Doing Right: Helping Employees Beat the Heat This Summer

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On this Heat Awareness Day, we introduce Ergon’s 2022 Heat Awareness Program. Corporate Health & Safety Manager James Upton shares the importance of heat safety awareness in organizations such as Ergon, where employees work in extreme temperatures year-round.

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The past few years have shown that the risk of heat illness from high temperatures is one of the most serious challenges to the health and safety of workers. In 2019, despite widespread underreporting, 2,410 workers in the U.S. experienced a heat-related injury or illness, with 43 workers even dying from a heat illness. The real tragedy is that heat illness is almost always preventable.

High heat impacts everyone, and we can’t afford to ignore its effects on health. This year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has implemented a new national emphasis on heat stress, prioritizing heat-related interventions and workplace inspections on days when the heat index exceeds 80°F. This is in addition to their campaign to educate and assist employers on heat illness prevention.

ERGON’S HEAT AWARENESS PROGRAM:

Recognition is critical; prevention is key. Ergon’s Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Team has initiated an organization-wide Heat Awareness Program (HAP). The goal is to educate the Ergon Family on ways to recognize heat/temperature hazards and prevent related illnesses.

Here are some things we’ve done to help spread awareness so far. In May 2022, all Ergon facilities received HAP boxes with heat safety awareness information, OSHA posters in English and Spanish, and chill-its (evaporative cooling bandanas) for all employees.

We’re communicating heat safety awareness through digital monitors at all facilities and an organization-wide Heat Awareness Webinar series developed to provide tips on how to recognize and treat heat-related illnesses, including what to do to if you or a coworker start to experience symptoms.

Can you recognize the signs of a heat illness? The following graphic includes quick tips on how to recognize the symptoms and/or signs of one common heat-related illness — heat exhaustion.

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Whether you work for Ergon or another company, we want to be sure you know how to avoid heat-related illnesses. We encourage you to refer to your company’s health and safety policies and guidelines, as well as any local, state and federal safety organizations with which you comply, for details on best practices for your organization.

If you’re interested in ways you can promote relevant heat safety awareness within your organization, email us and we’ll be in touch. Stay cool!

Public Awareness and Pipeline Safety, Priority for Ergon Terminaling

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A key responsibility for Ergon is operating our facilities in a safe manner — a manner which protects our facility teams, the local community and the environment.

This is certainly true for Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia, which operates a 38-mile, 8” pipeline (Magnolia Pipeline) that begins at our terminal in Magnolia, Ohio, and ends at Ergon-West Virginia (EWV) in Newell. The pipeline delivers crude oil to EWV through Carroll and Columbiana counties in Ohio, as well as Hancock County in West Virginia. Because this pipeline runs through privately held land and near residential areas, it’s imperative that we maintain open lines of communication with the local landowners and residents.

Public Awareness
In order to accomplish this, we developed a Public Awareness Safety Program. Through this program, Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia conducts annual public safety campaigns to reach the affected public living and working along the pipeline. This is to ensure residents understand pipeline operations and are aware of who to notify in the event of a pipeline emergency. Helping the public understand their significant role in preventing accidents caused by third-party damage and right-of-way encroachment will decrease the amount of pipeline hazards each year.

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The objectives of the Public Awareness Safety Program are to:

  • Improve public safety, property and environmental protection through increased public awareness and knowledge.
  • Make residents aware that pipelines are in their community.
  • Ensure stakeholders know how to recognize, react and report pipeline emergencies.
  • Educate emergency response agencies of the proper actions to take in response to a pipeline accident or emergency.
  • To educate excavators of the steps they should take to prevent third-party damage and respond properly if they cause damage to a pipeline.
  • To educate public officials of the presence of liquid pipelines in their community, hazards that they present and prevention measures to be taken in the event of a pipeline incident or emergency.

As part of the Public Awareness Safety Program, Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia also participates in the Ohio One Call Program, where landowners and residents can call to be notified of work along the pipeline.

Through our safety program, we are taking a proactive approach to minimizing accidents and third-party damage. This is an important part of our goal of doing right and protecting our family of employees and those in our communities.

Selfless Leadership — Ergon Focuses on the Greater Good

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We lead with compassion and put those around us before ourselves. We don’t say we’re the experts; we demonstrate it through technical expertise, category innovation and genuine care for what we do.

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Selfless Leadership is a core value of Ergon and has been an integral part of our business model for the past 68 years. We got our start in 1954 in the petroleum industry’s service sector — with service being the operative word.

