b'CAREER PROFILEDEPARTMENTPuttinghis heartinto itLeigh Mugford of James Dick Construction is passionate about making a differenceQ:What is your position and what are your responsibilities?My position is resource manager at James Dick ConstructionMY JOB Ltd. I have a hybrid position based on my background. My responsibilities include lands management and ARA licensing as well as managing the quality control system for aggregates. IR - O- C - K - S !began my career by starting a quality department for an aggre-gate/hotmixpavingandconstructioncompany.Ihadbeen fortunate enough to have been given opportunities to workThe Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association boasts in other parts of that business, so I got some undergroundnearly 300 member companies, employing more than construction, hot mix asphalt and estimating experience there. Since I have worked with companies that are vertically inte- 7,000 people whose roles are directly related to the grated (construction, hot mix asphalt as well as concrete andaggregate industry. Each of these people has a unique cement), I have been fortunate to work in many different pitand interesting story to tell about how they came to and quarry operations from one end of the province to thework in aggregate! While we cant interview them other. I am always fascinated by the range of geology presentall, this regular feature highlights the diverse and across Ontario and how it can present different challenges forinterestingcareersavailablewithintheindustry, quality and operations. and showcases the people who make a difference Q:What is it about your job that other people wish they gotto their companies and their communities. Want to to do? learn even more? I think the variety of places you go to as well as the widegravelfacts.ca/careers-in-the-aggregate-industryvariety of people and departments you get to interact with is something that makes this attractive. Being able to help the sales and operations teams is rewarding and being able to use your experience to help a site go in a new direction or solve a problem is exciting. There is a research aspect to some proj-ects that is exciting tooI think that is attractive. I have been volunteering on industry committees for over 25 years. Some of the most rewarding experiences I have had have been from working with OSSGA and the Canadian Standards Association. I definitely encourage people to participate and share their expertise to help the industry as it is both needed and can be a good experience. 34 AVENUESWINTER 2021'