he “greatest show on grass” is a phrase

known by those who love the game of golf

and refers to the Waste Management Phoe-

nix Open. This is a tournament held every Feb-

ruary at the Tournament Players Course in

Scottsdale, Arizona. If you watched the tourna-

ment on TV or were able to attend, you proba-

bly noticed the white sand filling the bunkers,

which was possible due to the hard work from

the West Coast team. However, what wasn’t

as noticeable were the 2200 tons of drains grav-

el, 4400 tons of sand for the tee boxes and 1800

tons of root zone mix sand for the greens. The

Open’s Superintendent broadcasted on national

TV that the course was in great playing condi-

tion all because of West Coast’s efforts in the

renovation of this course.

By Dan struiksma

The greatest Show on Grass

T

I N S I D E R west coast materials inc.

April 2015 the

ouchstone Products, over the past year, has not only been

able to increase and maintain demands for the LA, Orange,

Ventura and counties located in the Inland Empire, but is

now supplying products to the San Diego market. Since placing

our products in this new territory, we have been able to supply

new customers and are currently in negotiations with other

vendors to carry our line thanks to the help of WC Lakeside.

It was last May when MSU purchased Touchstone Products,

which maintains and produces one of the most authentic-

looking manufactured light-weight boulders in the industry.

Touchstone is currently located in the city of La Habra where

the boulders are manufactured in a 13,000 square foot

building.

Some of the molds used today have stayed true to original

designs, but after opening its doors in the 90s, the product’s

line has since developed and continues to make an impact on

landscapes across Southern California.

In just a years time, we have not only increased revenue, but

have also started to expand our precast line. We continue to

manufacture different profiles and colors of boulders, outdoor

fireplaces and have recently taken over the S&K wall caps,

which were originally manufactured out of RBM Chino years

ago. Efforts have also been made to engineer 24” X 24” hand-

trowel finished stepping stones, which have yet to be marketed

as we are fine tuning the products and building up inventory

to keep up with the anticipated demand.

Although, there are many different factors and personnel

involved in providing such a product, this would not be able to

go as planned without the dedication and drive of two specific

members of the West Coast Materials’ family— Jose and Javier

Reyes. The two joined the team during the purchase of the

Touchstone Products last year and have worked diligently day

in and day out to produce quality products in a timely manner.

We also have a great sales team that continues to push our line

to many different suppliers within our market. Wade

Struiksma, a representative for MSU’s wholesale line, has been

outstanding in not only maintaining and providing excellent

customer service to existing dealers, but also essential in

promoting our line to new dealers. Outside of our immediate

MSU sales team, RBM’s Tom Lang and West Coast’s Hal Noble

and Bryan Limbourne have been instrumental in acquiring new

accounts through the many relationships established over the

years. We appreciate the support and trust we have received

with our growth and success over the past year and are truly

blessed to work for such a great company.

Featured location TOUCHSTONE PRODUCTS

By Matt Struiksma

T

This year, Kenneth Romkema

celebrates 20 years working with

West Coast Materials. He began

driving truck in Buena Park for five

years and then became apart of the

mechanic team. After 12 years, Ken

was transferred to Thermal where he

continues his work in the shop.

Thanks to Kenny’s worth ethic

and skills as a mechanic, we are able

to keep our trucks rolling each day.

He is our 90-day inspection foreman

and our fleet does not meet the

demand of our customers without

his valued mechanic work. Thank

you for the years of service Kenny,

it is much appreciated and we look

forward to keeping you around for

another 20!

Be sure to follow the company’s social media accounts for up-dates, including the safety thought of the week.. To see your pictures in the next newsletter, post a picture with a descrip-tion and either tag us on Facebook or use our hashtag on Instagram.

