Community Relations at Silvi Group Companies

John & Larry Silvi have pledged $50,000 to this new concrete industry initiative to educate and train professional ready-mixed concrete personnel. Students will learn concrete technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology as part of a 4-year degree in concrete industry management. Classes will begin in September 2006. $25,000 will go toward curriculum development; the remaining $25,000 will fund scholarships. “All of us in the concrete business hope to be the beneficiaries of this program;” Larry Silvi said, “we therefore believe that this is a worthwhile undertaking to support wholeheartedly.”

Silvi’s ongoing efforts in training its cadre of over 100 ready-mix truck drivers were recognized by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association at its annual meeting in San Antonio, TX on April 1, 2006.

The 3rd Annual Sahara Sand Meteor Motorcycle Race, sanctioned as a national event by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and billed as some of the best racing in the Eastern US, attracted 450 racers and 2,500 spectators during the weekend of October 15 & 16, 2005 near Manahawken, NJ.

Sahara Sand, a unit of the Silvi Group Companies, annually makes available a portion of their property located in Eagleswood & Stafford Townships, NJ for this race to benefit the Eagleswood Volunteer Fire Company. The six-mile course winds through open fields, wooded areas, and a mix of challenging terrain. “This year’s event raised over $10,000 for our critical needs”, according to Cliff Aguado, the fire company president. He thanked Larry Silvi for his generosity in making this fund-raising community event happen each year.

Commenting on this year’s success, Larry Silvi noted that the two-day race provides good fun for participants and spectators alike, gets the entire community to work toward a worthwhile goal, and raises needed funds for local benefit; accordingly, “we fully expect to continue to host the race on an annual basis”.

Racers Line Up ...

Airborne ...

"… I just wanted you to know how much Ed Marsh and myself appreciate the outstanding effort that all your employees put forth during this difficult storm (January 22-23, 2005). My heartfelt appreciation goes forth to each and everyone who was out there and I just wanted you to know that each and everyone put forth a 110% effort to plow and maintain the operation. Please thank all the individuals who were involved; if it was not for their efforts, the smooth operation that evolved would have not been possible. Also, please thank your mechanics; if it were not for their selfless attention to detail and high standards of meticulously checking the equipment after each plow run, to keep it in top running order, we would have possibly been faced with equipment failures and breakdowns. Once again, I thank you and your men for an extremely smooth operation."

David A. Grant
Garden State Parkway Division
New Jersey Turnpike Authority

Silvi Plow Train On Northbound Garden State Parkway Near I-195 Exit

The Silvi Group Companies received an award for ‘Excellence in Community Relations’ from the national trade association of the construction materials industry, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association located in suburban Washington, D.C. The award will be handed out to Silvi representatives at the upcoming construction aggregates trade show in Las Vegas on March 16.

The Silvi Group Companies, headquartered in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, consists of Sahara Sand, Silvi Concrete Products, Riverside Construction Materials, and Gibraltar Rock, Inc. Together, the Silvi Group operates from 14 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

For details on the award, please click on the following web site:

http://www.nssga.org/communications/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?whichrel=126

N.J. Assemblyman David R Mayer (Legislative District 4) was welcomed December 17th to Sahara Sand’s mine in Franklin, NJ by Larry Silvi, co-owner. The legislator wanted to learn about an important site of economic activity in his legislative district, and his visit to the mine was arranged through the New Jersey Concrete & Aggregates Association (NJCAA), the trade association representing the mining industry in New Jersey.

The mine produces sand which is used as an ingredient in the manufacture of ready-mix concrete and asphalt pavement for the construction industry. The sand mine operates under permits from Franklin & Monroe Townships (since the mining property straddles the two townships), a Pinelands permit, as well as an NJDEP water allocation permit, and employs a dredge to excavate the sand. The raw mineral is further beneficiated at the processing plant before size-segregated sand is stockpiled for trucking to customer locations.

“It is remarkable that this entire operation, which adds significantly to the local economy, is operated without the use of any chemicals in the process, and in an environmentally acceptable manner”, Assemblyman Mayer observed, as Larry Silvi described how the mine site will be reclaimed for future land use in accordance with the permits.

Sahara Sand is a unit of the Silvi Group Companies, a construction materials provider with facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Assemblyman David Mayer tours the Sahara Sand Plant (from left: Bill Layton, Executive Director, NJCAA, Larry Silvi, Assemblyman David Mayer, and Rick Parton, Sahara’s Mining Manager)

New Hanover Township Fire Company’s firehouse on Swamp Road was the venue on Tuesday evening (December 14) for Gibraltar Rock to present a holiday turkey to each of the 68 volunteer fire fighters in appreciation of their hard work throughout the year.

Uday Patankar, Gibraltar Rock’s Vice President of Environmental & Public Affairs, commented that the Silvi Group Companies (of which Gibraltar Rock is a part) values the community spirit of the volunteers. “Last year, we made an abandoned farmhouse on Gibraltar Rock property available to the Fire Company and the police for training”, said Mr. Patankar, adding that the Fire Company plans to use the farmhouse again next Spring.

To celebrate the season of giving, Gibraltar Rock also donated 12 boxes (48 birds) each to the Salvation Army of Boyertown and Boyertown Multi-Service. Freed’s Supermarket of Gilbertsville supplied the turkeys.

Chief Moyer, New Hanover Fire Co., Uday Patankar, Gibraltar Rock Vice President, and Chief Strickland, Sassamansville Fire Co.

Each Turkey Had This Label Attached To It.

"Manchurian Candidate" Scene Shot at Sahara Sand's Eagleswood Mine, Fall 2003 

Pinelands Regional High School Drama Club Viewing 'Highway of Death' Props 

Sahara Sand Booth at Franklin Fair, Summer 2004 

NJCAA Grant to Eagleswood Elementary School, Spring 2003 

5th & 6th Graders From Eagleswood Elementary School, Spring 2003 

Sahara Sand Franklin Mine Front Entrance 

Sahara Sand Eagleswood Mine Front Entrance 

Sahara Sand Dredge Operation 

Hello Reader!

Our intent is to post descriptions of Community Relations activities at our operating sites at this blog, for everyone to see. We will especially be posting pictures to dramatize these activities. We of course would welcome your comments and suggestions. Thanks.

Uday Patankar, P.E.
Vice President - Environmental & Public Affairs
Silvi Group Companies
355 Newbold Road
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
267-907-9114
215-295-2421 [fax]
267-566-1808 [cell]
upatankar@silvi.com