Back In Time

100 years ago, in 1911, Granite Rock Company installed a new “Number 8” crushing plant at the Arthur R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas, then known as Logan Quarry, named after Judge Logan’s nearby railroad stop.  A No. 7 ½  plant was already in operation, and together the two crushers were able to produce 2,000 tons of rock per day.

75 years ago, in 1936, Graniterock opened the first asphaltic concrete plant in California. Located next to the quarry in Aromas, it produced paving materials for the growing Watsonville and Salinas Valley areas. Francis N. Hveem, a pioneer in asphaltic concrete (asphalt or blacktop) mix design, used this plant in his research to develop a method for determining the correct amount of oil in asphalt mixes, based on aggregate surface area.

50 years ago, in 1961, Graniterock unveiled a new stack conveyor system at its quarry in Aromas. The latest in a continuous effort to innovate and advance production at the quarry, the system could now sort and stack rock from the rock harvesting operation that had been previously crushed and screened into surge piles for later processing. The new tunnels and conveyors improved plant productivity, automatically storing different sized rock in two separate stockpiles prior to further processing.

25 years ago, in 1986, Bruce W. Woolpert joined Graniterock as manager of Graniterock ‘s Northern Road Materials division. He had spent ten years as a manager with Hewlett-Packard, and brought along with him their new ideas in total quality management. A new focus on continuous improvement, quality and customer satisfaction would soon bring Graniterock Team Members national recognition in business and construction.

Today, in 2011, Graniterock continues to progress, innovate, and work to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of our customers.