Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

Ash Grove Cement Company plant wins award

Words: Jacqueline Ammar/Public/News/20120325130500-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="The Ash Grove Cement Company’s Durkee, Ore., plant won top honors in the company’s annual Maintenance Excellence Program." />
The Ash Grove Cement Company’s Durkee, Ore., plant won top honors in the company’s annual Maintenance Excellence Program.
The Ash Grove Cement Company’s Durkee, Ore., plant won top honors in the company’s annual Maintenance Excellence Program (MEP) competition for 2011.

According to Ash Grove Assistant Vice President of Manufacturing Bruce Newell, “Our Durkee, Ore., plant wastheMEP award recipient in 2010 and continued in its quest to keep thetrophy there by maintaining a high standard of performance in executingMEP strategies in 2011.”

Durkee Plant Manager Terry Kerby said, “Winning another Ash Grove award for how we manage costs reflects well on our entire team. Our plant remains competitive in the marketplace, and we ensure Ash Grove customers receive a quality product at a reasonable price by effectively implementing MEP strategies.” The Durkee plant also received the 2011 Ash Grove Energy Management (AGem) award.

Since 2008, eight Ash Grove cement manufacturing plants and two grinding facilities have competed to earn the award. Each facility is evaluated on several “Key Performance Indicators” (KPI) in conjunction with MEP posting requirements and the actual maintenance cost per equivalent ton of cement. TheMEP key performance indicators show both financial and functional performance as to how well plants are mastering the MEP concept and improving their overall maintenance performance.

Ash Grove’s MEP requires a total plant effort, according to Newell. “Durkee has proven that the hourly craft personnel in the plant make a difference by their participation on key MEP teams as well as by writing work requests and work orders, adding pertinent information to work order closing comments that contribute to establishing a valuable work history in the Avantis database, which can then be used in the future to troubleshoot problems and streamline work procedures,” he said.

The Durkee, Ore., Ash Grove cement manufacturing plant employs 109 and began operations in 1979. The plant expanded in 1998 and is certified as ISO 14001 compliant, which is an international standard for excellence in environmental management. The Durkee plant has earned awards including: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Award in 2010, the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Air and WasteManagement Environmental Achievement Award in 2010 and several safety awards from the Portland Cement Association as well as Ash Grove’s President’s Safety awards.
 0
Restoring the Breath of the Building: The Life-Saving Science Behind Historic Masonry Repairs
July 2026

When I first set out to become a historic preservation and restoration mason, I imagined that most of my trade would involve repairing the effects of old age. Instead, 99 percent of my work is attempting to stabilize and reverse damage caused by recent an

Technical Talks
Read More
Laying the Foundation for the Future: Workforce Development at the Arizona Masonry Council
July 2026

For generations, masonry has been built on a simple but powerful principle: knowledge passed from one set of hands to the next. In Arizona, the Arizona Masonry Council (AMC) is working to ensure that tradition continues by investing in one of the industr

Dawn Rogers
Industry News
Read More
What Mason Contractors Don't Know Is Costing Them Money
July 2026

Most mason contractors can tell you exactly what a job should cost before it starts. Bid labor hours, material takeoffs, and crew rates per square foot. The numbers are on paper, and they look right. What most can't tell you is whether those numbers held

Erin Koets
Build Smart
MAP Partner
Read More
Preserving Masonry Aesthetics with Concealed Lintel Systems
July 2026

Masonry has long been valued for its ability to create buildings with character, permanence, and visual appeal. Features such as arches, deep reveals, corbelling, and decorative brickwork continue to be popular design elements in modern architecture. Howe

Erica Oliveraz
MAP Partner
Read More