Ergon has always been a company that has anticipated and put the needs of those we serve above our own interests. We look outside of ourselves for the greater good of our family of employees and our customers. It’s what sustains us. And we employ over 3,200 people who embody this same ideal in their everyday work.

Watch as members of the Ergon family explain our collective commitment to the value of Selfless Leadership below.

Ergon is cultivating leaders at every level of our organization. By empowering our employees to be compassionate leaders, we are able to broaden our capabilities and capacity to provide the exceptional customer service that has become synonymous with the Ergon name.

We don’t boast about our successes in the industries we serve, but if we could attribute them to one thing, it would be that we operate simply as a service company with a decades-long mission of meeting needs, supporting families and serving customers.

We thrive by championing our people, and by being available and being responsive when needed the most. That’s the Ergon way.

If you’re interested in a company that thrives off of being available and helping others, then Ergon is the place for you. Visit our Careers page for more information on how and why you should join the Ergon family.

Empowering Employees to Lead, Innovate and Serve

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Putting our best foot forward to anticipate and meet customer needs and then exceed their expectations has been a driving force in Ergon’s commitment to empowering our family of employees.

Regardless of role or location, empowered service means being trusted to do your job and being prepared to contribute to the success of Ergon’s customers through training, proactive learning and curiosity.

“My favorite thing about working at Ergon is the endless opportunities,” said Andrew Rigaud, Maintenance Engineer at Ergon – West Virginia. “I really love learning, and so the opportunity to go out and pick up a new skill, learn a new program, learn a process within the refinery, is something I cherish, and that really excites me.”

Learn how we embody Empowered Service — the Ergon way — in the video below, part of our Culture & Values video series.

Nurturing the passion and curiosity employees have about processes and technologies in their respective fields has been key in Ergon’s development of innovative products in the asphalt and specialty oils industries. And the ongoing learning opportunities we provide have helped foster the cream of the crop of confident and competent leaders in the industries we serve.

“We have very extensive training programs because we want our people to be all they can be,” said Roger Harris, Senior VP – Marine Operations for Ergon’s Magnolia Marine Transport Co. (MMT). For decades, MMT has provided training opportunities for employees, including those joining at entry-level.

While empowering employees is a benefit to them and to Ergon, the ultimate goal is woven into the fabric of the organization — serving customers. “We want to make sure that every interaction has the customer in mind, and that we’re exceeding their expectations,” Brody McCreary, Production Leader – Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions.

Interested in working for a company that thrives off of investing in your professional growth? Visit ergoncareers.com today, and search for job openings within the Ergon family of companies.

Crafco Recycling Project Reduces CO2e Emissions

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Crafco Inc., a division of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions Inc., has a long history of environmentally friendly projects. Over 40 years ago, Crafco developed and patented an effective solution for sealing pavement cracks and joints using a blend of reclaimed rubber from recycled car tires and asphalt. This flexible sealant was the first of its kind. Beyond its role in helping transform the industry, this specialized material also helps protect the environment.

By blending scrap tire rubber into its sealant, Crafco is recycling over one million tires every year, reducing waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. Reusing and repurposing used tires versus virgin polymer modifiers reduces crude oil consumption by over one million gallons each year.

For Fiscal Year 2021, Crafco’s consumption of crumb rubber equated to reducing CO2e emissions by approximately 30 million pounds versus using virgin materials in the company’s finished product.

“Tire rubber already contains the oils and antioxidants required for effective sealant performance, thus reducing the need for using more natural resources,” stated Gary Johnson, Crafco President. “By using post-consumer recycled tire rubber, Crafco sealants save energy and resources by reducing the amount of polymers and chemicals consumed.”

The team at Crafco is committed to finding ways to have a positive impact on the environment. A few examples include:

  • In 1982 Crafco introduced an innovative way to package sealant by replacing metal pails, the standard at the time, with boxes manufactured from recycled cardboard. The cardboard is fully recyclable after it’s emptied, decreasing the waste stream by approximately 4,000,000 metal pails each year.

  • Dedicated to leading the way with its innovative, fully consumable packaging, Crafco currently holds two patents on processes to package sealant in a container that itself becomes part of the sealant. Both Pleximelt and NO BOX packaging options are fully consumable and create zero waste.

  • On Crafco’s equipment manufacturing side, all application equipment worldwide has Tier 4 diesel engines. These engines support the lowest emission requirements in the U.S.

Thanks to Crafco’s environmentally friendly focus, customers have access to sealants that are long lasting and budget friendly. Crafco is reducing its carbon footprint while helping to preserve not only our roads, but also the planet.

