Spotlight: Making a Difference with House of Refuge

We’re proud to highlight an exciting charity project that Southwest Asphalt recently participated in!

House of Refuge is a nonprofit organization that provides transitional housing and supportive services for families who have recently become homeless.

Kayla Kolar, CEO of House of Refuge, shared,

“We have had a hard time getting participation over the years on this much-needed project. It had started and been put on hold multiple times, but when Richard, Gary, and Brian got involved, they activated what seemed to be the entire construction industry overnight. It was fantastic to witness so many individuals wanting to help.”

Gary Slone and Brian Clark with Southwest Asphalt served as project managers for the initiative. In partnership with 18 contractors and 6 suppliers, the Fisher Industries team helped rally the construction community to support House of Refuge.

About House of Refuge:

• 85% of recipients are single mothers

• Residents must have children

• Residents must maintain full-time employment

• Families may stay for up to one year while they work toward permanent housing

• Volunteers help residents improve their credit scores and build resumes

• The program has an impressive 90% success rate!

The project’s goal was to mill and replace 90,000 square feet of roadway and parking lots, and remove and replace 74 concrete driveways.

We’re proud to share that the industry successfully completed all the work on May 3rd, with 100% of the materials and labor donated.

Gary Slone reflected on the experience, saying,

“Working with Kayla and her team was an absolute pleasure. Her genuine appreciation and joy for the community brightened every visit to the site. Projects like this serve as a powerful reminder of the good we can accomplish when we come together. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the construction industry and to stand alongside the hardworking men and women who made a lasting impact on such a deserving community.”

Asphalt After

Asphalt Before

Gary Slone

Brian Clark

Derek Kennedy

Owner - Bryco Milling

Chaz Burch

Operations Manager - Weems Asphalt

Oscar Estrada

Owner - Primavera Paving

Reggie Greenstone: Florence Shop Supervisor and Acclaimed Navajo Jewelry Artist

Fisher Industries is proud to shine a spotlight on Reggie Greenstone, our Florence Shop Supervisor, whose talents extend far beyond his exceptional work with us=into the world of traditional Navajo jewelry artistry.

For the past 15 years, Reggie has been a dedicated member of the Fisher team, bringing craftsmanship and care to everything he does. Outside of work, he is an accomplished Navajo jeweler, known for creating stunning pieces that blend traditional, vintage, and intricate stamp work with fine stones set in silver. His work includes belts, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, display cases, and more-each piece telling a story of cultural heritage and meticulous artistry.

Reggie’s talents were recently recognized on a grand scale when he was selected to be spotlighted by AZFamily. This prestigious honor followed a long and highly selective process that drew from some of the most respected Native art markets in the country. Being chosen is not only a personal achievement for Reggie but also a reflection of the incredible skill and passion he brings to his art.

His jewelry has been featured at elite venues such as the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Santa Fe Indian Market, Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market, The Autry Museum Indian Market, and the Prescott Sharlot Hall Museum Indian Art Market. Soon, he will also be selling his work in Sedona, continuing to share his artistry with even broader audiences.

We are honored to have someone of Reggie’s talent and dedication as part of the Fisher Industries family. His work exemplifies the excellence we strive for in all that we do-both on and off the job.

Congratulations, Reggie, on this well-deserved recognition!

Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. Inducted to Ritchie Bros.' Hall of Fame

We’re proud to share that Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. has been recognized by Ritchie Bros. as a leading provider of innovative, high-quality solutions in the heavy civil construction and aggregates industry.

As part of this recognition, Tommy Fisher had the opportunity to speak about the strong foundation laid by Gene Fisher, and the lasting impact of our long-standing relationship with Ritchie Bros. over the years.

We’re honored by this acknowledgement and remain committed to delivering excellence in every project we undertake.

General Steel & Supply Co. Produces its 200th Fisher Air Separator

We are proud to announce that Fisher Industries has just released our 200th Fisher Air Separator. This milestone is a testament to the ongoing success and evolution of a product that has significantly improved efficiency and quality in the aggregate processing industry since its debut in 1995. By 2012, we had already produced 100 units; today, the 200th unit represents a major achievement. The Fisher Air Separator has contributed to cleaner air, reduced energy consumption, and improved system performance worldwide.

