New Kid on the Rock
Communications Specialist Shares First Impressions of Martin Marietta
It’s 30 minutes into my first day at
Martin Marietta and I’m following the
rest of the Corporate HR team to the
basement training room for a presentation.
It’s launch day for ONE. I don’t know it
just then, but what I’m hearing – about
the company, the people, the community
– will show itself time and time again over
the nex
next month.
Hear
Heart
In my
role, I work primarily with the
brand
new shiny digital signs making
their way w
across the company. Part of that
effort
includes meeting with folks in
each d
division to inspire content ideas and
encour
encourage planning ahead. In November,
I trek from f
Raleigh to Des Moines, Iowa,
to mee
meet with the Midwest Division’s
content conten
liaisons.
I’m a
a California girl by birth, so for me,
workin
working in weather conditions like the
ones th
they commonly experience there
takes heart.h
Luckily, when we pull into
Ames M
Mine, I soon find myself enjoying a
breezy breezy
55 degrees while several hundred
feet below the earth’s surface. It’s incredible
to head underground – especially for
bel
he
the
bu
the first time – to see the city they’ve
built give new meaning to the word,
“d
downtown.” From 80- to 100-foot
w
wide centers to 28-foot high
ceilings, the vastness is not at all
what I imagined it would be. They
even have green street signs with
names like “Gahan Ave.” and
“Zelnak Way”. Our trusty tour
guide – Foreman Brad Peterson
– cruises the underground streets
like a pro, so I ask, “How did you
learn your way around?”
“I’m an engineer, so I like maps,”
h
he says. “That’s what I did when
I a
ate my breakfast every morning —
I loo
looked at the maps.”
Sounds So
easy enough, but his navigation
skills skill
are prime.
N
ceil
Next, I ask about the stability of the
ceilings (Wouldn’t you!?). Turns out,
that’s literally Brad’s job, and he
assures me they are rock-solid. Another
of his jobs is to make sure the mine’s air
vents are pumping in clean, fresh oxygen
on the regular. Brad, I come to learn, is an
excellent guy to know. He simply drips
with heart.
The next day, I meet more passionate
folks from the Midwest. We start talking
about travel and various Martin sites when
David MacDonald, manager of corporate
communications, says, “No matter where
I’ve gone over the past 15 years, I’ve met
the nicest, most welcoming and helpful
folks.”
Senior Environmental Engineer Tom
Draur is in the room with us and replies,
“Well, that’s what ONE is all about – the
people who make Martin Marietta what it
is, the heart of this company.”
Goodness is my communicator’s heart
singing when I hear Tom speak those
words and, let me assure you, we did not
plant that comment! Several weeks into
my Martin tenure, I agree with Tom
because that’s the message I hear throughout
my first month, day after day – whether
at Fuquay Quarry in North Carolina,
chatting with the Ames Mine crew,
getting IS help from Service Desk Analyst
Ron Glisson in Dallas, or popping into
different offices in Raleigh. It seems to me
like we all have a heck of a lot of heart.
Legacy
Heart is crucial when building a legacy.
I may not ever see “Townsend Lane” or
“A-Town Ave.” on a green street sign down
at Ames (though I’m ready to show up for
the unveiling should it ever happen!), but I
can pour my heart into the legacy Martin
Marietta has built and continues to build,
knowing my work won’t just benefit me
and my family, but others at the company
and in our communities as well. I know
that telling the Martin Marietta story to
the people here is making a difference. I
know that being a wingman is making a
difference. I know that using my refillable
water bottle each day is making a difference.
I know this all because it’s the truth.
Communications Specialist Alyssa Townsend. tha
14 November/December 2019 The Conveyor | www.martinmarietta.com
/www.martinmarietta.com