CEO Provides Update on Sustainability at Ergon

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“Ergon has recently contracted with a leading global provider of ESG performance solutions to calculate our global carbon footprint, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Carbon reduction goals will be part of Ergon’s efforts to establish clear sustainability targets for the future in the areas of our products, planet, people and principles.”
— Emmitte Haddox, Ergon CEO

Since our founding 68 years ago, Ergon’s mission has been to meet needs, support families and serve customers. Long before the world’s attention turned to environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts, Ergon’s culture and values were built around Doing Right with our products, for our planet, by our people and through our principles. That focus on the right things has facilitated our growth from a small Mississippi company to a global leader in a wide range of businesses related to specialty oils and chemicals, asphalt and emulsions, pavement preservation techniques, surface protection systems and more.

Although ESG has always been a part of Ergon’s DNA, as a privately held company, we had not formalized protocols for collecting data and reporting on ESG efforts. Since establishing a Doing Right Launch Team in 2020 and a new ESG subcommittee in 2021, I have been delighted to see the compilation of reports of how our companies are working together to find innovative ways to impact sustainability. We are focused on cleaner products, supporting and protecting our people and our communities today and for future generations, and ensuring the continued success of this organization upon which so many people around the world depend.

As a family-owned and -operated organization, we have demonstrated our long-term commitment to sustainable business practices by reinvesting an average of 93% of earnings back into our facilities and our people over the years. Our commitment to sustainable practices starts with our Board of Directors and management and is communicated throughout every level of the organization.

Ergon’s first Doing Right Report, published in 2021, highlights the impressive progress we have made so far. We are currently working to establish clear sustainability goals and targets for the future. Ergon has recently contracted with a leading global provider of ESG performance solutions to calculate our global carbon footprint, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Carbon reduction goals will be part of Ergon’s efforts to establish clear sustainability targets for the future in the areas of our products, planet, people and principles. We look forward to sharing these goals in our upcoming 2022 Doing Right Report.

In the meantime, our focus on providing the reliable products and services upon which our customers depend will not waiver as the entire Ergon family works to make our world a better place.

Learn more about Ergon’s Doing Right efforts and sign up for our quarterly newsletter HERE.

Ergon Team Walks 13K Miles Toward a Healthy Lifestyle

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On this National Walking Day, we introduce you to a new program Ergon Terminaling Inc (ETI) has implemented to help promote a healthy workforce. Read below as Steve Clark, ETI Environmental, Health & Safety Compliance Specialist, expounds on this step in a healthier direction.

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At Ergon, we are family, and we look out for each other. The health and well-being of our employees are the top priorities for Ergon and our family of companies, and our goal is to have every employee return home safely at the end of each day.

Beyond Ergon’s safety initiatives, ETI wanted to encourage employees to be healthier and more active. We launched a new health and wellness program — Ergon Active —on February 14, 2022, inviting ETI employees and some departments from Ergon Inc. to participate. This voluntary program encourages teams to be more active through fun and friendly step/walking challenges on the MoveSpring mobile app. Each participant’s activity is logged in the app by syncing with the user’s Apple Watch, Fitbit, iPhone or similar activity tracker. To reduce any barriers to participating, we provided a FitBit free of charge to any team member wishing to join in.

Ergon Active began with 38 participants or Steppers and has grown to 82 Steppers and counting. Since the launch, Ergon Active Steppers have logged over 30,000,000 steps and more than 13,000 miles.

Added Benefits of Ergon Active
Through the MoveSpring app, ETI can share health-related information with participants. The app provides chat and friends features so Ergon Active Steppers can connect and encourage each other across multiple Ergon locations. So, in addition to promoting health, we are also upholding Ergon’s reputation as a relationship-driven organization.

We’re Just Getting Started
Going forward, we want to continue to create fun step challenges to align with our goals, but we also want to provide awareness of our other corporate health and safety initiatives. Stressing the importance of proper hydration and pre-activity stretching are two examples of where Ergon Active can help prevent common workplace injuries.

For more information about Ergon Active, or to learn how you can implement a similar program for your team, please email ergon.active@ergon.com. We’re happy to help.

Happy Stepping!

Asphalt: America’s Top Recycling Industry

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EAE Sr. VP Patrick Nation Talks Sustainability with the Asphalt Institute:

In a recent interview for Asphalt, the magazine of the Asphalt Institute, Patrick Nation, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions (Ergon A&E) Senior Vice President and Chair of the Asphalt Institute, shared his thoughts about sustainability as it pertains to the asphalt industry and to Ergon.

