RockTalk the Podcast

Aaron Johnston, VP of Safety, Quality and Environment, only has on his environmental hat for this conversation on the role of habitat and endangered species stewardship in aggregate mining.

He talks about Graniterock's commitment to protecting and nurturing the endangered red-legged frog among other topics.

You'll also hear Aaron's personal story on how he came to Graniterock more than 25 years ago and convinced the late Bruce Woolpert he needed a dedicated environmental expert on the team.

Graniterock aggregates, concrete and trucking will play a major role on two historic water safety projects for Flatiron Construction in 2022.
Graniterock will supply the materials and trucking services for Flatiron's Anderson Dam Tunnel Project and second phase of the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project.
Both projects are under the ownership of Valley Water and located in Morgan Hill.
Don Barrett, aggregate sales manager, Zack Booth, concrete sales manager and Nick Barrett, transportation manager, join the podcast to talk about the scope of the work and how their teams plan to deliver the quantity and quality Valley Water and Flatiron expect for these historic projects.

From the latest incident rate trend to Covid-19 vaccine mandates, Graniterock Safety Director Paul Cianciarulo covers a lot of ground in this episode.

Paul opens up on the great work being done by members of the safety team, gets into the importance of why all Graniterock People need to embrace Courage and Grace and finishes with some great safety tips for the upcoming holidays.

Big thanks to Robert Ellenwood for hosting and editing this episode!

00;00  Intro
00;40  Paul talks about the challenges in the first half and the Key Drivers for the positive safety trend in the second half 
03;23  Stop Make It Safe, Stop Work Authority
04;45  Safety Rock Star Program
07;16  Courage & Grace
08;36  Suicide Prevention and Mental Wellness
11;43  Introduction to the new Safety Team and some changes
14;33  Covid-19, Delta Variant Update
18;34  Wrapping up, Holiday Tips and Reminders!
22;20  Final Thoughts

Mental health issues, including suicide, aren’t easy to talk about.

Yet, construction workers are affected by mental health issues at a much higher rate than most other occupations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the suicide rate for construction workers "alarmingly high."

In 2016, the suicide rate for men in construction and extraction occupations was 49.4/100,000 people, almost twice the total suicide rate for civilian working men. 

It was five times greater than the rate for all fatal work-related injuries in the construction industry in 2018 (9.5/100,000), according to the CDC.

With this in mind, we want to bring attention to the issue and change the conversation in a way that bypasses the stigma.

Suicide hotlines: 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK.

Graniterock’s Employee Assistance Program is a convenient and highly confidential program that allows team members to connect with friendly, licensed counselors to help resolve depression and other grievances.

Discussions with an EAP counselor are held in the strictest confidence in accordance with professional ethics and state law.

Names of team members who seek EAP services are never shared with Graniterock.

Contacting an EAP counselor starts with a phone call to 800-EAP-1711.

More resources available here: https://constructionsuicideprevention.com/.

In this episode...Graniterock President and CEO Tom Squeri answers hot button questions on the topic of Covid-19 vaccines and whether the Company will mandate the shot for employment.

Will Graniterock require unvaccinated team members to test weekly?
Why doesn't the Compay require all team members receive the vaccine?
Why would we get a vaccine that doesn't work?
How do we know the vaccine isn't part of the problem?
What can we do to respect people's rights and not create a culture of division among team members? 
Plus many others!

Tom delivers information that impacts every team member across the Company.

Tom understands not everyone sees the vaccine subject in the same way and some people have real concern about receiving it.
Yet, the vaccine is critical to running a safe business, similar to the stand we take on hard hats and fall protection because they keep team members safe from hazards in the workplace.

Besides coronavirus and vaccines, Tom talks about the impact of climate change on Graniterock and what we're doing to build a greener future.

We also get a rundown of how the Company has performed in 2021 and what could be in store if the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill finally gets passed.

