Community & Education

Thursday, 18 June 2009 21:07

(May 5, 2008) – Four area families will realize their dream of homeownership thanks in part to a donation of ready-mix concrete by County Materials to Habitat for Humanity.

The donation of 25 yards of concrete for each of four houses will go into their foundations. The families who will inhabit these homes will be heavily involved in the construction process, which also includes high school building classes that are assembling the walls off-site.

“It’s rewarding on a personal level,” said Keith Berens of Wausau-based K Berens Contracting LLC. “These families can’t afford these things, and these donations make it available for them. You can’t put a number on helping them solve a problem.”

Thursday, 18 June 2009 21:05

(May 21, 2009) The masonry industry may get some more educated and talented craftsmen thanks in part to a donation of concrete block and masonry products from County Materials of Appleton. The local manufacturer of construction and landscaping products recently supplied concrete block, brick, sand, mortar mix and other masonry materials to the Construction Techniques class at Appleton East High School.

Construction Occupations Instructor, Steve Masanz, said this is the first year the class has included a masonry-training unit.

“The kids were very excited we were offering this,” said Masanz. “I’m teaching them the basics of masonry. We have been building projects outside, so it’s a realistic setting.”

Using trowels and their classroom training, student pairs are constructing masonry projects that include laying up a brick wall over 8 feet long and a concrete block wall nearly 16 feet long, both several courses high.

Said Masanz, “If we didn’t have the generous product donation from County Materials, we would have no way to run the masonry program because of our limited budgets.”

Masanz also reached out to other professionals in the industry and asked people to come in and present hands-on demonstrations.

“I want to show students how masonry is really done out in the field…and give them a flavor of the different trades so they have an understanding of what is available in construction occupations.”

Thursday, 18 June 2009 21:03

(September 15, 2008) Because of generous contributions and the participation of more than 134 business associates, employees and friends, the 2008 County Materials Charity Golf Outing will help United Way-funded programs improve the lives of many people.

County Materials presented a check for $16,000 to United Way representatives following the company’s second charity event, held at the Wausau Country Club on September 6th.

County Materials distributed funds to local United Way chapters in communities where they have locations. In addition, the Wausau-based Judd S. Alexander Foundation committed to matching any donation, dollar-for-dollar, directed to the United Way-Marathon County chapter.

United Way chapters support programs that help people meet their basic needs and learn to become self-sufficient. In addition, the United Way is focused on community issues including early childhood learning, youth development, helping people in crisis and promoting health and wellness.

Saturday, 24 May 2008 00:00

MADISON, Wis. (May 24, 2007) – The future of construction and landscaping using concrete products became a little more clear, and a lot more hands-on, for students from Darlington High School who visited County Materials on April 12.

More than a dozen students from Dick Anderson’s Intro to Technology, and Wood Technology, classes toured the Madison production facilities of the manufacturer of concrete brick, block and landscaping products.

“It gave the kids a chance to really be surrounded by concrete,” Anderson said. “I’m really trying to put the word ‘apprenticeship’ into their minds for when they get out of school.”

Anderson noted that County Materials’ personnel familiarized his students with industry terminology and introduced them to more unique products they might not notice every day. He noted signpost bases, permeable pavers that allow rainwater to pass between units, and Aggregate Finish birdbaths and planters.

The teacher also appreciated a donation of nearly 100 units of masonry that will enable him to provide hands-on experience for his students.

“It means everything,” Anderson said of such civic participation. “It’s the difference between wishing you could grow the program and actually growing it.”

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.

For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.

Thursday, 07 June 2007 00:00

Young architects will get a helping hand in their aspirations thanks to a $1,000 donation by County Materials to the Wisconsin Architects Foundation in early May. The gift was presented in a special breakfast prior to the American Institute of Architects’ annual state convention held May 16-17 at Monona Terrace in Madison.

The WAF, established in 1953, aims to raise awareness of architecture through funding of architectural education. County Materials has helped the WAF provide scholarships to architecture students and grants for programs. The WAF has awarded more than $325,000 in scholarships to architecture students around the state, established a School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and restored the Joseph J. Stoner House in Madison, a National Landmark that also is the headquarters for the WAF and the AIA’s Wisconsin branch office.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569

Friday, 25 May 2007 00:00

MADISON, Wis. (May 25, 2007) – Architects know style when they see it. And visitors to the American Institute of Architects’ Wisconsin branch office on Hamilton Street in Madison will see plenty of it between the building and its garden area.

County Materials, a longstanding associate member of AIA Wisconsin, donated 2,000 clay pavers to the Joseph J. Stoner House, which is home to the branch office of AIA Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Architects Foundation. The pavers comprise pathways connecting the historic house with outdoor garden areas.

The two-story Italianate structure was built in 1855 from indigenous sandstone. It was listed as a Madison landmark in 1973 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Madison Newspapers Inc. donated the house to the WAF in 1983. While the house fell into disrepair prior to this, one condition of the gift was for the WAF to move the house 100 feet and perform a historically sensitive reconstruction of it, which was finished in 1984.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.

For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.