I can honestly state that I have never been prouder of the employees of this Company and the sister companies than I have been this year.

We entered a bidding environment last fall and through the summer of 2003 with a severe shortage of work on which to bid. But, we kept the charge on and continued to bid some work, very cheaply. Our backlog eventually filled up. Our spirits, at times, were down, but our attitudes remained positive. When we got work, we did the work in a very positive and productive manner. It made a difference in our year.

Our improved attitude toward safety helped us get through the year with no major injuries or accidents. This has been reflected in a very slow year in our paint room and body shop. That’s a good thing! As we continue this trend in safety, we will find our insurance companies will be much more willing to quote us insurance. We still have a long way to go in preventing smaller accidental mishaps, but we have managed to improve our safety record. This will only make us more competitive down the road in a very difficult job market.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize just a few people in this organization who have stepped forward at a young age and taken great leadership roles with the Company.

First is Jason Spooner. We always knew that Jason was an up and comer. But this year he has excelled at coordinating dirt crews and paving crews in addition to participating in bidding and quoting many jobs. He has been instrumental in keeping our crushing and recycling crew, led by Brian Novak, busy on profitable crushing work all this construction season. He recognizes many opportunities that our crews excel in and capitalizes on their strengths.

Jason has worked with Jeremy Holland and Kenny Alexander, Jr. this summer and we have done work this year that we have sub-contracted out in the past. This makes us stronger and more versatile than we have ever been. After Thanksgiving, we will have Kenny, Jr. take on the job of moving 200,000 CY of overburden at our Montour Quarry. Instead of having Wendling Quarry have another dirt company moving this dirt, we are keeping this work for our employees and equipment. It’s a big job, but these guys are anxious for the challenge.   

Another rising star (among many) is Brian Armstrong, Steve Armstrong’s brother, from Deep River. He was asked to go to Illowa in Blue Grass to lead a paving crew this summer. Prior to this time, Brian was with the portable asphalt crew, running the loader and helping around the plant. He didn’t know much about laying hot mix when he left us to work in eastern Iowa, but he is learning. What he is doing well is bringing his positive attitude to work every day, and he is building a positive team to work with in the future. He will help build an already great company. I want to thank Brian for taking the challenge and for the portable asphalt crew for letting a good man leave their crew.

As much as anything around this Company, I enjoy the young people stepping up to the plate and taking on new roles and responsibilities. Our future looks great!

Finally, thanks to all the spouses for allowing your loved ones the time it takes to get our jobs done. We know you make great sacrifices during the construction season. We very much appreciate your sacrifices.

    Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!