We end this episode on a high note as Tom talks about Julie Giannotta's promotion to Chief Accounting Officer and the plan for replacing CFO Steve Snodgrass when he retires in early 2022.

San Francisco Bay Area levees, on average, need to be raised 7 feet over the next 80 years to protect cities and infrastructure from severe damage and flooding caused by expected sea level rise. 
The only way levees can be built taller and stronger is with clean dirt excavated from construction sites in the region.
This levee restoration project under way at Eden Landing Ecological Preserve near Union City is one example of work necessary to restore the region's shoreline. It demonstrates the important relationship between the construction industry and the environement. We are on the same team!

Dave Halsing - Executive Project Manager, California State Coastal Conservancy
Pat Mapelli - Land Use Manager, Graniterock
Lisa Prasad - Soil Distribution Manager, Graniterock
Butch Paredes - Land Use Site Manager, Graniterock

Dave     00:20
Pat.        01:52
Lisa.      02:40
Butch  03:19
Pat.       04:35

Get an inside look at a pilot project where Caltrans is recyling an existing section of Highway 1 near Pescadero.
Reusing the existing pavement gives Caltrans and cities and counties the opportunity to stretch their budgets up to 30%.
Not to mention, this pavement rehabiliation process is an A+ for the environment in many ways.
Listen to the CIR Team as they explain the project and process it took to complete this job!

Watch the project video at: https://youtu.be/q3I0NDBOye4

Contact the Graniterock Pavement Recycling Group at :
Dennis McElroy,
[email protected]
408-639-8063

CIR Management Team
Dennis McElroy - Pavement Recycling Group, Manager
Anthony Silva - PRG Quality Control, Manager
Ed Schwartz - PRG CIR/FDR Operations Manager

Timeline
00;00  Intro
01;40  Audio from Video Begins
06;33  Audio from Video Ends
06;52  The Plan, Dennis
07;54  Why Caltrans Chose This Project to Test, Dennis
09;46  Logistics, Ed
12;17  One Company Effort, Anthony
14;40  Conditions, Ed, Anthony & Dennis  
17;04  Next Project with Caltrans, Dennis & Ed 
20;08  How Graniterock Connected the Dots with Caltrans, Anthony
26;14  Sustainability, Importance of Leading by Example, Dennis
28;07  Expanding the Opportunities, Ed
28;45  Smoothness Requirements, Anthony
31;11  End

In this episode, Scott Helf, from Silicon Valley Demolition (SVDI) shares with us how the demolition industry has changed in the world of Covid and what SVDI accomplished while pivoting its business during that time, priming SVDI for great growth.

Shanna sits down with John Torres, Graniterock Bay Area Private Works Area Manager and Helen M. O'Brien, CTE & Career Coordinator for Aragon High School in San Mateo. 

Helen and John have teamed up on many presentations to high school students who might consider something besides college after high school. 

Rather than attending college, there are many options to move into a vocation and kick-start a great career. 
Take a listen to the update on the program and how well it is being received!

It is not always necessary to go to college to have a great career. 
Many high school graduates head straight into construction as a viable and exciting way to kick start a career that can last a lifetime. 
Listen to a few of our Graniterock Rock Stars share the stories of what led them to this industry and why they're here to stay.

00;00 Intro
00;46 Joseph Gernler - Laborer, Construction Division
01;24 Rosa Isais - Inside Sales, Northern Road Materials
01;54 Josh Congdon - Heavy Equipment Operator, Construction Division
03;17 Rachel Cosio - Estimating Administrator, Construction Division 
04;23 Vinnie Ruigomez - Grade Setter, Construction Division
04;55 Joseph Gernler - Laborer, Construction Division
06;00 Rosa Isais - Inside Sales, Northern Road Materials
06;34 Josh Congdon - Heavy Equipment Operator, Construction Division
07;15 Rachel Cosio - Estimating Administrator, Construction Division 
07;54  Vinnie Ruigomez - Grade Setter, Construction Division
08;56 End