West Coast Sand & Gravel

Resource Building Materials

ResourceBuildingMaterials #westcoastsandandgravel

Southern Hospitality by

Our sales for the first three months

show that this ambition is achieving

strong sales numbers and a continued

pattern of growth. Change remains to

be constant and we are looking for our

next loyal employee. Kelsey Hagen will

be moving to purchasing, Adam Good

wants to bring his ambition to

Northern CA, Lionel is now managing

our Chino location and new employees

are being hired to start back-filling

holes created from these types of

moves. Some of our new team

members are: Michael Marron (Chino

counter), Eric Hofstee (Stanton

counter), Jorge Erazo (Stanton yard),

Gabriel Parker (Downey yard) and

Susan Timm (Lake Forest counter).

Core Values Check

Safety: No accidents have been recorded since January 2014 and

our new yard uniforms to seem to be helping keep us safer.

Service: Our new counter uniforms make us look more

professional, we have obtained new vendors and have made yard

improvements, which have all worked together to increase our

quality of service. We also completed an employee review process

that helped each employee set ambitious goals to continue our high

levels of customer service.

Stewardship: We have both strong customers and strong

vendors. Price increases from suppliers has hit us hard and

implementing costing and selling changes has been a challenge.

ABITION: Never settle for

average performance. You

have the knowledge and skill to achieve strong,

sustained sales growth. Always

aim high so you can outperform

the competition in every way.

James vreeke

We are already reaching triple digits out here in the desert and

with the golf sand months upon us, we are looking forward to

having the new wet plant up and running soon. Under the

direction of plant manager Darrel Zumwalt, it has taken the

efforts of the whole Desert Operations plant and welding crew

to create the plant from scratch and keep us ahead of the

competition. In the picture, David Garcia, Roberto Valasquez

and Michael Hafer are putting some of the finishing touches on

the plant.

things are heating up in the desert

By Dean Venhaus

“

” Dean Venhaus

West Coast Sand & Gravel is currently hiring at all locations:

Buena Park, Corona, Fillmore, San Diego, Palm Springs, Modesto,

Sacramento, Bay Area and Visalia.

By kevin rogers

and Jacob van gelder Awarding success. Buena Park

recently completed its Annual Driver

Safety Meeting where managers had

the opportunity to recognize the

drivers in our fleet who have practiced

safe behavior consistently throughout

the year. Brian Corning (pictured on

the left) was named “Driver of the

Year,” Gary Kuyper (pictured on the

bottom) was awarded for his 40 years

of service and Jarod Hicks was recog-

nized as the “Rookie of the Year.”

Helping veterans. This past March,

Jacob Van Gelder, Adam Good and

Kevin Rogers attended a job fair

located on the grounds of Camp Pend-

leton, which was intended for those in

all branches of military who are seek-

ing employment after they are dis-

charged from service. The West Coast

representatives advocated for all com-

panies and locations, hoping to help

the men and women who serve for all

of us. At the end of the day, there was

a solid turn out and West Coast walked

away with a handful of new applicants.

Never have the stakes been higher—money, fame and even

our employee’s personal safety is on the line. No, they are

not making a trek across the country or building the next

great skyscraper. Instead, they are

playing poker and management has

approved.

This isn’t a quick card game with some

plastic chips with the buddies on

a Thursday night. Rather, it is a game

spanning over 6 months as hundreds of

West Coast Materials employees are

competing for the thousands of dollars

up for grabs.

Just like standard poker, the best hand wins the game. Every

month that employees are injury free, they acquire a card

and hope for the luck of the draw for the best hand. In

January, February and March there was $4900 distributed

among the 98 winners.

The motto of the game is “Safety Is No Gamble”, but we can place a huge bet on

Safety Poker mak-ing a difference.

Going all in for safety by Rachel ligtenberg

Coasting through Buena park

HOURS AFTER

Whether its through the enjoyment

of a newly decorated home or the

success of getting a date, West

Coast Materials stays active even

after business hours. There are so

many opportunities to share and

capture in and out of work,

moments we would love to see.

Don’t hesitate to share how you see

or enjoy the company outside of the

office, yard or driver’s seat.

Making way for msu Jeff Krueger shows off his broth-

er’s newly renovated home in

Pacific Beach, featuring Resource’s

rocks on the driveway and in the

planters along with decorative rock

on the walls.

