Aggregate Industries' Regional Estates and Environmental Manager Randi Wille and Cub Scout Troop 657 members

Aggregate Industries Promotes Stewardship and Education on Mississippi River

The Company's ongoing involvement and committment to the river 

The Aggregate Industries' Midwest Region has a long and proud history of planning and advocating for the Mississippi River and the local community. Beginning in the 1950’s the Company’s founder purchased a fleet of towboats and barges and began delivering construction aggregate into the center cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul using the storied river. When many of the cities of America were turning their backs on their rivers, the Company’s “river rats” were among the early lovers and advocates of the Mighty Mississippi.

In the late 1980s, the Company was invited to serve on the steering committee for the development of the Comprehensive Management Plan which ultimately led to the creation of the “Mississippi National River and Recreation Area” (MNRRA). Aggregate Industries North Central Region has also been active with the Citizen’s Advisory Committee to the “Above the Falls Master Plan” for the City of Minneapolis, Great River Greening, a non-profit organization focused on organizing volunteer restoration and reclamation efforts along the river, and the local chapter of the National Audubon Society. The Company also hosts a camp site for Wilderness Inquiry, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide outdoor experiences for inner city kids and the disabled.

The Company’s involvement and commitment to the river were once again on display last month during the Company’s two annual community events. For the past five years, Aggregate Industries has been a sponsor of the “Mississippi River Challenge,” a two-day, 40 mile canoe paddle through the heart of the Twin Cities. This event is a fund raiser for Friends of the Mississippi River, a non-profit organization working to protect the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities area. The Company’s Nelson Sand and Gravel Plant situated on Lower Grey Cloud Island served as the “take-out” point for the more than 400 paddlers participating in this event.

Continuing Aggregate Industries efforts to increase community awareness on the importance of the Mississippi River, the Company hosted their annual “neighborhood barge ride” on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Every year for the past 15 years, over 500 neighbors and government officials have been invited to take a ride on a different section of the Mississippi River as a guest on one of the Company’s working barges. Normally, the Company’s fleet of towboats and barges deliver construction aggregate to the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul from their mining operations located in Grey Cloud Island Township and Cottage Grove, Minnesota. On the evening of August 4th, however, a tent, tables and chairs were erected on the barge to accommodate over 175 guests who were brought onboard to enjoy a unique ride on the Mississippi River. The barge ride is one of the events offered as part of the National Park Service’s “Junior Ranger” program. Along with representatives of the National Park Service, more than 20 young “Junior Rangers” ranging in age from 10 to 14, were onboard the barge. For many of the individuals who attend this annual event, the barge ride is the only opportunity they have to explore the “Mighty Mississippi.”

In addition to these events, the Company will host its annual “Grey Cloud Island River Run” on Sunday, September 20th. This USATF certified course begins and ends at the Larson Quarry located on Grey Cloud Island, on the backwaters of the Mississippi River. In mid-October, the Company will host a Great River Greening oak savanna restoration project near the Nelson Plant on the shores of the Mississippi River on Lower Grey Cloud Island.

Aggregate Industries is proud of its long commitment to the Mighty Mississippi and continue to believe that it is the responsibility of a good corporate citizen and a strong environmental steward to care for the communities in which we operate and protect the resources we rely on.