Cemex is building on its commitment to communities in California by hosting events for nearby students and their families that give them an inside look at certain facilities while teaching them about the company’s operations.
The company hosts tours at the closed Olympia Quarry near Santa Cruz, Calif., to show the facility’s ongoing reclamation efforts. The quarry operated in the Santa Cruz Sandhills Mountains for more than 80 years before ending operations in 2002.
Cemex is currently working to invigorate the natural beauty of the land and provide habitat for two endangered species, the Zayante band-winged grasshopper and Mount Herman June beetle.
Last spring, area fifth grade students learned what is being done at Olympia Quarry, and last fall, dozens of University of California-Santa Cruz students saw real world examples of habitat and native plant restoration at the quarry as part of their ecological restoration class. Another tour for elementary school students is planned at Olympia this fall.
“Cemex is committed to building a better future for the communities in which we live and work,” said Cemex Regional President – West Region Eric Wittman. “By getting involved and showing children and their parents what we do, we not only deepen their understanding of our operations and how we manage their impacts, but also the opportunities the aggregates industry offers. It is important for us to give back to the communities that continuously give us support.”
In Southern California, Cemex is partnering with Granite Hills High School in Victorville to support the school’s academy program. Through the program, students of all grade levels will learn what work skills and education will be needed in the future as well as what training is necessary for staff positions at Cemex’s nearby quarries.
Cemex plans to host students at the quarries to give them an inside look at the various opportunities that are available to them in the aggregates industry. The company is also a sponsor of the school’s athletic program.
This September, Cemex will host its annual Run Around the Rocks, a 5K run-walk through Lytle Creek Quarry in Rialto, Calif. Hundreds of participants will follow a course into the quarry, 100 ft. down, passing the massive equipment workers use daily to provide aggregates for concrete projects across California.