Associate Professional Development Program

The Graniterock Associate Professional Development Program is a rotational program designed to attract and develop future managers. The program prepares Graniterock for the future by ensuring the people who become part of this program have the vision and skills to succeed. The program has rigorous standards that require hard work and dedication, but those selected will find they have furthered their careers in ways they never imagined.

The Associate Candidate

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering or equivalent years of directly related experience and education.
  • Skills: Organized, self-directed and energetic with personal skills to establish and maintain long-term customer relationships. Good listening skills; great attention to detail and follow-through; strong verbal, written and math accuracy skills; spreadsheet and word-processing skills; comfortable working in teams; demonstrated ability to further develop technical and administrative skills. Must demonstrate excellent safety record. SPC knowledge a plus.
  • Experience: Experience in construction industry-related sales, operations or dispatch desirable.

The Foundation of the Associate Professional Development Program

Our nine-month Associate Professional Development Program provides a diverse exposure to all aspects of the construction material and general contracting business, allowing you to quickly become a major contributor in the Company’s success. Each rotation allows you to develop competency in that area and make a contribution. You will gain knowledge and experience from world-class mentors in all Divisions of Graniterock. An example of our Associate Professional Development Program schedule follows:

Associate Program (Example)
Department/Division Weeks
Research and Technical Services 6
Finance 4
Aggregate Division 6
Customer Service/Credit Accounts 1
Customer Information Systems Services 2
Concrete and Building Materials Division 4
Quality Support Services 1
Road Materials Division 4
Pavex Construction Division 4
Marketing 1
Transportation (Truck and Rail) 1

At the completion of this program, you will join your assigned Division Branch team and continue to put your knowledge and experience to work in Sales, Project Management, Estimating or another professional position at Graniterock.

Research and Technical Services

Objective: The objective of this section is to give the associate a basic understanding of various products marketed by the Company and how the quality of these products is assessed using industry specifications. Technical training will be provided in the areas of aggregates, concrete, and hot mix asphalt. The following areas will be addressed over a six-week period:

Aggregates
  • Product Familiarity and Submittals. The associate will develop a basic knowledge of Graniterock aggregate products in order to understand our customer’s needs and requirements, and how to generate aggregate product submittals for customers.
  • Exploration. Geologic exploration philosophy and activities necessary to maintain and expand aggregate production will be explained.
  • Sampling, Testing, and SPC Reporting. The associate will receive hands-on instruction on how to properly sample and conduct a variety of quality tests on aggregate products. The associate will also develop an understanding of how to evaluate aggregate process control using the SPC reports. This training will include interpreting and reporting the SPC results to internal customers.
Concrete
  • Basic Concrete Technology Instruction. The associate will receive basic instruction in concrete and concrete materials technology to develop an understanding of concrete as a construction material.
  • Mix Design Familiarity and Submittals. The associate will develop a basic understanding of how Graniterock mix designs are categorized, and how to access and use the mix design database. The associate will also learn how to generate documentation for typical mix design submittals.
  • Lab and Field Sampling and Testing. The associate will receive hands-on instruction on how to perform Standard ASTM fresh and hardened concrete tests, and the significance of the test results.
  • Strength Analysis and Reporting. The associate will learn how to analyze strength data representing concrete produced at the various Graniterock concrete branches, and receive instruction on how to report this information to internal customers.
Hot Mix Asphalt
  • Hot Mix Asphalt Technology and Specifications. The associate will receive basic instruction in asphalt materials and pavement construction technology to understand Caltrans and FAA specification requirements.
  • Mix Design and Lab Testing. The associate will develop a basic understanding of asphalt mix design (Hveem and Marshall) and hands-on instruction on how to conduct the aggregate and hot mix asphalt tests which support development of the mix designs.
  • Plant and Construction Effects on Product Quality. The associate will develop a basic understanding on how plant and construction variables affect hot mix asphalt quality.
  • SPC Reporting. The associate will receive instruction on how to evaluate hot- mixed asphalt plant and construction control and how to report this information to internal customers.