The asphalt industry certainly plays an important role in today’s society. “We are the main resource going into the transportation system that moves people and goods around the world,” Nation explained. “Without a great transportation network, people and businesses suffer tremendously. This will not change moving forward. The world might look a little different, but transportation networks will be an important part of whatever our world looks like in the future.”

According to Nation, the industry has a good story to tell about sustainability. “We just need to tell it,” he said. “This is a space where the industry can play an important role and help with challenges faced around the world.”

The asphalt paving industry is one of the top recycling industries in the world. Asphalt is 100% reusable and the most recycled material in America, with an estimated 94% of reclaimed material going back into new pavements. Asphalt Institute members supply most of the binder in this industry and lead the effort in recycling.

“Carbon-reducing technologies that can reduce the production of hot mix temperatures and instantly capture a significant reduction in carbon are available today. Our industry has also developed pavement maintenance technologies that get produced and applied at lower temperatures,” Nation added. “These technologies can and will be included in agency LCA (life cycle assessment) plans, and this will help agencies reduce their carbon footprint.”

When asked what he sees as the greatest opportunities for the asphalt industry in the future, Patrick said he believes they can lead the infrastructure narrative on sustainability. “I think we have the people and assets to help be a solution to the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement,” he added. “We are in a good space going forward and need to embrace the changes that are coming.”

Sustainability at Ergon

“For Ergon, sustainability means doing right,” Nation commented. “We strive to always do the right thing through our company and for the people we represent, including our employees, their families, our customers and the world we operate in. By reducing our carbon footprint, Ergon has reasonable plans to make sure we are doing our part to help.”

A few examples of specific steps taken by Ergon A&E include:

  • Patented technologies to reduce effects of aging on asphalt and enable the use of higher levels of recycled materials in asphalt have been developed by Ergon companies.

  • Ergon A&E’s warm mix asphalt technology is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional hot mix applications, reducing carbon emissions, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter and more.

  • Ergon A&E’s micro surfacing and chip seal treatments offer 44% and 51% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional roadway construction methods.

  • Crafco, a division of Ergon A&E, recycles an average of 10 million pounds of crumb rubber from tires each year, leading to the reduction of 30 million pounds of CO2e emissions.

To learn more about Ergon’s ESG efforts or download our Doing Right Report, visit https://ergon.com/sustainability.

And if you would like more information about the environmentally friendly products offered by Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, find your local sales representative at https://ergonasphalt.com/locations.

Women at Ergon Bring Solutions to the Construction Industry

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Ergon is proud to provide opportunities for women to join the Ergon family and advance in construction-related careers, one of the fields where women continue to be underrepresented.

For Women in Construction Week 2022, we’ve highlighted a few women who help move Ergon’s construction-related operations forward with quality, safety and customer satisfaction in mind. We hope to inspire and encourage all women to think outside the box and push past barriers when it comes to choosing a new career path.

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Meet Ergon’s Women in Construction

Many women have contributed directly to Ergon’s goals to meet needs, support families and serve customers in their construction/infrastructure related roles. Meet a few of them below.

Rosita Martinez – Ergon Asfaltos México

Rosita serves as Technical Manager for Ergon Asfaltos México (EAM), a subsidiary of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions. She joined EAM in 1999 and has since played a vital role in the development of asphalt and emulsion products and systems for roads within Ergon’s Mexico markets. Additionally, she is responsible for the coordination of the Pavement Engineering Division and other technical services, managing the Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) program and managing intellectual property.

“Rosita has immense knowledge in all areas of asphalt and emulsions,” said Scott Watson, Senior VP – Technical Operations. “It is very difficult to have such a grasp of formulations, production, applications and performance evaluation, but Rosita has mastered them all.”

Rosita shared her experience working in construction in hopes of inspiring women who desire to do challenging, exciting and purposeful work to consider the field as well: “Working in construction offers constant challenges and opportunities since it’s a constantly changing field,” she said. “I enjoy testing and seeing the results of our work on roads. It’s also an exciting career that provides enormous satisfaction from being able to contribute meaningful work to improve infrastructure — something that impacts people daily.”

Catrina Franklin – Alliant Construction (Ergon Construction Group)

Catrina serves as the Project Management Assistant for Alliant Construction, a division of Ergon Construction Group. In this role, she is involved in many aspects of the business, including accounting work, estimating, operations, handling daily office duties and more. Catrina joined Alliant in September 2020 and has already had a huge impact on business operations.

