Gus Edwards becomes NSSGA executive vice president

On Sept. 8, R.A. “Gus” Edwards, III, succeeded Dave Thomey as executive vice president of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). Edwards, a 12-year veteran of the association, had been serving as vice president for Communications and Community Relations.

NSSGA President and CEO Joy Wilson said, Edwards “brings a talented portfolio of experience to this position, including running a U.S. Senate office and a U.S. House of Representatives office, serving as a senior executive in two presidential administrations, and participation on a number of boards of directors. He will help coordinate and drive the NSSGA team focus on implementing our budget and project goals, assuring our fiduciary, human resources, technical communications, and member services responsibilities are carried out as planned.”

“These are challenging times,” said Edwards, “and in this new role, I consider it a privilege to be working with our members and staff on keeping the aggregates industry strong and healthy well into the future.”

Vulcan celebrates 50 years

As part of Vulcan Materials Co.’s celebration of its 50th anniversary, the company produced a book about its history. The full-color, 144-page book, A History Written in Stone, chronicles the history of Vulcan from its earliest days to the present.

Company employees will receive a complimentary copy of the book, but members of the general public can receive a copy of the book by making a tax-deductible contribution of $25 or more to Vulcan’s Adopt-a-School Fund. All contributions will go towards improving the educational experience for children in one or more of the many adopted schools the company is currently partnered with in the U.S.

Modern dance performed among the rocks

Thousands of people gathered in central Minnesota for a unique modern dance performance set among the rocks in St. Cloud Quarry, a granite quarry operated by Martin Marietta Materials Co.

The Merce Cunningham Dance Company performed “Ocean” on a specially built stage 150 feet below ground level, at the bottom of the quarry. The piece is rarely performed because of its need for a large venue in which the audience is surrounded with 150 musicians. The quarry provided a perfect setting for the dance, providing a beautiful backdrop and great acoustics.