Facing a reduction in the transportation department’s budget, a nervous consumer and a "floundering investment community" does not have the owner of Luck Stone Corporation too worried.
"We feel 2003 might be slightly softer in sales volume than in 2002, but we see the demand for crushed stone production still being healthy and strong," said Charles S. Luck IV, CEO and president of the family business since 1995 and an employee of the company for 22 years.
Last year was a good year for the crushed stone, gravel and sand operation, which is headquartered in the Richmond area and has a regional office in Leesburg. Luck Stone acquired three operations in Northern Virginia, including Bull Run Stone in Catharpin, Culpepper Crushed Stone in Culpepper and a quarry in Spotsylvania, and opened a plant in Pittsboro, N.C., through a partnership. In 2002, the company brought on the largest number of operations and new employees, a total of 60, in the 80 years since Luck’s grandfather, Charles Luck Jr., founded the company in Richmond in 1923.
"We want to make sure we ... keep our standards high and connect new employees and customers to our organization," said Luck, who lives in Goochland County just outside of Richmond.
LUCK STONE currently has 875 employees and operates 16 crushed stone plants, three sand and gravel operations and eight retail architectural stone centers in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Seven of the crushed stone plants are in Northern Virginia, including the Bull Run, Leesburg and Goose Creek operations in Loudoun, which together have 70 employees. The Leesburg operation was purchased in the early 1970s and Goose Creek in the 1980s.
"Our objectives are to try to absorb and digest the growth that has taken place in 2002," Luck said.
"Certainly, the company has benefited from the great growth in Loudoun, because there is a lot of demand for their product on the residential and commercial side," said Randy Collins, president of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. "They have an excellent reputation and have been in the region for many years. The Luck Stone Corporation and the Luck Stone family has been a great contributor to the county."
Ron White agreed, having worked with Luck Stone for 27 years. "Those folks are special. They are one of the few people out there who do what they say," said White, president of Superior Paving Corp., which is headquartered in Gainesville with a site in Leesburg. "They’re legitimate. There’s nothing about them that’s other than what you see."
IN 2000, Luck Stone initiated Vision 2005 to focus on expanding the business and improving the ease of doing business with the company. Luck Stone evaluated the highest growth markets in Virginia, targeting Loudoun as the fastest growing county in the state and acquiring Bull Run Stone there.
"They want to deliver a quality product on time," said Lewis Murphy, plant manager at the Luck Stone operation in Leesburg. "They strive hard to meet the needs of the customer," whether it’s adding personnel or buying additional equipment or scales, he said.
Luck Stone’s customer base includes the Virginia Department of Transportation, asphalt and concrete companies, home builders and land developers.
"How can we make doing business with Luck Stone easier with each customer segment," Luck said.
Luck Stone uses computers and Internet and database technology to speed up and make business more cost effective by allowing customers to obtain information about business dealings, quotes and company data 24 hours a day, Luck said.
In working with customers, Luck Stone follows what Luck’s grandfather built the company on — "honesty, integrity and high values," Luck said. The company follows these values when working with governmental agencies, neighbors of the various operations and employees of the company.
BESIDES THE CUSTOMER, Luck Stone focuses on the community by investing in education and wellness. The company considers how the business is operated and employs the latest technologies to minimize impacting air, water and noise quality, Luck said. "We are trying to employ new technologies before they are required by state and federal agencies," he said.
As for education, Luck Stone hired a consultant in 2000 to identify the area in the state with the most need. The consultant met with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), finding the need to be in fourth- and fifth-grade earth sciences. Luck Stone partnered with the VDOE to develop the Luck Stone Rock interactive teaching kit, which requires teachers to be trained to use the geological materials in their classes.
"It’s a very personable place," Murphy said. "They do things for the community. ... They do a lot of things for the employees."
"They believe in being involved and doing anything they can do to enhance the area they’re working in," White said. "It really shows us how we need to be more sensitive to things like they are. They set a great example."