Pit & Quarry, November 2017

CHRIS UPP Vice President GM Conco Quarries best match of equipment with our production needs for the future How have sales and demand for construction materials been this year We have seen a steady increase in demand for our products since we hit the bottom of the recession which for us was 2013 Most of the growth has been in the residential and commercial sectors with little growth seen in the infrastructure sector In Missouri we still lack a strong highway funding mechanism On a personal level youve had a bout these last couple of years with I gravitated toward aggregates due to the large number of locations of mines around the country kidney cancer Are you willing to discuss some of your experience with us In August 2014 I went in with what I thought was appendicitis I did have it and through the course of a CT scan they found a golf ball sized tumor on my left kidney They said theres a pretty good chance its cancerous Ultimately I had my kidney taken out I followed up with an oncologist who found some very small nodules in my lungs that they wanted to keep an eye on Over the course of a year and a half they grew at a slow rate but enough that the largest one got bigger They determined it was the same kidney cancer In September 2016 I became a stage 4 kidney cancer patient and started treatment They found it early though Now were basically treating it as a chronic disease as opposed to a terminal disease Youve learned quite a bit over the last couple of years about kidney cancer and related research What can you share with our readers that could benefit them My experience educated me about the Kidney Cancer Association an organization that deals strictly with kidney cancer support for patients caregivers and research Their goal is to find a cure Its a good organization to push money through specifically to kidney cancer research People can learn more about it at www kidneycancer org Chris Upp has dedicated 20 plus years to Conco Quarries in the Springfield Missouri area where hes gained experience in operational management for two aggregate sites that produce a combined 2 million tpy of crushed limestone How did you make your way into the aggregate industry With an interest in math and science in high school my dad pointed me toward the mining engineering program at Missouri Science Technology He also gave me some of the best advice about our industry when he said our country will always have to have mining and that it was an industry that provided great opportunities I gravitated toward aggregates due to the large number of locations of mines around the country so I figured I could work about anywhere I wanted to Conco recently invested in a 72 ton capacity rigid hauler Tell us about this p purchase Now that there is some growth out of the recession we are faced with replacing that aged equipment in a reason reasonable bl manner The 72 ton haul truck we purchased earlier this year is the first step for us to replace our fleet of five 40 ton haul trucks that are close to 20 years old with three of these larger trucks We conducted a pit study of our loading and hauling operations and determined the Visit PITANDQUARRY COM CHRISUPP for our full conversation with Chris Upp 74 PIT QUARRY November 2017 pitandquarry com PHOTO COURTESY OF TEREX TRUCKS FIVE THINGS FIRST JOB Worked in the fish department of a pet store VACATION SPOT Fort Morgan Alabama HOBBIES Golf my 65 Mustang SPORTS TEAM 11 time World Series champion St Louis Cardinals TWITTER@ MrSlate96