Intermountain Contractor - Paving Contractor Garners Numerous Industry Hono

by Intermountain Contractor

Staker & Parson Companies takes home industry awards for their efforts in environmental compliance and community outreach. MHTN's landscape architects are honored for their design by supplier Rain Bird and Ogden structural engineering firm ARW wins awards for steel work at Davis County Conference facility.

Staker & Parson Lauded for Environment and Community Efforts
The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) announced that Staker & Parson Companies, of Ogden, Utah, is the winner of the 2004 NAPA Ecological Award for a Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Facility, sponsored by Roads & Bridges Magazine. The company received this national award on at a special ceremony at the Association’s 50th Annual Convention "Pavement Paradise" in Hawaii.

"NAPA selects the award recipients using rigorous criteria to evaluate the environmental friendliness of their operations," says Charles F. Potts, Chairman of the NAPA Board of Directors. "The judges determined that Staker & Parson Companies operates in an exemplary manner."

Staker & Parson Companies won the award for its HMA facility located at the company?s corporate headquarters in Ogden, Utah. Originally built in 1985, the plant was replaced in 2000 with a newer facility that produces an average of 2000 tons of HMA a day. The plant has already earned NAPA's Diamond Achievement Commendation for Excellence in HMA Plant/Site Operations.

"Our company has been around since 1952, and we have always tried to go above and beyond what?s normally considered appropriate for a construction company," says Patrick Clark, Environmental Advisor for Staker and Parson Companies.

The company uses best management practices to control discharges and emissions at the plant site. Employees frequently wash down the facility?s equipment and the surrounding area to control dust. All of this water, as well as storm water runoff from the site, is captured with a system of underground drains and an on-site containment area. The plant operates with such low emissions that it was permitted to process contaminated soil during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

NAPA determined that the site looks attractive, an important consideration since it can be seen from the adjacent freeway and the area?s main thoroughfares. It includes extensive landscaping with trees, grass, shrubs and flowerbeds. The vegetation that has grown around the containment area now provides a habitat for many species of wild animals.

"We put a lot of money into keeping our plants successfully running and mechanically sound. We also place a huge amount into the aesthetics of all of our sites," said Greg Gordon, Staker & Parson Companies' asphalt plant superintendent.

Community Outreach Program Honored
The NAPA also honored Staker & Parson Companies with the 2004 Community Involvement Award.
The company won the award for "Rocks Build Our World," an outreach program for elementary schools that the company started in 1997.

"NAPA understands how important it is for the companies in our industry to participate in and support their communities," said Charles F. Potts, Chairman of the NAPA Board of Directors. "This award reflects the high priority that Staker & Parson Companies places upon its relationship with its neighbors."

The Rocks Build Our World program includes both group tours of the company's corporate office facility and classroom visits targeted to fourth graders.

The classroom visits start with some basic information on geology, mining methods and the uses of minerals in every day life. Students then enjoy a "cookie mining" session where they remove the chocolate chips from cookies (while reclaiming their site by placing all crumbs back into a designated area).

Winners of this game receive Rocks Build Our World tee shirts and other prizes. Students see a miniature aggregate operation, demonstrating the mining to material production to reclamation process. They also watch the "Rockman" music video. The program ends with a question and answer session. Children are given activity books that highlight Rocky and Sandy, characters created for the program, as they explore the different uses of aggregates in a community.

"We want to educate the public so they understand the necessity of aggregate and their importance in our economy," said Patrick Clark, Staker & Parson Companies environmental adviser. "Most people don’t realize that over nine tons of aggregates are produced for every American each year. Aggregates are integral to our standard of living."

During the 2003-2004 school year, more than 860 students from pre-school age to fourth grade took part in one of these programs. It was also presented to 150 educators and teachers at a symposium sponsored by the National Energy Foundation.

"The reaction has been fantastic," said Clark. "When we started, we were contacting the schools and asking them if we could come in and do the presentations. Now we're at the point where schools are proactive in contacting us. So far in 2005, we have presented the program to over 1,000 students."

Jack B. Parson Companies Honored Industry Association
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) announced that Jack B. Parson Companies is the winner of two national Environmental Excellence Awards for its West Haven, Utah and Salt Lake City, Utah (California Avenue) ready-mixed concrete plants. The awards were presented at NRMCA's annual convention held in conjunction with the CONEXPO/CON AGG construction exposition.

NRMCA's Environmental Excellence competition recognizes ready-mixed concrete producers for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. In its tenth year, the program salutes companies that have not only met, but also surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through innovative management practices, plant operations, maintenance, and staff investment.

"We are honored to receive recognition from the NRMCA and our industry," said Scott Parson, vice president of Jack B. Parson Company.

"The Environmental Excellence Award is presented to operators who have best demonstrated environmental excellence and innovative management," said NRMCA president Robert Garbini. "Jack B. Parson Companies has met these standards and we are pleased to honor them with this award."

A panel consisting of regulatory officials, industry and environmental consultants judges the entries on a written narrative covering 10 criteria.

Judges also depend heavily on photographs of plants to complete their evaluations. Any member company of NRMCA in good standing, producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the United States, its territories, or Canada is eligible for the award. NRMCA currently has 1550 members.
  NEWS | PROJECTS | COMMUNITY