Things are buzzing at Graniterock. It’s just before the start of a new school year, and our Corporate Office in Watsonville is  filled with the hum of young voices, the sound of smart, motivated kids who are getting a jump start on their education by spending the last week of summer vacation immersed in algebra. Over one hundred middle school students from six different schools are attending the Algebra Academy, a week-long intensive study program taught by faculty and teaching assistants from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). During their week of study the kids will take a field trip to the CSUMB campus and will also hear Graniterock Team Members explain how mathematics has shaped their professional careers. At the end of the Academy week parents are invited to join students to celebrate their work with a festive graduation ceremony.
Read More

Five years ago, Terri Eitzen walked into Graniterock’s Cupertino Design Center and fell in love with rock. Since then, her “dream job” as a member of the Design Center’s Inside Sales Team has allowed her to use her creative talents, meet new people every day, and help customers through the sometimes long and difficult process of choosing just the right materials for their home design projects.
Read More

At a recent health forum held at Stanford University, Stanford doctors shared a number of smartphone apps they recommend for help with weight control, exercise and stress reduction. They revealed current research which shows excellent results from these programs when they help people to set individualized goals, get immediate feedback and measure their results. Presenters stressed the importance of picking just one thing to work on at a time because too many efforts at once can lead to discouragement.
Read More

By Michael Alter
Read More

Graniterock’s Sergio Rubio is a team player who relishes the challenges he finds every day on the construction site. According to Sergio, “On every job, you walk in and know you’re going to learn something new. You’re building in a totally different location every time, and you need to have an open mind. Especially working with so many people, you need to know you aren’t the one guy with all the answers. It takes a team.”  During a recent Construction Update interview, Sergio talked about his experiences as a Project Engineer within Graniterock’s Pavex Construction Division and some of the more difficult projects he has worked on as a member of Graniterock’s Pavex Team. Last summer he was involved in two complex jobs which required a high level of coordination and cooperation from everyone involved.
Read More

“My dad was a flatwork crew superintendent for a local concrete construction company, and when I graduated from San Diego State I went to work for him. I played football in college and was not much of a student,” said Dan. “After less than a year, I knew I wanted to do a better job than the company I was with, so I started my own business.” It was 1978, and Dan started out doing any little job he could find. Soon his dad joined him and became his full time mentor. “He tutored me and was my best friend,” said Dan, fondly remembering his father, who passed away at age 94. “I was a ‘get it perfect’ guy and I wanted to do well. I learned everything from others, taking the best ideas from people I worked with to put into my bag of tricks.” In 1999, Rick Harder and Terry Gallagher joined Dan as full partners to form Solid Concrete Service, Inc. “I trust them both like brothers,” said Dan, who credits Rick and Terry for “the capability to pull off a structure like this. We each bring a different type of expertise to the partnership.”  
Read More

Graniterock People have supported Pajaro Valley Shelter Services (PVSS) in many ways since its formation. Over the past twenty years, Graniterock People have volunteered their time and treasure as fundraisers and Board Members to aid the effort. So when Andrew O’Such, Account Manager for Enterprise Fleet Management, approached the Company a few months ago in search of a charitable organization for an Enterprise Holdings Foundation grant it was natural to think of PVSS. Pajaro Valley Shelter Services helps women, children, and families end the causes and cycles of homelessness - one family at a time.  Andrew O’Such of Enterprise Fleet Management delivers a donation check for Pajaro Valley Shelter Services to Ken Schipper and Rose Ann Woolpert of Graniterock
Read More

Despite slow construction spending in the first half of this year, commercial property occupancy prices and rates actually accelerated during the period. Since these are the primary indicators driving nonresidential construction capital expenditures, advisors believe this sector is in the early stages of recovery. Although commercial construction spending is up only 2% year to date, vacancy rates are low and average prices have increased. Office and lodging construction are other indicators of construction spending, and their recovery remains strong. Steady employment growth has been a key to these improvements.
Read More

Edited from: Grainger.com
Read More

The Graniterock Information Services team has noticed a recent increase in the problem of spam and phishing emails and phone calls which attempt to steal user information. A Graniterock Team Member recently reported a caller claiming to be from “Microsoft”. The caller told our Team Member his computer had been hacked, but for a fee of $99 Microsoft tech support would remotely repair the computer. This computer was purchased through our Company’s home computer purchase program, so before doing anything he wisely asked us for advice.
Read More