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Ben Curtis' family has been in the construction aggregate business since the early thirties. The Company supplied concrete aggregate for 18 major hydro electric dams in the Pacific Northwest as well as to hundreds of miles of roads and highways. During the time they operated in that part of the country, they became the largest producer of concrete aggregates in the western United States. Base of operations for the family business was in Spokane, Washington. In the late 1960's the family moved into Southern California to design and build an aggregate plant for a client in the area.
Ben had worked for the family business during school vacations, and on weekends. He worked on several of the projects the company was involved in. During this time he was schooled in the design, erection, operation and maintenance of major aggregate plants.
Subsequent to spending four years in the United States Air Force during the Mid-Sixties, he came to California to help with the plant installations here. The company for whom the Curtis' had built plants in Southern California fell upon hard financial times, which resulted in their acquisition by Curtis. Ben served as a Plant Operator, Plant Foreman, Plant Superintendent, Production Manager, and eventually Vice President, General Manager of California Operations.
Following his fathers death, Ben and his younger sister Joan, formed Canyon Country Enterprises, in which they invested their Fathers interest in the Company which they had inherited. At that time the Company was operated as a partnership, with M.G. Curtis, Ben's Uncle, being a partner with Canyon Country Enterprises. During that time, 1974 through 1984, Ben was the General Manager of the California Operations, and maintained day to day control over business here. In 1984 Canyon Country Enterprises assumed full ownership of the California Operations.
Since 1974, Ben Curtis has served a two year term as Chairman of the Board of the Southern California Ready Mixed Concrete Producers Association, and as a member of the Executive Board of the Southern California Rock Producers Association. He has been active in other industry associations, and has earned a reputation as a concerned and knowledgeable member of the industry. He has a very extensive background in Local Organizations, and has served on the local Hospital Board of Governors, as President of the local Chamber of Commerce, and on the Board of the local Boys and Girls Club, only to mention a few. He was presented with the first "Life Achievement Award", from the Canyon Country Chamber of Commerce in 1991. Ben is also an Honorary Life Member of the Chamber, and has been both Honorary Mayor and Honorary Marshall of Canyon Country.
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The Lang Station Aggregate Plant is located on approximately 185 acres in the Santa Clarita River near Highway 14. Curtis and its predecessors have had a crushing, washing, and screening plant at that location since 1969. There has been a Sand & Gravel operation on that site, under other ownership, continuously since about 1955. The plant currently produces Portland Cement Concrete aggregates. Curtis removes approximately 300,000 to 450,000 tons of materials from the Lang Station Plant annually. The plant currently in place is capable of producing 350 to 400 tons of materials per hour.
This pit is in a river bed, and therefore relies on recharge from high water (flood), for its long term survival. The area recently endured a 5 year drought, and reserve levels in the pit are relatively low. Recent surveys of the riverbed show that Curtis still has a substantial amount of reserve remaining even without the reliance on flood recharge.
The market area for the Lang Station Pit is primarily the Santa Clarita Valley area, which is made up of Newhall, Saugus, Valencia, Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, and the Northern San Fernando Valley. Curtis has been able to compete somewhat successfully in the Northern San Fernando Valley due primarily to the high quality of the PCC Aggregates produced at this site.
The company employs an average of 4 employees on the site. Curtis holds all the necessary permits for the operation, including South Coast Air Quality Management District, Building and Safety, Road Department, Flood control, Fish and Game, Division of Industrial Waste, etc.
Necessary off road equipment required to operate the plant and maintain the site are located on this facility. This site also houses an equipment repair shop, a concrete batch plant, and Curtis' General Offices.
SHOP FACILITIES
The company has an equipment repair shop at the Lang Station Facility. Included in the shop are the tools, parts inventory, equipment maintenance computer and various other items required to properly service the equipment for the Aggregate operation.
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Curtis Sand & Gravel's main office is located at 14320 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country, California, 91351.
At this location, approximately 5 persons are employed in Administrative, Sales and Clerical positions.
The accounting functions are completely computerized using "State of the art" equipment and software. The Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Payroll Programs are fully integrated into the General Ledger. Due in part to Mr. Curtis' past involvement in the software industry, the company enjoys a rather high level of computerization. All the programs used in the Accounting System are customized specifically for the Ready-Mix and Rock and Sand industry. |
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