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Author: Victor Rosado

Community Giving is Back in Full Swing

Boxley is known throughout the communities we serve for many reasons; being active participants to improve the community’s quality of life is one of them. So, in 2021, we were able to get back to being hands-on and find ways to provide the largest impact.

We started the year with a gift to the Virginia Museum of Natural History which produced a virtual education programming partnership that can be tapped into by following the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Facebook. Our $10,000 gift supports the promotion and delivery of the museum’s virtual education program throughout 2021 and 2022. These programs, in turn, support STEM learning among the younger generations in our communities.

In response to our 2020 monetary donation that fed our communities, Boxley was able to put boots on the ground in Dillwyn, VA, to participate in Feeding Southwest Virginia’s Mobile Food Pantry. In addition, we were able to utilize the food donation boxes we helped provide in 2020. Finally, our employees held donation drives in the summer of 2021 to help Feeding America partners have another multimillion-dollar food distribution year.

Edna Hall took it upon herself to make a difference by partnering with the Red Cross to support the Salem VA (Veterans Affairs) after COVID made donations and visitations exceptionally hard.

Our donations aren’t exclusively in the form of time and money. For example, when contacted to donate concrete for a sidewalk and slab to honor the community donors that made their Bridging the Gap project a success, we couldn’t say no.

Our volunteer and donation efforts wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t partner with United Way. Our 96th year was another example of our year-over-year increased donations. Through the generosity of our employees and the company’s equal match promise coupled with our other efforts throughout the community, we were humbled to receive the Spirit of the Community Award.

Stay tuned for 2022 to see what Boxley has going on in terms of projects and community involvement.

Boxley Supports STEM Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills prepare young people for the fast-growing occupations in the construction materials industry that will impact their futures.

Boxley’s Explore the Earth program works with our local public and homeschooled students to meet grade 5’s Earth Science Standards of Learning (SOL). Students learn about geology firsthand with a quarry tour and participate in an engaging presentation by our engineers and environmental experts as to the role aggregate plays in daily life and how it is produced.

Our partnership with the Virginia Museum of Natural History is another STEM education focus area. With our virtual education programming partnership donation at the beginning of the year, the museum will be better positioned to deliver a combination of STEM educational programs led by VMNH educators and scientists, with various programs provided to schools, families, and general social media audiences.

“Connecting with as many students as possible throughout the Commonwealth is always a goal of the museum and Boxley’s support this past year has made that goal even more achievable,” said Christy Deatherage, education manager at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. “Because of Boxley’s financial support, the museum was able to provide additional educational programming to K-12 classes throughout our local region, from Roanoke to Lynchburg to right here in our own backyard in Martinsville.” If you’re a teacher or homeschool facilitator, contact us to schedule a tour for our Explore the Earth program. And don’t forget to check out the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Facebook to catch their STEM-backed postings.

Aggregate Employee Carries On Family Tradition

A path to a career in construction, specifically at our Fieldale quarry, was laid out to Stacy Barbour before graduating high school. Throughout his 22 years at Boxley, Stacy’s ability to utilize team input for forward-looking plans has been instrumental in accomplishing goals. It did not go unnoticed—no matter the position he held.

“My dad was a truck driver; he hauled a lot of material out of this location during the daytime and worked at night. One time, right before I was about to graduate high school, we were here getting loaded with crusher-run. As the loader approached the truck, he looked at me and said, ‘learn how to work on those things, and you can make some money.’ So, I joined the Army, and that’s what I did. When I got out, I came back to Fieldale where it all started.”—Stacy Barbour (Operations Manager at Fieldale Quarry)

Stacy has held five different positions since joining Boxley through an acquisition in 1999: all but one stationed out of Fieldale. He started in the mobile equipment shop and accepted the Leadman role for the stationary plant on the second shift within two years. He was promoted to Maintenance Foreman, a position he held for over a decade before accepting the Director of Safety position. Within the year, he would again get promoted and headed back to Fieldale to take on his current role—Operations Manager.

Leading by example, Stacy shares what he thinks the younger generations need to know about pursuing a career in construction, “Work hard! When you have ideas that could make a difference in the industry, bring them up. Challenge yourself by taking growth opportunities.”

