www.martinmarietta.com | November/December 2019 The Conveyor 9
Texas Team Warms a Community
with Martin Marietta Stew
It took 30 pounds of beef, 15 pounds
of potatoes, 8 pounds of onions and
15 hours to prepare.
On a cold October night, a Martin
Marietta team from Sulphur Springs,
Texas, kept warm while cooking 20
gallons of beef stew. An entry into the
50th Annual Hopkins County Stew
Contest, the concoction ultimately
helped feed a community of hungry
stew lovers.
Sponsored by the company, the team
and its stew provided a great opportunity
to get the Martin Marietta brand in
front of the local community, said Sales
Representative Jay Johnson. Johnson
said the Hopkins County Chamber of
Commerce event featured more than
200 stew entries and was attended by
thousands from across the region.
“This was our first year doing this
and we had a lot of fun,” he said.
“There was a strong turnout and it was
great for us to get out where the public
can see us.”
Johnson credited his wife, Rosemary
Johnson, along with Ready Mix
Cell Manager Kale Tifft, and Sales
Representatives Brian Robbins, Ricky
Burchfield, Charlie Butler and J.W.
Williams for their culinary efforts.
Mechanic Larry Johnson created the
A-frame for the cast iron pot as well as
the Martin Marietta fire ring.
The team’s stew didn’t place, but
Rosemary Johnson said she and the
others weren’t disappointed.
“The important thing is that we
showed up,” she said. “We had a really
nice time, our site looked great and we
took part in an event that is a great
part of our history in this county.” ▼
Photo by Jay Johnson
Front-Line Leader Institute Concludes Successful 2019 Campaign
It was the first time the company had organized the
three-part series in several years. By all accounts, this
year’s Front-Line Leader Institute was a raging success.
In mid-November, a group of foremen, superintendents
and assistant plant managers completed the final section
of the program, venturing to Raleigh to learn more about
Martin Marietta’s overall business strategy and tour the
newly constructed central lab in Garner, North Carolina.
The workshop followed two others – one in March in
Raleigh and the second over the summer in Denver, where
the group learned about several company product lines.
“Our 2019 Front-Line Leader Institute definitely had some
large goals,” said Director of Talent Development Brad
Geiger. “Overall, we hope each of these leaders came away
with a greater understanding of Martin Marietta and their
respective roles within it.”
Geiger, who along with Vice President of Total Rewards
Kelly Bennett, designed and operated the workshop series,
said each of the participants was specifically chosen by the
company’s various division leaders. Out of the 17 selected,
four received promotions during the course of the program.
“That statistic is reflective of the caliber of individual
chosen for this program,” Geiger said. “Our divisions
selected leaders they believe to be among their best. There
was a strong mix of people at different points in their
careers as well, which was very nice to see.”
Geiger said Talent Development plans to run a similar
program for plant managers (the Plant Manager Institute)
in 2020 before returning to the Front-Line Leader Institute
in 2021. ▼
The Front-Line Leader Institute class of 2019 completed
their three-part program in Raleigh on Nov. 14.
/www.martinmarietta.com