“Catrina Franklin is a valuable asset for us,” said Andy Measells, VP & General Manager of Alliant Construction. “Because Alliant stays focused on delivering the highest quality customer and partner experiences, our service, speed, integrity and professionalism matter. And that’s why it’s so great to have an experienced team member like Catrina, who understands all the puzzle pieces, so to speak, and helps keep our operations running smoothly and efficiently.”

Catrina encourages women who are interested in learning new things and seeing concepts come to life to consider careers in construction. “Construction has been an exciting career for me,” she said. “Every day is different and I’m always learning new things. I love every aspect of it from estimating to operations.”

Amy Walker –  Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions

Since 2004, Amy has excelled as Area Sales Manager (ASM) for Mississippi — the home of Ergon’s headquarters.

For Amy, her job is about more than convincing various agencies to buy Ergon’s asphalt and emulsion products. It’s about building relationships based on exceptional service, technical support and education on best practices to advance the goal of improving America’s infrastructure. “Amy is very service oriented and is always available to answer questions, teach and help our customers be successful,” said Larry Tomkins, Ergon A&E’s VP – Southeast Region. “She has the unique ability to be able to connect with people, and her contribution to the industry and Ergon has been felt all across Mississippi.”

In her role as ASM, Amy has excelled at building relationships with county supervisors, road managers, county engineers, consulting engineers, representatives from Departments of Transportation and also city agencies. “We work together to assess the needs of the roads within their network, as well as assess proper application and site selection,” she said. “And I provide support to ensure a successful project and troubleshoot when needed.”

In addition to overcoming stereotypes in the construction/infrastructure field, Amy is also the first member of the third generation of the Lampton family to be appointed to Ergon’s Board of Directors.

Brandi Julian – Crafco

Brandi Julian is Director of Organizational Development (DOD) for Crafco, a subsidiary of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions and the world’s leading manufacturer of packaged pavement preservation products. “Implementing Organizational Development, which is a new initiative at Crafco, requires a leader who not only has the vision, but also the strength to educate and inspire employees to embrace positive change,” said Gary Johnson, Crafco President. “Brandi is that leader, and I cannot think of anyone better to guide us through the development and execution of this monumental effort.”

As DOD, Brandi plays a vital part in growing the construction industry by providing opportunities for employee retention, growth, development and performance management — opportunities she ensures are extended to groups, like women, who remain underrepresented in the industry. “I believe diversity of any employee base adds value to new thoughts and new ways of operating and improving processes,” said Brandi.

In addition to doing her part to ensure a competent and diverse workplace, Brandi encourages women to think outside the box when it comes to their careers and not limit themselves to traditional roles. “There are vast opportunities for women in the construction industry, and I would encourage women, especially those currently pursing degrees, to think outside of traditional female fields and roles,” she said.

Women of Ergon Breaking Barriers
This list doesn’t scratch the surface of the many female employees overcoming stereotypes within the various industries Ergon serves. If you’re interested in a company committed to respecting and providing spaces for the diversity of ideas and of people, visit ergoncareers.com.

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Construction Services at Ergon
Ergon provides specialized services within various sectors of the construction industry, including industrial and commercial construction, maintenance and related services through our Construction & Real Estate segment. We also produce, market and distribute asphalt, emulsions, specialty coatings and sealants for road construction and maintenance through our Asphalt & Emulsions segment.

National Employee Appreciation Day at Ergon

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A Message from the Lampton Family, CEO Emmitte Haddox and COO Kris Patrick

On this National Employee Appreciation Day, Ergon and the Lampton family extend our heartfelt thanks to our family of employees around the world. Thank you for your continued commitment to working hard, working safely and looking out for each other.

Watch our “Thank You” video.

“Ergon is where we choose to invest our time, energy, talents and contributions toward a common goal,” commented Emmitte Haddox, Ergon Chief Executive Officer. “With a focus on Doing Right, we strive to make this company the best it can be. Each person owns their contribution to Ergon’s mission of meeting needs, supporting families and serving customers.”

The Ergon family has gone above and beyond to serve and protect their coworkers, customers and communities since the pandemic started.

“Our clear motivation from day one was to protect our employees. Period,” said Kris Patrick, Ergon Chief Operating Officer. “I would put our actions on a scale against those of any other company.”

Kris explained that Ergon’s mission hasn’t changed over time, and it didn’t change because of COVID. “It has been said that the moments that challenge us the most define us, and this has certainly been a defining time period,” he added. “While many companies were trying to hold on or slow the free fall, our employees moved Ergon forward in so many ways. Those employees are what make this company great.”

Ergon. United by Service. Driven by Solutions.