an operations trainee. He worked for Vulcan until 1990, when he joined Redlands Stone Products in a sales and operations management role.
In 1996, Hill rejoined Vulcan as vice president and general manager of the Southwest division. Eighteen years later, he was named president and CEO of the company. Later, Hill was elected as chairman of the board upon the retirement of Don James.
Prior to his appointment as president, CEO and chairman, Hill served in several other roles at Vulcan. These positions included vice president and COO, senior vice president of Vulcan’s South region, and president of Vulcan’s former Florida Rock division.
“As it relates to the construction aggregates business, you might say Tom has done it all,” says Tom Ransdell, who worked with Hill for more than 20 years at Vulcan. “From the lowest-level supervisor – in his college years, he worked at Vulcan quarries in the summer where he had a myriad of basic level jobs – to his long and successful tenure as Vulcan’s CEO and chairman, [Hill has a plethora of experience].”
James, who served Vulcan as CEO from 1997 to 2014, expressed his confidence in Hill when the company underwent its transition at the top.
“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,” James said in 2014 following Hill’s appointment to president and CEO. “Tom is a proven leader with vast operational and industry experience and superlative management skills. He is the right person at the right time to lead our company forward in its next phase of growth.
“Given his strong track record at Vulcan, deep understanding of our organization and close relationship with the management team, we are confident that Tom will transition seamlessly into this new role,” James added in 2014.
Setting himself apart
As one of Hill’s mentors during his rise through Vulcan, Ransdell was privy to Hill’s development. Ransdell, who retired in 2004, began working with Hill shortly after Hill joined Vulcan.
“Historically, one of Vulcan’s core cultures has been its ability to train and develop its people,” Ransdell says. “Tom Hill is definitely a product of that strength. I first met Tom in the 1980s when he was hired and joined one of Vulcan’s operations training programs. As Tom progressed in his development, it was obvious he was a quick study and a fast learner.
“By the late 1990s, he advanced to positions of general management where he demonstrated his strong leadership, problem-solving and negotiating skills, as well as his understanding for success in the aggregate [industry],” Ransdell adds.
Ransdell, for one, is not surprised Hill achieved the success he has at Vulcan.
“Tom is not only of high business acumen but is also an outstanding husband, father and grandfather,” Ransdell says. “There is no doubt he is of super character and has respect for his business associates, as well as the employees of Vulcan.”
Shepherd reinforces that sentiment.
“Tom has great respect for the company’s forefathers,” Shepherd says. “Oftentimes, executives think it’s all about them. Tom has never been like that. He’s always had great respect for the Vulcan history, and he’s never lost sight of that.”