There are a lot of skilled trades within the mining industry; if you are a young adult with questions about a future Career in Construction, please reach out to Manisha Hall at (540) 777-7613. Or if you are interested in next year’s Management Trainee Intern program, click here.

Asphalt Employee: An Inspiration To Women

When looking for a career, Latosha Mabins looked no further than becoming a woman with a career in asphalt construction. A good income, ability to travel, and opportunity to utilize her commercial driver’s license (CDL) were all boxes checked off when she found her position at Boxley.

“I enjoy working outside and seeing different things, I always have. I get to step outside the box and learn different skills hands-on.” – Latosha Mabins (Slurry Crew Superintendent)

LaTosha Mabin

It is important in any career to feel valued and as though there is room to grow. Latosha started with Boxley in 2019 as a distributor operator and served in a variety of roles such as timekeeper, and nurse truck operator. Her hard work and dedication propelled her to her current role—Slurry Crew Superintendent.

Taking on a role of authority is not meant for everyone. However, Latosha has met and overcame the challenge of working alongside people from different backgrounds and work ethics. Ensuring that the job gets done no matter what is another trait that exemplifies why she is in her position.

When asked for advice to tell younger generations deciding their way, Latosha said, “I would tell the younger generation of women: never allow another’s opinion of your lifestyle to make you feel like you can’t do a job. Because you can…we can!”

If you are like Latosha and looking to join other women in asphalt construction, click here for the open position nearest you.

Boxley Tackles Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

In 2020, as our nation began to confront social justice issues, Boxley began a formal process to determine how our company can be more intentional about our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts.

A team of eight employees from different business lines, backgrounds, and demographics joined together to begin the needed awareness. Open conversations gave a raw look at where Boxley stacked up according to the employees and where they saw room for improvement. By adding a Commitment Statement to DE&I and updating our Company Vision and Core Beliefs, the team set a precedence that the company will uphold.

“When I was approached about being a part and taking charge of the DE&I team, I knew our work was going to be the beginning of a difference within the company. The team came up with great suggestions and insight that were met with positive feedback and encouragement from our Leadership Team. We want to continue to be a step ahead in meeting challenges like this. I’m excited to see the future of this program and am optimistic about the path it will lead the company down.” – Stacy Barbour (Quarry Manager- Fieldale/DE&I Chairperson)

Vision

We will be the industry leader in all facets of our business with the diverse talent to sustain it.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Boxley’s culture will be inclusive, where all employees are valued for their diversity of ability, backgrounds, and perspectives with equitable opportunities for growth and advancement. We will recruit, retain, foster, and reward diverse talent that enables Boxley to deliver the highest quality, innovative products, and services that make us an industry leader.

Company Core Beliefs

  • Work safely
  • Hire, train, retain and promote the best people
  • Involve our employees in the decision-making process
  • Maintain an inclusive and supportive workplace
  • Respect differing opinions and encourage healthy debate
  • Provide equitable opportunities for personal growth and professional development
  • Reward outstanding contributions throughout the organization
  • Be honest
  • Build long-term relationships
  • Deliver quality from the ground up
  • Be active participants in improving the quality of life in our communities
  • Be responsible stewards of the environment
  • Commit to be a little better at what we do each and every day
  • Earn profits to support our corporate growth and beliefs

To stay up to date on all things Boxley, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

United Way Recognizes Boxley’s Spirit

Since 1906, Boxley has helped to build and strengthen our communities from the ground up. Whether through volunteerism, product donations or financial support, we are dedicated to help improve the quality of life in the communities where we work, live and play.

Recently, we were pleased to receive one of United Way’s highest honors, the Spirit of the Community Award, for continuing to put boots on the ground and putting our Core Beliefs into action.

We were humbled to have our outstanding year-round support of United Way and our whole community recognized.

“Boxley’s relationship with United Way extends past any current employees’ tenure. Those before us put the building blocks in place and set the bar high for the company’s standard. It’s an honor to be a part of a company that not only makes promises to the community but sticks to them and delivers. We would not have achieved this recognition without the efforts of our employees in 2021. I have high hopes looking to 2022 that we will, once again, make a significant impact to the quality of life in the communities we live and work in.”—Sherry Foutz (Executive Administrative Assistant)

Boxley has supported United Way for 96 years and counting. Year over year, we have consistently increased our donations through the generosity of our employees and the company’s equal match promise. In 2021, six United Way organizations distributed our funds across the communities Boxley serves.

