Community Involvement

Community involvement begins with actually being in the community, and every member of the Dawson Family actively involved with Lannon Stone Products lives in one of our host communities. (Village of Richfield, Town of Lisbon, Village of Sussex).

Lannon Stone Products, Moraine Development, and Certified Trucking tithe 10% of our profit every year to make both our host communities and the broader world better places to live. While some of our giving programs are scheduled annually, we also leave room for flexibility as community needs arise. We analyze our giving program as part of every management meeting making sure that each host community is represented and we focus on 5 key areas:

• Charity — assistance to those needing a second (or sometimes first) chance.
• Community Places and Spaces — financial or construction material donations to churches, schools, and parks.
• Science Education — quarry tours, scholarships and program support for local schools focusing on science education.
• Community Events — financial assistance for festivals and fund-raisers.
• Public Safety — funds supporting projects or equipment purchases for local fire and police departments.

Producing Valuable Products

We view our primary responsibility to society as the production of high quality materials delivered at competitive prices. Our products are used in bridge construction, structural supports, utilities installation, and other projects where public safety is of primary concern. We take this responsibility seriously and continually look for ways to improve our products. Further, it is important that these products are delivered for a low total cost, freeing up capital for other projects and, ultimately, raising the standard of living for individuals, businesses, and communities. We relentlessly look for ways to lower our costs and/or improve the value of our products.

Operational Excellence

Quarries and gravel pits are heavy industrial operations that have historically had a noticeable impact upon communities. Today, however, it is a different story. Modern mining methods, intense government oversight, and better management have transformed our industry in general, and our operations in particular. When giving tours or talking with friends or neighbors, the most common thing we hear is: “You’re kidding, I lived right down the road and I never knew there was a quarry there!”

For all of our progress, we know that we can continually improve. Our goal is that the externalities of our operations will eventually be unnoticeable or eliminated completely. Specifically, we focus on these areas of impact:

VISUAL APPEAL

Each year, we spend time and resources improving the landscaping surrounding our operations both to mask the sight lines into our production areas and to improve the community image.

AMBIENT NOISE

1. As we continually re-design and re-build our operations, we always look for ways to cut ambient noise.
2. We reduce the number of diesel equipment used in favor of electric equipment, reduce the total number of crushers and screens, and use sound reducing materials like urethane and rubber instead of steel.
3. For noise still generated from our operations, we build vegetated berms, plant trees, and place equipment far away from property lines.

DUST

1. While our operations all fall well below government limits for dust emissions, we continually look for ways to reduce airborne dust.
2. All of our operations have their own dedicated water truck to keep in-pit surfaces wetted down as well as wash our asphalt driveways when needed.
3. Our rock drills are outfitted with dual-stage dust suppression; our crushers, screens, and material transfer points are continually re-designed to reduce dust generation.
4. Beginning in 2017, we have installed waterless dust control technologies at several of our plants and continue to push this year-round benefit for our neighbors and employees.

BLASTING

An essential part of our civilization is the wide availability and distribution of inexpensive, high-quality stone. The most economical way to extract Wisconsin’s famously hard limestone is with explosives. This keeps costs down for every builder and supports our state’s infrastructure.

TRUCKING

1. While trucking impacts are largely out of our operations and usually involve third-party equipment, we are able to put pressure on trucking companies that haul our products for operating in an unsafe or unprofessional manner. Please call our main office with the truck number and description of their activity and we will do our best to remedy the situation.
2. New developments in engine and suspension technology continually make trucks quieter as new equipment displaces old. Particularly exciting are recent developments in Tier 4 Diesel and Natural Gas engines for Class 8 trucks, which substantially reduce noise and particle emissions.

Come See For Yourself

We are passionate about earth sciences and the uses of aggregates in improving society. We’d be pleased to offer prearranged tours of our sites to neighbors interested in learning more about Lannon Stone Products.

If you’d like to visit one of our sites, please call (262) 251-1520 or email tours@lannonstone.net to schedule a tour.