Heidelberg Materials is Made in Cortland

Matt Brooks: Matt Brooks here on X101’s Always Classic in for another edition of Made in Cortland. And with me in the studio today is Michael McAllister, Area Manager of Southern Central New York with Heidelberg Materials. Now, first off, Michael, thank you for sitting down with me today to talk about Heidelberg Materials.

Michael McAllister: Yeah, Matt, thanks for having me. It’s a good thing you guys are doing here, bringing some good highlights to the community, and I appreciate you having me.

Matt Brooks: Yes, I appreciate all the time you’re taking to talk about this great company. I personally drive by every day on my way here to the station and have always seen the sign, but always wanted to learn more about it, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. So, let’s start off with the history of Heidelberg Materials. It dates back to 1897 when Lehigh Cement Company started in Ormrod, Pennsylvania. Can you tell me the story of how a single-mill operation like Lehigh Cement Company grew into such a large-scale organization that spans North America?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, it’s really a pretty incredible story. Heidelberg Materials traces its roots back to 1897 when Lehigh Cement started a single cement mill in Ormrod, Pennsylvania. Over the years, the company continued to grow through innovation and acquisitions, and today it’s the largest building material supply company in the world with thousands of locations globally. What’s interesting to me is how that global story connects us right here to Cortland, New York. Our story with the plant in Cortland dates back to the early 1940s when Cortland Ready Mix was founded on Locust Ave by a group of several owner-operators, predating a lot of the infrastructure in the area, including Interstate 81. The current plant on site was commissioned in 1989, and it’s the second plant we’ve had on site, which was built to keep up with the growing demand in the area and as technology evolved. One piece of interesting local history with the plant that a lot of people don’t know is our aggregate source originally came from across the road, across Route 13, where Yaman Park sits today. The land was later donated by James Yaman to the City of Cortland to establish the park we all know it as today. There’s several other local gravel pits around the area—Homer and Truxton—that supplied material over the years that have since been closed, and homes sit on those properties now. But we now have a network of a couple dozen quarries, including sand and gravel operations, three cement terminals, and 22 ready-mix plants integrated across the state. The operations changed hands a few times over the years. Back in 2017, Heidelberg Materials bought Saunders companies and that basically led to where we’re at today. But we predate back about 80 years, and that’s something we’re really proud of.

Matt Brooks: 80 years is nothing to scoff at, and a good amount of that 80 years, you had a local presence in the Cortland area because you said the 1940s is when that first plant really started. Now, North America, and you span operations across it, and as a whole, Heidelberg Materials products include asphalt, aggregates, ready-mix concrete—one I thought was really cool is 3D printed concrete, I know that’s been a new technology emerging—but locally, what kind of products and services are provided at the Cortland facilities?

Michael McAllister: So at the Cortland facility, we focus primarily on ready-mix concrete. The easiest way to describe how critical our materials are is that concrete touches every part of your day-to-day life, whether it’s the foundation under your home, the sidewalks you walk on, the bridge you drive across, the farms you drive past, or the grocery stores you shop in. Concrete has a part in all of it.

Matt Brooks: And it’s really the foundation of a lot of modern infrastructure, so it’s really important to have companies that are able to create that and be able to have it when you need it where you need it. Now, it takes a lot of different roles to run such an operation smoothly. Can you talk about some of the types of jobs held at the Cortland facility?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, so it really takes a team to make everything work. Starting at the top, my role is Area Manager. I handle the business side of things, work with customers, make sure we’re growing the operation, and maintaining a good relationship with our customer base and community. We also have a site supervisor who oversees the day-to-day operations of the plant, a plant operator who batches the concrete, we have two mechanics that keep our trucks, equipment, and plant running safely and efficiently, we have a loader operator who keeps the plant supplied with materials, and our mixer truck drivers who make sure concrete gets delivered to our customers safely and on time. And then lastly, we have our quality control technician, who makes sure every load meets specifications that the customers require. What I think is pretty unique is we may be a small team, but everybody’s contribution really matters. Every person plays a critical role in getting quality product to our customers.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, every role is needed, and that’s why it’s there. Now, the Cortland facility, it’s been here for quite a while, dates back to the 1940s again. What were the advantages, and what are the advantages, of having a facility specifically in the Cortland area?

Michael McAllister: Location is our biggest advantage. We’re right in the middle of the county of Cortland, Interstate 81’s basically at the end of our driveway, and that gives us access to a huge service area. Because concrete is a perishable product, timing matters. Once it’s made, you need to get it delivered and placed relatively quickly. Being located in Cortland allows us to efficiently serve not only Cortland County, but also parts of Tompkins, Broome, Southern Onondaga, Chenango, Cayuga, and Tioga counties. It also gives us the flexibility within the Heidelberg network to reach a variety of our ready-mix plants and move our trucks and resources where they’re needed. So from both a customer service standpoint and an operational perspective, Cortland’s a great location.

Matt Brooks: And how has technology changed throughout the years for Heidelberg Materials, and what would you say is the most important technology that has been implemented in recent years?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, Matt, there’s a lot of exciting things happening right now. One thing customers really like is our new customer portal app. It allows them to track their deliveries in real time, make schedule changes, and even see exactly where their concrete truck is in real time that’s headed to their job. We’ve also upgraded our concrete batching system at the plant to Command Cloud, which helps us manage production more efficiently and gives us better data to support our operation. On the product side, one of the most exciting developments is our new low-carbon concrete product line, EvoBuild. As the industry continues focusing on sustainability, products like this will help us reduce our carbon emissions while still delivering performance customers expect. It’s exciting because our technology is making things better for both our customers and our employees altogether.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, it sounds like you’ve really on all fronts been finding ways to elevate customer satisfaction with having real-time updates, that online portal that they can access, as well as looking for the future. I mean, I know green technology is such a huge deal, and unfortunately concrete, asphalt, all those are a contributor to greenhouse gases, so Heidelberg putting that effort to find ways to lower that footprint is always great to hear. Now, you might not be able to tell us, but if there’s something that you can, are there technologies on the horizon that Heidelberg Materials is looking to utilize?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, so Heidelberg’s always looking to grow in that market. Off the top of my head, I don’t know of anything coming in the near future. I think there’s going to be a big expansion with 3D printed concrete down the road; that’s going to cut down on diesel emissions huge. Outside of that, we got a real big focus on digitization as a whole, growing the programs that we currently have, building off of that, and always looking for new ideas to grow in that area.

