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CH A NG ING THE FACE O F New Aggregates Operation to Serve Growing I-35 Corridor and Beyond It’s primed to provide high-quality rock to some of the fastest growing cities in the country and its equipment is tested and true. Still, for Pat Kinser, it’s not the market or the mechanics that will make Hunter Stone an exceptional aggregates operation. “Bottom line, it’s the people,” the plant manager says. “This team is experienced. They love what they do. They’re the reason behind this quarry’s success – both now and in the future.” From its equipment to its people, every aspect of Hunter Stone was designed with a specific purpose: to allow Martin Marietta to thrive in the expansive Texas market for decades. Built beside the company’s Hunter Cement Plant in New Braunfels, Texas, the new aggregates site officially went online on April 1. The $37 million operation is expected to maintain and eventually grow the company’s business in the San Antonio area, which had been served by New Braunfels Quarry before that site reached the end of its lifecycle late last year. Central Texas Aggregates Regional Vice President-General Manager Chance Allen says the capabilities of the new operation far exceed what was possible with New Braunfels Quarry. “Hunter allows us to efficiently reach into the Austin market in a way we never could and that’s definitely a city in which we want our presence to grow,” he says. “It’s also worth noting that Hunter lends itself to a great number of synergies. There’s going to be a lot of downstream activity with regard to both ready mix and cement volumes.” While Hunter Stone was mechanically designed using much of the equipment once housed at New Braunfels Quarry, Engineering Project Manager Jon McGee says the new site includes a number of features that make it more modern, including “upsized” plant equipment that will allow for increased production and a water recycling system that maximizes the efficiency of the site’s water usage and eliminates the need for a settling pond. “This system is a major plant improve- ment,” he says. “It will allow Hunter Stone to recycle and reuse about 90 percent of its plant water.” Another element of New Braunfels Quarry that has been recycled is its team; about 28 former New Braunfels employees today bring their knowledge and experience to Hunter Stone. Kinser says the movement of people began in October 2016 and involved shifting about 23 employees to Beckmann Quarry, Webberville Sand & Gravel and Garwood Sand & Gravel while asking the remaining five to complete the “ground work” of the Hunter project. Southwest Division President Larry Roberts has nothing but praise for the process and specifically points to the character and technical know-how of Martin Marietta’s people that allowed for its success. “The New Braunfels team is a great group and they have performed remarkably well throughout this transition,” he says. “The Central Texas and Corporate engineering teams also have done a tremendous job. They’ve successfully transitioned New Braunfels’ assets and built a plant that will fulfill market requirements for years to come.” Though aggregates people have been on the ground at Hunter since last fall, it wasn’t until March of this year that the entire Hunter Stone crew began work at the site. When they arrived, they were greeted by an established cement team that had spent years growing into its own operational patterns, protocols and 20 September/October 2017 The Conveyor | www.martinmarietta.com A conveyor rises into the sky at Hunter Stone (top). The scale house at the new operation has a modern facade and has been landscaped with stone found on-site (middle). (Bottom) Much of Hunter Stone’s equipment is recycled, but the plant will produce 25 percent more material than what was possible at New Braunfels Quarry.


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