b'COVER FEATURESweetnam: Coming from a privately owned, family-run busi- buildings. In the next couple of decades there are going to be ness, Im sure things run differently here than in somegreatchanges.Withtechnologyandsensorsandthe ofthelargercorporations.Asasmaller,leanerworldoftheInternetofThings,Ithinktheres company, were able to make some quick deci- tremendous room for growth. Its going to be sions. We may lack in some of the procedureinteresting and a fun challenge to tackle.andoverheadandhavingalargeengine to push us forward, but I sometimes findAvenues: What should people who are myself getting a wider breadth of experi-ence than in a larger company. new to the industry know about their options as they advance in their careers?Avenues:WhyistheaggregateNewlands:IdontthinkIcaneven industry an excellent choice for youngscratch the surface, but Ive gained a huge people today? appreciation for the fact that the aggregate Newlands:Becauseitrocksnopunindustry involves a lot more than what you think. Its complying with all the requirements, intended! In all seriousness, for me this industryitshydrogeologyforwaterresources,itsthe is literally the foundation of everything we haveMatthew Cummins,planning side, and then theres getting out there, and do, and until weve got a comparable alter- TOARC obviously,andworkinginthepitorquarry. native to products such as concrete and asphalt, its an industryTheres more to do than could ever be done!that will be required to supply all types of growth. For me, the passion is [tied to] developing these rural areas and shaping ruralCummins:There are so many different paths you can take in communities. Working on the planning side in the aggregatethis industry. When I look at a companys profile and see how industry, you are planning what the project is going to look likemany different divisions they have, through the whole process of and how the rehab will look. licensing a pit, extraction and post-extraction, there are so many Cummins: I really like to be part of this industry because its allavenues you can take. Because the aggregate industry deals with around us, and its always going to be because of the resources. Ia natural resource thats not renewable, there are a lot of jobs was really excited to be part of a team responsible for what thesethat did not exist 30 years ago, partly because of Canadians being sites are going to be after extraction is complete. Working ongood stewards of the land. Its a great avenue to take if you are in active pits and quarries is a great combination of working for athe environmental field.contractor, moving big machinery around and working on a siteSweetnam:Certainly, theres plenty of work within the pits with other people, but the whole reason I went to school wasand quarries themselves, but land-use planning is becoming a about leaving this planet a better place than we found it. Thats reallyamaindriverforme:protectingournaturalresourcesmore relevant area. Its at the point where any company looking because theres a finite amount of this stuff. to develop new licences is looking to have planners on staff. Areas like hydrogeology and ecology are fields that were constantly Sweetnam: Its a really stable industry. Theres going to besourcing out to consultants. Planners dont necessarily view the no time in the foreseeable future when people stop using aggre- aggregate industry while theyre going through school as a poten-gate. Its used for everything from filtering water to constructingtial job industry, but theres actually a lot of business outthere.The whole reason I went to school was CRUSHING, WASHING,SCREENING about leaving this planet a better place than we found it. Thats really a main driver for me1118 Brodie Drive, Severn, OntarioL3V 0V2 | Fax: 705-326-0305jstewart@jgstewart.ca |www.jgstewart.ca Matthew Cummins, TOARC10 AVENUESWINTER 2020'