Roanoke Cement Company's Front Royal (Va.) terminal celebrated its 10-year anniversary on October 20 with a luncheon focusing on safety.
"That may seem boring to most people," says Dwayne Whited, terminal manager. "But for us, it's pretty exciting that we have reached 10 years of operating our business without a lost-time accident, and we plan to build on that accomplishment for as long as we can."
Front Royal has been blessed with loyal and dedicated employees. Whited, along with his terminal operator, Adam Harley, have been there since the opening day. Original equipment has been updated, and in 2006 a new dust collector was installed to improve environmental performance. This year, Front Royal terminal has partnered with the Wildlife Habitat Council and is planning to add native Virginia wildflowers as well as birdhouses to its three-acre campus.
Located three hours north of Roanoke in Front Royal, the terminal shipped its first cement order to Luck Stone Corporation on October 23, 2000. The order was for 26 tons of cement to be used in cement-treated aggregate for a Virginia Department of Transportation road base.
"We've seen a lot of cement come, and a lot of cement go, and that's a good thing," says Whited. "While we want to deliver as much of our product as we can, at the same time, we want to keep our employees safe and give back to the local community by being a good environmental steward. That's our goal for the next 10 years."
Roanoke Cement Company's Front Royal terminal receives cement product via railcar and then distributes it its customers located in the Shenandoah Valley, Northern Virginia and surrounding areas. Roanoke Cement Company is a subsidiary of Titan America LLC, the premier heavy building materials producer in the eastern United States. Titan America is headquartered in Norfolk, Va., and their products include cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and fly ash beneficiation. Its parent company, Titan Cement Company, S.A., headquartered in Athens, Greece, is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, a group of companies committed to sustainable and socially responsible business practices.