Jeff Struiksma’s son, Jack, recently

found himself a date to his senior

Prom with the help of a West Coast

truck, bouquet of flowers and a

sign that reads, “Madeline, it would

be loads of fun...JSB?”

Eating Fresh. Once a month, West Coast drivers receive a free

Subway boxed lunch before heading out for the day as a way to pro-

mote healthy eating habits for those who to eat on the go every day.

Complete with a sandwich, cookie, apple slices, water bottle and the

“Just for the Health of It” newsletter, these boxes give drivers a

lunch break to look forward to, including Visalia’s Frank Hernandez.

BY GREG VANDENBURG

MSU welcomes truck #1010 to the truck fleet, a new style of

truck with enhanced capabilities. We continue to see a large

demand for flatbed hauling throughout Southern California,

which works well when we are not making deliveries of RBM or MSU

bags. MSU Wholesale has seen recent growth with the Infield and

Pathway mixes and the Decorative Rock program has been success-

ful with its increased placement in different building material yards.

The Home Depot and Lowes business has continued to grow at a

steady pace and we are pursuing other opportunities for bagging

aggregates. MSU just completed the third and final phase for Vulcan

where we bagged different aggregates in 3000 bags to be shipped

overseas. We have also partnered with Resource Building Materials

for several other opportunities, including working together to ser-

vice White Cap as the supplier for erosion control bags.

VISALIA’ S VISITORS. WC Woods

welcomed the Visalia Garden Club for an

private tour of compost, which was

given by Visalia’s Kevin Oliver.

Coasting through Buena park

M

Over the next few months, we will be assembling a

cookbook full of the best recipes from everyone in

the company. We ask that you submit recipes for you

favorite casseroles, desserts, dips, soups and even

your own personal masterpieces. Along with your

submission, tell us why you chose this recipe, wheth-

er it’s famous in your family and has been passed down for generations or if it was made up on the fly when

you had to feed a house full of people. We want you to tell us the story about what makes your recipe(s) so

special and delicious. Whichever recipe and story we decide is best will win a prize, which trust us, will be

worth it, so dish out your best! This cookbook currently has a working title and we need your help nailing

down a winner. Please send in your best ideas of a name for the company-wide cookbook and the winner

with the best title will receive a FitBit Zip! Please send your recipes and titles to raligtenberg@wcsg.com.

BY RACHEL lIGTENBERG

West Coast Cooks

From

DAN’S DESK

eadership Training is back and underway. This year’s training is based on the book “IMPACT” by Tim

Irwin, which the Board of Directors has studied over the past few months, finding it informative and

applicable. The purpose of the book is to make more effective leaders by strengthening and protecting

the core. In this context, the core is our heart and mind. It’s the person inside of us—who we really are.

Unfortunately, I have observed many leaders who have sacrificed success because of failures inside their core.

So, how can we protect our core? What are some practical things we can do to guard our hearts and become

better leaders? Here are five things you can do right now.

Identify your foundational beliefs. Beliefs can change and have the ability to guide us in a negative

direction. Therefore, it’s important to identify your beliefs and remember that they determine your behaviors

and actions.

Check your beliefs to make sure they are true. We all hold some false beliefs. Take the time to

examine yourself in order that you may find and get rid of these false beliefs and replace them with truth.

Discern truth from lies. This is crucial because if we can't determine what is true, we won’t be able to guard

our hearts well. You and I did not invent truth and neither did our parents or grandparents. Think about it, there are

key truths that have been around for over 3000 years that continue to guide our lives and western society such as

don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery and don’t lie. These eternal truths were revealed by the eternal God of

the Old Testament and I encourage you to check it out.

Get feedback. While it’s not always pleasant, we need to seek out feedback from others and treasure it when

we receive it because it provides great insight into our core.

Balance. Our leadership training focuses not only on work, but on our personal lives as well. In fact, we at West

Coast believe that our highest priorities need to be faith, family and then, work. Make sure to check for imbalance in

your life and make the necessary corrections to always keep these main things your top priorities.

L