Finance

Objective: The objective of this section is to give the associate a diverse exposure to the various financial processes employed by the Company. The processes will range from corporate accounting and finance functions to functions specific to the products and construction divisions. The following areas will be addressed over a four-week period:

  • The individual will receive an overview of the Graniterock corporate structure and organization.
  • Financial reporting. This section will concentrate on the operating statement reporting to internal as well as external customers. The associate will learn financial statement relationships as well as appropriate analysis ratios. The individual will participate in one-month end close where various operational relationships will be reviewed.
  • FRx. The Associate will receive hands on instruction as to how to use this tool as well as an overview of some of its capabilities.
  • Crystal Enterprise. This portion will focus on the available reports as well as the purpose of the reports. There will be some overlap with the construction division in the training of job cost analysis.
  • The individual will be required to attend the quarterly baseline goals reviews as well as a portion of the profit planning process, including but not limited to capital expenditure budgeting.
  • The Associate will receive an overview of the purchasing and receiving processes as related to building materials and the A.R. Wilson Quarry.
  • An overview will be given as to the Company’s fixed asset reporting system as well as the equipment pool concepts.
  • Pearl Sales processing. This area will focus on the relationship between load-out systems, billings, quotes and NOS processing. This section will also include an overview of the RDS building materials Point of Sale system.

Aggregate Division

Plant and Mining Operations

Objective: allow the Associate an opportunity to learn about Graniterock aggregate plant operations, sand and gravel, industrial sand quarrying and asphalt production and to get to know Graniterock People at these locations. The individual will be exposed to all operational aspects of the quarries and the various types of asphalt plants. In addition, training at the inside sales position will expose the person to all sales functions: Pearl Sales System including Notice of Sales (NOS), quotes, customer contacts, product items, reporting and aggregate and asphalt plant scheduling.

A.R. Wilson Quarry and Asphalt plant operations proposed training program for the Associate will be addressed over a six-week period.

  • Control Rooms. Work with plant operator and rover to develop a general understanding of plant operations and maintenance issues including the different types of asphalt plants and how they can be optimized for various projects.
  • Quarry - Shipping Operations. Work with the shipping crews to understand how rail and truck shipments are scheduled and accomplished and how the operation can be made to operate efficiently through advanced planning with Graniterock’s asphalt and concrete branches.
  • Quarry - Face. Work with face crew to learn how drilling, blasting and ripping are accomplished.
  • Quarry - Overland Conveyor. Understand the need to strip overburden and proper placement procedures. Be aware of the Company’s commitment to comply with all operating and environmental permits.
  • Inside Sales. Work on inside sales desk to learn Pearl Sales System to include: Customer Notice of Sales (NOS), quotes, customer contacts, product items, reporting and aggregate and asphalt plant scheduling.
  • A.R. Wilson Road Materials. Work at the Asphalt check-in scales; learn sales information, GX2 systems and scheduling. Work with plant manager and plant engineer on operational material issues.
  • Santa Cruz Sand Plant, Quail Hollow Sand Plant, Southside Sand and Gravel Plant Spend time at each facility to learn which products are produced, how they are produced, how they are applied, and who the top ten customers are.

Customer Service/Credit Accounts Department

Objective: The objective of this section is to give the Associate a broad exposure to and experience with the Customer Service/Credit Accounts Department processes and procedures. The following areas will be addressed within a one-week time frame.

  • Department overview. The associate will be given a general orientation to the department and its role in supporting the corporate objectives (Customer Satisfaction and Financial Performance and Growth). Included will be a review of the Company.
  • Opening an account. The associate will receive an overview of the processes used to establish a credit account with Graniterock. Included will be quality control of the application, job information and the role played in opening an account, accessing and evaluating credit file information, and establishing the account in the customer databases. The associate will have the opportunity to work “hands on” in the process.
  • Invoicing. An overview of the invoicing system will include the similarities and differences between the Building Materials invoices and the Concrete/Aggregate-Asphalt invoices. The importance of accuracy and billing cycles will be discussed, including the relationship between our billing cycles, the impact on the customer billing its job, and timely payment from the customer, including the payment discount policy.
  • Preliminary Notice procedures. Explanation of the NOS system and a review of the Mechanic’s Lien Laws will be followed by a review of examples of preliminary notices, with an emphasis on accuracy and completeness. The associate will participate in the actual gathering of information from Sales and the customer, input of data, and generation of the Preliminary Notice.
  • Collecting. This section will provide the associate an in-depth review and analysis of account receivable aging. Included will be review of an individual customer’s account. The associate will learn about the importance of timely job information and the effect on collection, waivers, and Company policies regarding collection on accounts. Telephone techniques of collecting and the timing of calls to customers, general contractors, owners and other involved parties will be discussed. The importance of the Preliminary Notice and Mechanic’s Lien Laws will be emphasized. Other collection techniques (i.e., joint check agreements, vouchers, and small claims court) will be incorporated in the training. PSD and Short-Pay issues will be a part of this section.