Our recent award also recognized our participation with Feeding America. In 2021, we ran a company-wide food drive, volunteering, and sponsorship with food collection bins and a mobile food pantry in Dillwyn, VA—feeding a total of 7,800 meals.

Don’t wait for another award to come our way; make sure to stay up to date on Boxley activities throughout the year by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Driver Appreciation Week Is Every Week

At Boxley, we think every week should be National Truck Driver Appreciation Week because we always appreciate our men and women behind the wheel and the dedication, they give to safety on the job every day.

Over A Million Miles Without Accident

“Our drivers show up every day ready to put safety first, over a million miles without an accident is a huge accomplishment, and I just want to say thank you to our men and women that made it a reality.”

– Andy Vassar (Boxley Safety Director)

Boxley supports driver safety by covering the cost to maintain Medical Examiner’s Certificate (MEC) and the SMITH driver driving program. If you have your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a dedication to safe driving and are looking to join a team of top-ranking driving with outstanding pay and benefits; check out our locations with CDL openings today, here.

Employee Makes A Difference for Salem Veterans Affairs

Boxley’s own Edna Hall heard how hard COVID made donations and visitations to the Salem VA (Veterans Affairs) and decided to strike out and make a difference independently. Knowing that Boxley asks its employees to donate yearly to similar causes, she did not want to add the pressure of another donation collection or drive to her fellow workmates.

“At the time, I didn’t know what Boxley might be doing this year or what we’d be asking employees to participate in, but I knew I had to do something. A couple of questions later, and I had a list of items needed by the Red Cross and information on the therapy pet project”—Edna Hall (Scales/Customer Service) 

Edna from Boxley Materials Company

Edna’s contact at the Red Cross thought her action plan was a great idea and agreed to have the donations go directly to Salem VA. Desired items are those that many of us may take for granted daily: lip balm, nail clippers, denture cleaning tabs and adhesive cream, brushes, etc. Then, of course, there are the items that improve quality of life: coloring books, colored pencils, crosswords, playing cards, coffee, and more.

After collecting the items that Salem needed, Edna had some money left over and wanted to do more. That is when the Red Cross contact informed her of a robotic pet project that they started in 2020 as patients became unable to bring or have visits with their beloved pets. The icing on the cake was when Edna received word from a donor that if she were willing to put the remaining donation money to purchase a robotic tuxedo cat, they would match her donation and buy a robotic golden puppy.

“Once again, I have enjoyed collecting items for our veterans. I hope it makes a small difference in the lives of those who have given so much.” – Edna

If you are looking for a way to get involved with your local VA, click here, or your local Red Cross, click here.

Proving the Value of Safety 

At Boxley, safety is the highest value. Not only is it number one on our list of core beliefs, but it is also the first topic covered at the beginning of every company meeting. Our commitment to safety is not just for our employees and locations, it is for our neighbors and communities as well.

Boxley recently received the 2020 World Class Preventable Vehicle Incident Rate (PVIR) from Summit Materials, our parent company, proving that safety is at the forefront on location and on the road. Our own Wytheville Ready Mix was individually honored by our parent company with the Top 5S Performance. 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) is reported by each Summit location to make sure that our facilities operate at optimal safety year-round. These awards build on the safety record that Boxley has maintained since 2019 with zero Lost Time Incidents.

Toolbox talks and safety stand-downs are regular practice at our locations spanning southwestern Virginia to South Carolina. Employees receive a monetary bonus each quarter for their participation in seeing something, saying something, and doing something. In addition, employees who go through the year without a personal injury, receive an extra paid day off for the following calendar year. These incentives encourage employees to think safety in everything they do and report anything that they observe that could be a potential threat in the future.

“Our employees show up with safety in mind. It’s not something we just talk about; it’s practiced every day. It’s everyone’s responsibility. Our low incident and injury record show how important everyone makes it.” – Andy Vassar (Boxley Safety Director)

Stay tuned and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for more on how Boxley keeps safety set in stone.