What year isn’t a busy one these days for those of us in aggregates?
At Pit & Quarry, our workdays may look a little different from yours in the field, but they’re no less full – from compiling the 2025 edition of the Pit & Quarry University Handbook to ramping up for next March’s ConExpo-Con/Agg.
The monthly magazine remains the centerpiece of the P&Q universe, and our expanding online presence demands more time from us, as well. We’re particularly excited about the digital gains the brand is making with video and the bimonthly Drilling Deeper podcast.
Industry events regularly pull us around the country, too, providing perspective while keeping our content pipeline flowing. Yet, the most meaningful time – the true heartbeat of what we do at Pit & Quarry – comes when we’re with you in the quarries.
In recent days, I visited Allied Rock, Washington Rock Quarries and the Knife River Training Facility. Full coverage from these stops in Oregon and Washington will appear in the weeks ahead, although you can already view a photo slideshow here.
A common thread at each producer stop was a shared drive for excellence – one that’s prevalent among producers across the U.S.
At Allied Rock and Washington Rock Quarries, that drive transcends equipment investments and includes recent efforts to reconfigure operations to boost productivity and efficiency. Knife River, meanwhile, has gone where no producer has before with its state-of-the-art facility fully dedicated to training.
I look forward to bringing these three stories to life on the pages of Pit & Quarry in the coming months, and I want to thank everyone for their hospitality and willingness to showcase their sites. Producers aren’t always so willing, but it’s important to highlight victories like these and put them on a platform for the industry to see.
As I returned home from these visits and shared details of each stop with a friend, I was asked what the people working in aggregates are like. To answer, I retorted that I identify with producers because they embody many of the values that drive me – ones like hard work and personal responsibility.
Producers are also very people focused. They put the safety of their people before every other prerogative. They value training and teamwork, setting their people up for success. And they care about those in the communities they serve, actively participating while literally building the infrastructure those communities depend on.
In essence, our industry lives each day in kindness. And while producers are continuously innovating their operations to achieve new heights, they’re kind to one another – a refreshing concept in this day and age.
Ours is an industry to be celebrated, but perhaps the biggest reason to stop and celebrate is that our values ultimately carry the day. They’re also the ones the nation at large should instill in the generations that follow.
Slideshow: Pacific Northwest quarries and Knife River’s Training Facility
