Drilling Deeper: A Pit & Quarry podcast

Pit & Quarry caught up with an assortment of industry leaders at AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo, including Capital Aggregates’ Jamie Jones, Wm. D. Scepaniak’s John Scepaniak, Rogers Group’s Thabiso Bolebano, Machinery Partner’s Clement Cazalot, Philippi-Hagenbuch’s Josh Swank, Major’s Ian Edwards, Wingfield Scale’s Dan Caine and Dodge Industrial’s Nick Roseto.

This episode’s guests reflect on their AGG1 2025 experience while sharing what they saw and heard on the trade show floor at America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis.

Additionally, co-hosts Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski of Pit & Quarry present their own recap of AGG1. They also reflect on the 2025 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which ushered in EccoFab’s Gerry Bauer, Ron DeDiemar, Vulcan Materials’ Tom Hill and Symons Brothers Co.’s Edgar B. Symons as the newest members.

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

 In this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” managing editor Jack Kopanski is joined by Kevin Hambrice and Don Ruppert of TerraSource to discuss the company’s latest equipment and technology developments, as well as how TerraSource has continued to grow in recent years.

Hambrice, CEO of TerraSource, kicks off the interview by discussing the role legacy brands under the TerraSource umbrella (Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher) play in the company’s overall success. Additionally, Hambrice dives into TerraSource’s 2023 addition of Elgin Separation Solutions and its 2024 acquisition of Peninsula Iron Works. 

Then, Ruppert, global director at TerraSource, shares the company’s plans for AGG1, highlighting the innovations TerraSource will have on display in St. Louis. Hambrice and Ruppert also share how the company has been taking customer feedback to enhance its predictive monitoring and preventative maintenance offerings.

There’s plenty more to hear in this episode. Check it out now!

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Nick Pearman, senior director of operations service and support at Rogers Group, joins the show to explore a variety of equipment and technology topics. 

 Pearman dives into autonomous hauling and what Rogers Group is watching on this front. He also discusses industrywide AI opportunities, trends like digitalization and electrification, and how underground mine technology is a space the company is watching.

Additionally, Pearman offers his view of the business environment around aggregates, detailing factors that should ultimately determine how producers fare in 2025. 

Nick Pearman Interview: 4:07 – 29:20

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

In this episode of "Drilling Deeper," three members of the Buffalo (formerly Buffalo Wire Works) leadership team join P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski to discuss the company's equipment and technology offerings, plans for AGG1 and much more.

Hear from Joe Abramo (chairman and CEO), Max Davis (president) and Christine Abramo (vice president of business development and marketing). The trio dives into the history of the company and how it operates as a "156-year-old startup," as well as what the future holds for the company and its recent decision to rebrand as "Buffalo."

Later in the interview, you'll hear about the company's tech squad and product suite and how Buffalo is positioning itself as more than a wire company. Finally, Joe, Max and Christine share what AGG1 attendees can expect to find at their booth in March in St. Louis.

For more information about anything you hear in this episode, email [email protected], visit www.buffalowire.com or find them on LinkedIn. 

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Special bonus episode:

Evan Bender, director of government affairs at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), sat down with P&Q’s Kevin Yanik at the 2025 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference to discuss the political landscape and what’s ahead for the industry as it relates to the new Trump administration and the 119th Congress.

 Bender details what’s next for the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, as well as what could transpire in Washington leading into September 2026 when the five-year infrastructure bill expires.

Additionally, Bender reflects on the Congressional Aggregates Caucus and the ROCKS Act working group, highlighting the value each is expected to provide the industry. He touches on the workforce and what might be in the works to address this ongoing industry challenge, as well as respirable crystalline silica and how NSSGA is advising aggregate producers before enforcement of the new Mine Safety & Health Administration rule begins in April 2026.

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Richard Luck, who was named president of Luck Companies in November, joined the magazine early this year to discuss a variety of topics pertaining to his company.

Luck shares his experience growing up in the family business while detailing the yearslong efforts that prepared him for his new role. Luck also reflects on his short- and long-term goals for Luck Companies and how a new generation of leadership is in place alongside him at the company.

Additionally, Luck discusses the company’s autonomous hauling project with Caterpillar, how the company is keeping up with digitalization, what safety means to him, and which markets Luck Companies will focus on in the coming years.

Richard Luck Interview: 3:13-45:08

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Douglas-Rulmeca president Paul Ross pays P&Q a visit to share company updates. Ross offers a behind-the-scenes view on Rulmeca's 2023 acquisition of Douglas while providing insights about maximizing conveyor performance.

Additionally, hear from Ross about Douglas-Rulmeca’s new idler plant in Pell City, Alabama. Learn about the new PSV idler, how Douglas-Rulmeca aims to achieve a stronger global supply chain, and more.

For more information about anything you hear in this episode, email [email protected] or visit www.douglasmanufacturing.com

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Chris Williamson, assistant secretary of the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) joins the show as a special guest to look back on his two and a half years heading the agency that develops and enforces safety and health rules for all U.S. mines. With Jan. 20 being his last day at MSHA, Williamson touches on the agency’s respirable crystalline silica rule and how technology can play a role in curbing mining accidents. He also discusses what’s driving the most serious accidents and how the industry and MSHA can work together to promote mining’s benefits.

Timestamps: 
Chris Williamson Interview: 3:45 - 27:50

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

The 2024 year-end episode of “Drilling Deeper” welcomes in two leaders from the aggregate industry’s producer ranks: John Sather, vice president of aggregates at Utah-based Whitaker Construction; and Cody Ladd, president and COO of Minnesota-based Kraemer Mining & Materials. Sather discusses a variety of topics during his visit, including the regulatory environment, solutions to workforce challenges, Whitaker Construction’s ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) model, and what’s driving construction materials demand in Salt Lake City. Ladd, meanwhile, touches on how Kraemer Mining & Materials fared in 2024, as well as the role inclement weather plays in aggregates. Additionally, Ladd discusses the positive pricing momentum the industry has experienced in the last couple of years, as well as the rate of growth that he sees as the most sustainable.

Timestamps:

John Sather Interview: 4:39 – 23:57
Cody Ladd Interview: 30:46 – 43:03

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.

Sunrock chairman Bryan Pfohl and COO Zach Satterwhite visit with P&Q to share their company’s story. Celebrating Sunrock’s 75th anniversary in 2024, Pfohl and Satterwhite discuss the company’s shift four decades ago from New York to the Tar Heel State; the growth of the market in Raleigh, North Carolina; why Sunrock integrated vertically over the years; and what the future holds.

Timestamps:
Bryan Pfohl & Zach Satterwhite Interview: 6:39 – 36:47

For 108 years, Pit & Quarry magazine has been the premier monthly aggregate processing information source. Through multiple platforms, we deliver the very latest in equipment and technology news and information that is critical for safely achieving the highest level of efficiency and profitability. Editors Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski cover the market in print, online and through e-newsletters. As respected industry insiders, they moderate the annual Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference and speak at industry conferences and meetings.
 
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Also, follow us on YouTube to see full-length episodes of the podcast, watch our Road to Prosperity videos and see other clips from our travels and events.