"Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is one of the pillars on which Graymont has been built," explained David Chamberlain, project manager for the proposed Giscome limestone quarry and lime plant. "We know how important it is to be involved; to understand and support our communities, to respect traditional lands and, to build and maintain trust and lasting relationships."
According to Chamberlain, Graymont's community support is demonstrated at its facilities across North America and New Zealand, often in very creative ways.
"It is up to the employees at each of our plants to decide how best to support their local communities. We sponsor dragon boat teams, bicycle races to support hospitals, long-standing agricultural fairs and barbeques; we make donations for cancer research, sponsor minor leagues sports teams and local firefighters, help build local infrastructures, offer scholarships and fund many arts and music festivals," he said. "And then there's the unusual: we're restoring an old church at our plant in Exshaw, Alberta."
Chamberlain pointed to the company's mutually beneficial agreements with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation in Giscome and with the regional indigenous Maori in New Zealand as "concrete realizations of our values." Graymont has already begun investing in Giscome with its donation towards the purchase of playground equipment in the community of Willow River. It was built last month.
Most recently, Graymont's community investment efforts come in creative ways, including sponsoring the Tall Ships Festival and repairing a well-used nature trail in Wisconsin; helping to build affordable housing for seniors in Quebec; cleaning up highways and riparian areas in Utah and sponsoring the annual Kids' Health & Safety poster contest in Pennsylvania. "Those are just a few examples of the way we work with the communities in which we operate. It is part of our company DNA," Chamberlain said.
