“My world is about to get much better,” said Donovan McClure, batchman, as he strode into his new office at the soon-to-be-renovated batch house at the Bixby Batch Plant. He sat in a comfortable chair behind a nicer desk, opened software programs on a larger screen, and smiled.

Growth and accelerated construction activity in the Bixby area also spurred the need for improvements and growth at the plant. Renovation work at the plant is nearly complete, and the new batch house is one of the numerous upgrades we’re making to improve the work environment for our employees and customers.

“When we first purchased the Tulsa plants, we only operated Bixby on a part-time, as-needed basis,” said Matt Breshears, Tulsa Area operations manager. “This area has grown significantly, and we’ve increased staff and began operating the plant full-time in June 2022 to serve those needs. The improvements we’re making will help with the increased production we’re experiencing and will make the plant a better place to work for our employees too.”

Once a 10’ x 30’ trailer, the batch house is now a 24’ x 32’ structure with a large batchman office and a spacious meeting/break area for employees. It also includes a data closet to protect technical equipment and a new workbench and tool chest.

Improvements to the exterior of the batch house include:

• A new water chiller/heater
• Realigned overhead bin
• Renovations to the scale gate
• New lights on the towers
• A new belt
• Renovations in the admixture area

“Giving our employees better equipment and a better work environment means we’re better prepared and more responsive to customer needs,” Matt said.

In addition to Matt and Donovan, team members involved in the Bixby renovations include Steven Dickson, maintenance supervisor, Dale Ashley, maintenance mechanic and Mitch Cope, mechanic IV.