Matt Brooks: Speaking of new ideas, you had mentioned that it’s kind of a small team locally that’s getting everything done. There’s a variety of skills required though for Heidelberg Materials to run smoothly. Now, if somebody wanted to get into the industry, what kind of background would you be looking for, and while we’re on the subject, what does Heidelberg Materials offer in regards to training if they’re looking at a new hire?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, so the great thing about our industry is there’s no single path into it. We have opportunities for drivers, mechanics, equipment operators, plant personnel, quality control technicians, sales professionals, managers, and management trainees. Having a strong construction or manufacturing background certainly helps, but it’s definitely not required. A lot of our employees started with little or no experience in the construction industry as a whole, myself included 11 years ago. The biggest thing that we’re looking for is somebody who’s willing to learn, work hard, and be part of a high-performing team. Heidelberg provides a lot of training, whether it’s safety training, equipment training, technical training, leadership development, and tuition reimbursement. We want people to grow their careers here.

Matt Brooks: No, that is great to hear that there’s so much investment in training and getting people that could be great workers, but maybe need a little extra training because they don’t have that necessary background, that you can really get them up to speed and helping the mission. Now, you started 11 years ago. Personally, what do you enjoy about working at Heidelberg Materials?

Michael McAllister: For me, it’s the opportunities. I started 11 years ago as a loader operator and worked my way through every job discipline before becoming the area manager. That’s something that I really appreciate about Heidelberg. If you’re willing to work hard and learn, there’s opportunities there to advance for everybody. I also like that not two days are ever the same. Every season brings different challenges, and watching my team adapt and overcome them, that’s an amazing thing. It’s also satisfying to drive around Cortland and see the projects that our concrete’s helped build. Probably drives my wife and daughters nuts when I drive by a place and I say, “Hey, we did the concrete there,” but that’s something I take a lot of pride in. But honestly, what I appreciate most is the people I work with. Even though Heidelberg Materials is a global company, our local operation still feels like family. We care about one another, we look out for one another, and we understand that every employee has a family waiting for them at home. That local feel is what makes it a special place to work.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, again, it doesn’t matter how big a company is, having those local roots really helps just flourish when you’re talking about communities like Cortland. Now, for those interested in learning more about Heidelberg Materials, or perhaps to even apply for a job, where should people go?

Michael McAllister: Yeah, the best place to start’s going to be our website online, heidelbergmaterials.us. You can learn a lot about our products, our sustainability initiatives, and you can browse our career opportunities across the company there. I’d also like to encourage people to consider the construction materials industry in general. It’s a stable industry because communities will always need roads. They’re always going to need bridges, schools, hospitals, housing, and infrastructure. If you’re looking for a career where you can see results of your work and be part of building your community, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, it’s the real cool aspect about just the construction industry in general, cause just like how you were saying, you’ll point out—and drive your kids crazy—of where Heidelberg Materials has helped. If you’re in construction, you can literally point to a building like, “Hey, yeah, I was up there on the scaffolding putting that window in,” or pouring the concrete that’s holding that building up. There’s so many ways to get involved in construction and specialties that the trades are—that’s an industry that’s not going to go. You’re always going to need them.

Michael McAllister: Yeah, and I think it’s important to note as well that given the uncertainty of the economy, this industry’s been recession-proof. It’s been pandemic-proof. We went through COVID-19, we didn’t slow down a bit, hammered right through. Been through a number of depressions, recessions now, and things just stay consistent, and you don’t need to worry about losing your job and being on the street looking for work.

Matt Brooks: So, let me wrap up. Again, the Cortland facility’s right off Luker Road, it’s next to the 81 on-ramp. If you’re going between Cortland and Homer, you see the sign. For someone like me who drives by the sign regularly, the whole facility, what would be one thing that somebody driving by should know about it if they had a takeaway? Like if they pointed at the sign and said, “Hey, that’s Heidelberg Materials,” what’s the one thing you want them to know about?

Michael McAllister: I think the biggest thing I’d want people to know is while we’re part of a global company, we still have local roots. We’re still local people serving the local community. Like I said, the people that work here, they live here in Cortland and surrounding areas. We shop in the same stores, support the same small local businesses. We raise our families here, we live in the same communities. Yes, we’re backed by the resource and expertise of a global leader, but at the end of the day, we’re still your neighbors. We’re proud of the role we play in helping build the homes, the businesses, the schools, the roads, and the infrastructure that make our community stronger.

Matt Brooks: Michael, you’ve really shown just so much of what Heidelberg Materials does in the past 15 minutes or so. Thank you for coming on out. Again, I drive by the facility every day, it’s like, “Oh yeah,” I see it, but you don’t always understand what’s going on behind the doors. So thank you for stopping in, talking about Heidelberg Materials and all that you do, a global operation, but local here in Cortland.

Michael McAllister: Yeah, Matt, same. Likewise. Appreciate you having me here. This has been great.

Matt Brooks: This has been another edition of Made in Cortland here on X101 Always Classic. I’m Matt Brooks.