Customer Information Systems Overview

Objective: To give the associate an overview of the Company’s Information Systems and provide them with information technology tools that can increase their efficiency in their jobs.

The individual will spend approximately two weeks in CISS to learn various Graniterock’s information systems. The following specific areas will be addressed over this time period.

  • The associate will receive an overview of the Company’s IS strategy and goals.
  • Network. The Associate will learn about the basics of the Company’s networking and its capabilities. The Associate will be tested on the successful use of the network to perform work done more efficiently.
  • E-mail. The individual will learn how to use Graniterock’s e-mail system to better and more effectively communicate with others, internally or externally.Specific training will be offered for Microsoft Outlook.
  • Intranet. This person will learn how the Company is planning to use the “e-rock” as the main source of information sharing. Various sections of the Intranet will be explored and reviewed.
  • Desktop Application. The use of the Company supported Microsoft Office Suite will be discussed and basic training will be provided if necessary.
  • JD Edwards and Frx. The Company’s financial reporting will be reviewed and specific training will be offered on the use of Frx. This section may have some overlap with the Finance section.
  • Sales/GraniteXpress 2 Systems. The individual should have a good understanding of the Sales process from the Finance section. In this section with CISS, the individual will learn more about the use of the Sales system as well as GraniteXpress 2.

Concrete and Building Materials Division

Objective: Participants will be exposed to the complete range of sales and operation processes in the Division. The Concrete and Building Materials training is intended to be helpful in understanding our business for individuals joining Graniterock in any product area, such as Aggregates, Road Materials, etc. They will be expected to show that they understand our process, and in some cases, they will demonstrate their mastery of basic skills as outlined below. We will focus their experience at the division on each job that involves customer contact. The following areas will be addressed over a four-week period:

  • Operations. Each participant will spend a minimum of one week working with the dispatcher to learn how we interact with customers to schedule the plant.Associates should be able to take an order and dispatch drivers on a supervised basis using the Systech Dispatching System. They will learn which mix designs have application for different jobs. They will learn to estimate the number of trucks required to service different jobs. They will be expected to work with customers to meet their delivery needs for concrete.
  • The Associate will work one week at the Batch Plant with the Plant Operator to learn how the product is mixed. They will use our computerized batching system (Systech) to produce concrete for customers (supervised by the plant operator).
  • The Associate will learn how the plant’s raw materials are scheduled by working with Transportation Division.
  • The Associate will become familiar with the importance of product quality and consistency and see how SPC is used to help achieve our quality goals.
  • Each Associate will spend at least two days with a Concrete Sales person. They will review a job from early in the bid process through to completion to obtain an overview of the sales process, including quotes, bids, purchase orders, NOSs, etc. They will visit job sites in the field to see how we service the customer.They will accompany the sales person on customer sales calls.
  • Associate will also ride along with selected Mixer Drivers for a day to learn what drivers do to take care of customers. They will learn the basic operation of the mixer truck… how it works, what is critical to delivering high quality concrete and how drivers contribute to customer satisfaction.

They will spend a minimum of one week working at the Building Materials Store to learn the basic sales process when customers visit our stores. They will learn to process basic sales transactions for customer purchases and they will schedule Building Materials deliveries to customer jobs. Basic retail sales processes will be reviewed, including store layout, point-of-sale promotions, cash drawer management, inventory purchase orders, credit/check verification, etc.

Quality Support Services

Objective: To expose the new associate to various Quality Support Service Department tools to enhance the Associate’s job decision making ability and to encourage use of Total Quality Management (TQM) principals, tools and methods within the job context.

The associate will be exposed to all product and service areas including Aggregate, Concrete, Road Materials, and Construction.

  • Statistical Process Control (SPC): review SPC reports and learn to access results via Graniterock network. Enroll in SPC class.
  • Customer Surveys: review all aspects of customer surveys (internal and external) including preference scores, 4-Quad graphs, correlation scores and 3-Column Analysis.
  • Product Service Discrepancies (PSD): training on PSD system to learn about initiation and investigation and report generation. Work with branch investigator to learn on-line data entry and investigation techniques. Work with PSD department staff to learn processing procedure and reporting function.

