BEETLE RETIRES AFTER 47 YEARS OF DEDICATION
Lawson “Beetle” Bailey retired from Delta
Concrete Inc on April 30, 2015. After 47 years
of service at the Sikeston Ready Mix Plant,
fellow employees met with mixed emotions:
sadness due to seeing their co-worker and
colleague retire, but also happiness and
hopefulness for the next chapter of his life.
To celebrate Beetle’s time at Delta, his
wife, Sue, along with his fellow co-workers,
honored him with a luncheon – catered by
Dexter Barbeque. Stories and memories
were shared by Beetle, reflecting his
experiences throughout the years.
“Beetle was always focused on getting
the job done right and enjoyed what he was
doing. He was a joy to work with and truly an
Ambassador for Delta with his work ethic and
the years of service that he has contributed.
Beetle will be missed by his co-workers, but
the employees at Delta Concrete wish Beetle
a safe and enjoyable retirement,” recalls Randy
Hobbs (Area Manager), “And remember,
Beetle, don’t be a stranger to your Ready Mix
family. You will be welcome to visit any time.”
During the luncheon, Beetle was
presented with a plaque to commemorate
his contribution to Delta. Among other
retirement gifts were T-shirts celebrating
April 30th as “Lawson Bailey Day”.
Van Loomes (Plant Manager) comments,
“Your attitude made our work enjoyable
and fun. Everyone at Delta wishes you
the best and you will be missed.”
SEMO STUDENTS TOUR THE CAPE READY MIX PLANT
On May 6, 2015, the Cape Girardeau Ready
Mix plant hosted visitors from a Construction
Management class from Southeast Missouri
State University (SEMO). The tour included an
overview of Delta’s operation which included
scheduling, quality control, batching, and
delivery.
Shane Matlock (Quality Control Technician)
and Randy Hobbs (Area Manager for Ready
Mix) began the tour with a presentation on
the various aspects involved in producing a
quality yard of concrete. Shane and Randy
discussed job specifications and how this helps
Delta Concrete determine which mix would
best fit the customer’s needs and budget. A
discussion arose on water cement ratios which
focused on the effects on the strength and
durability of the concrete and the workability for
placement and finishing.
The tour continued in the control room
where Randy Hobbs and Ken Kelley (Plant
Manager) discussed the process from the
beginning
(taking the order) to the end (delivery of the
product to the customer). The class visited
the stockpile of aggregates and cements and
discussed the production process of making
concrete, followed by a demonstration of a
mixer truck being loaded.
The group was shown the process of
tracking trucks and scheduling orders using the
Command Batching computer system.
The order taking and entry process was
a discussion topic that helped the class to
understand how extremely important it is to
have the correct information. The wrong
information could result in the wrong product
being sent to the customer.
An open discussion ended the tour; allowing
the class to ask questions about the operation.
Common questions included:
“How much can you haul on a truck?”
“How far do you go?”
“What is the average time allowed
to make a delivery?”
“When do you start an order to be able
to meet the scheduled delivery time?”
The SEMO Construction Management
Student Class had a great experience learning
about a business that not only has a lot of
moving parts, but works toward producing a
safe work environment while delivering quality
concrete to customers. Delta appreciated
the opportunity to meet, and hopefully spark
interest in, this class of students.
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