The large yellow excavator could be seen from miles away. My imagination ran wild as I approached the yard. What sort of freak accident could result in our machine being on top of the train? My first thought was to blame the railroad.

As I pulled into the yard, Donald had a big grin on his face. As I was going through my, “What and why and who and what the hell?” speech, Donald was trying to calm me down. He said, “Let me show you.”

As I sat there and watched, I gradually came to realize that he had found a better way. Even though the machine was way too big to be on top of a rail car, Donald had doubled his speed and could get the cars much cleaner.

We now have a fleet of 50 excavators with proprietary buckets and patented ramps and unload for all of the major aggregate producers all over Texas and into Louisiana and Oklahoma.

But it all started with the imagination of Donald Broussard.

That’s why.

Bobby Walker is the vice president of Gulf Coast Limestone.