The reason for all this activity? The companies are taking these actions voluntarily as part of a self-assessment process that leads to qualifying for National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Diamond Achievement Commendation for Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt Plant/Site Operations. In 2008, a total of 770 plants qualified for the Diamond Achievement Commendation, a 12 percent increase over the previous record set in 2007.

 

Community involvement is just one of the actions required to qualify for the Diamond Achievement. The self-assessment process covers six main areas:

Rieth-Riley Construction has seven operations in Indiana and nine in Michigan that have earned Diamond Achievement Commendation recognition. Like other companies that are involved, Rieth-Riley found the requirements not to be onerous, but to be a valuable check list. “Being involved with Diamond Achievement causes us to take a close look at how we are doing with our plant appearance, safety, environmental activities, and community relations,” said Ed Clements, regional vice president for Rieth-Riley. “It’s natural to want to be seen as a good neighbor. So we are involved in the community by sponsoring local sports teams and by participating in various charitable activities because we want to. Still it is good to be recognized for a job well done. It’s important that an outside party—in this case NAPA—has verified that we are on the right track with our activities.”