Road Materials Division

Objective: The objective of this section is to give the Associate a diverse exposure to the various products and services provided by the Road Materials Division. The process will include learning the basics of asphalt paving including the construction of asphalt pavements, asphalt pavement overlays, and asphalt maintenance including surface treatments (seal coating, chip seals and slurry seals). The following areas will be addressed over a four-week period:

  • Hot mix asphalt plants. The individual will spend time at each location to learn how the Road Materials HMA drum plant and batch plant actually operate.
  • Paving projects. The individual will visit active paving projects with the road materials team members.
  • Customers’ office calls. The individual will visit various customers’ office on an on-going basis with the road materials sales representatives.
  • Road Materials Weigh Masters. The individual will spend enough time at one of the Customer Service/Weigh master jobs to learn the check-in, gate-to-gate and GX2 systems.
  • Road Materials Inside Sales. The individual will work with the inside sales person to learn the Pearl, CMD, PSD and short pay system.
  • Distributor trucks. The individual will travel with a distributor truck driver and NRM Sales Team Members to learn the various applications for road oils and emulsions (i.e. paving fabric, prime coats, tack coats, fog seal coats, chip seals and PennzSuppress® applications).
  • Seal coating applications. The individual will spend time with Graniteseal production engineers to learn become familiar with the Graniteseal production process. They will travel with NRM Sales Team members visiting Graniteseal jobsites to see the product applied first hand.

Pavex Construction Division

Objective: The objective of this section is to provide the Associate exposure to the fundamental functions of an Engineering Contractor. The Associate will have an opportunity to be involved in three basic areas: estimating, construction management and field operations. The Associate will receive an overview of how a contractor estimates, bids, and evaluates profitability on a project.

The following areas will be addressed over approximately a four-week period.

  • Estimating
    • Interpretation of plans and specifications
    • Performing quantity take-offs
    • Develop budget components
    • Soliciting material and subcontractor quotations
    • Bid day closing process
  • Construction Management
    • Project scheduling
    • Tracking quantities
    • Job costing
    • Field engineering
    • Project billings
    • Subcontractor management
  • Field Operations
    • Dispatch
    • Labor and equipment resources
    • Material ordering and scheduling
    • Trucking management
    • Daily job cost
    • Project site visits

Marketing

Objective: Discuss marketing, what it entails on a general basis and marketing specifically of Graniterock, Graniterock products, and Graniterock services.

  • Advertising
    • General discussion of advertising
    • Discussion of standard Graniterock advertising
    • Samples of ads that work and ads that do not work and why
  • Identity
    • General discussion of the Graniterock identity and use of marks
    • Review logo specifications
    • Discuss the power of the brand and the need for consistent application of the logo
    • Provide samples
  • Processes
    • General discussion of processes of creating, producing and placing marketing and advertising pieces
    • Print
    • Electronic
    • Web
    • Graphics
    • Text
    • Content
  • Press Relations
    • Press releases
    • Good press/bad press
  • Customer Relationships
    • Sales Process/Xerox
    • Needs and emotions
    • Products and services
  • Creative Process
    • Audience
    • Medium
    • Message

It is also recommended that the Sales Associate attend Frontline Leadership Training and the Foundations in Leadership classes.

Transportation Division

Objective: The Associate will become familiar with Graniterock’s trucking and rail operations.

Trucking
  • Job quotes
  • How truck freight rates are developed
  • Areas of coverage
  • Types of products delivered and sources of these products
  • Types of trucks used in transporting products
  • Maintenance and repair of equipment
  • Challenges in making deliveries (ride along with drivers)
  • Delivered Aggregate Program
  • Invoicing and billing of customers
  • Dispatching of trucks and acquiring additional resources
  • GraniteXpress 2 (how trucks are loaded and billed at Wilson Quarry)
Rail Operations
  • History of rail service
  • Areas of service
  • Wilson Quarry rail operations
  • Plant locations and unloading capabilities
  • Rail load out facility
  • Maintenance and repair of equipment
  • Trainload Express
  • Union Pacific Railroad relationship
  • Advantages and disadvantages of using rail