 Although the Air Separator has undergone numerous improvements over the years, its core design has remained consistent. The latest unit features an exciting new addition: a folding feed conveyor, currently being tested within our Fisher fleet. If everything goes according to plan, this feature will become standard in future units.

Our manufacturing, engineering, sales, and management team with the 200th Air Separator unit fabricated by General Steel & Supply Co.

The 1st Fisher Air Separator: 1995

100th Fisher Air Separator: 2012

200th Fisher Air Separator: March 2025

Fisher Industries Makes List of Top 100 Sand & Gravel Producers in U.S.!

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has recently released its latest list of the nation's top sand and gravel producers, ranking them based on their production tonnages for 2023. We are excited to announce that Fisher Industries is now ranked number 17 on the list, up from our previous ranking of 19.

In 2023, sand and gravel producers across the country collectively produced approximately 967 million metric tons. According to the USGS, the top 100 sand and gravel-producing companies in the U.S. accounted for about 52 percent of this total. The combined production from these top 100 companies in 2023 was 504 million metric tons.

Jesse Pavlicek Named Prairie Business 40 Under 40 Honoree

Congratulations to Jesse Pavlicek on being named one of the 2024 Prairie Business 40 Under 40 honorees!

Jesse is the Assistant Operations Manager of General Steel & Supply Co. He was hired in 2012 as a maintenance technician. After a short time, he transitioned to the General Steel parts department, where he showcased his customer service skills. With his positive attitude and willingness to learn, Jesse was promoted to Assistant Operations manager of General Steel in 2023.

Jesse’s responsibilities now include overseeing the day-to-day operations in the purchasing and parts departments, the warehouse, and the job-costing staff. He manages the parts inventory in Dickinson, ND, and Florence, AZ. He sets up new vendors, manages cost control, shipping & receiving, and researches new products that would best suit Fisher Industries.

Jesse and all the other 40 Under 40 professionals are featured in the December issue of Prairie Business magazine.

Blythe's Phase 1 Work is Complete

As of Thanksgiving, Blythe’s Phase 1 work is complete. The last month was a hard push to complete everything and get the job cleaned before the holiday, but we completed the entire project on time and Caltrans was pleased with the results.

Fisher was awarded the Partnering Gold for 2024 to go along with our 2023 Gold award. Additionally, we received the Platinum Safety Award for District 8, which was first place in this District. Our team was committed to a safe work environment and stayed on point.

Through Fisher’s Value Engineering Change Proposal (VECP), we provided a job that was under budget, ahead of schedule, and safe. The VECP gave the State new ideas for moving forward with and saving money on countless future projects. The same VECP ideas are already being implemented in the Blythe Phase 2 project.

The Blythe Phase 1 job was over 50 miles of 2 lanes in each direction. The job consisted of concrete paving, asphalt shoulders, over 44 bridge approaches, and new barriers. It was Fisher’s largest Caltrans project to date, allowing us to show the State our capabilities. Great job to the team for a fantastic effort.

General Steel & Supply Co. adds to its machining capabilities!

General Steel & Supply Co. (GSS) recently added a HAAS VF-6 CNC Vertical Mill to its machine shop!

The GSS machine shop operated on a HAAS VF-8 CNC Vertical Mill. Adding the VF-6 to our arsenal is a huge bonus to the GSS production of aggregate processing equipment components.

crane moving the new VF-6 into our shop entrance

Silver Copper Crossing Officially Opens

On Friday, June 7th, 2024, there was a grand opening celebration in honor of the opening of Silver Copper Crossing, a much anticipated second bridge connecting Bullhead City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada.  Festivities included live music, food trucks, a dedication from area officials, and a parade of motorcycles and corvettes.

Silver Copper Crossing is a brand-new 724-foot-long bridge that stands 35 feet above the Colorado River.  Fisher Sand & Gravel served as the prime contractor on this project.  The bridge is constructed of precast concrete girders on drilled shaft foundations and features one lane of traffic in each direction and a pedestrian path on the south side.  Also included in the project was the construction of a 3 ½ mile two-lane approach roadway on the Nevada side and a .2-mile extension of the Bullhead Parkway on the Arizona side.

Construction started in November 2021.

Fisher Awarded $52M Contract for Laughlin to Bullhead City Bridge

Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. was recently awarded a $52.4 million contract to construct a five-span, 724-foot long bridge by Nevada’s Clark County Commission.  The new bridge will span the Colorado River and link Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona.  This project will also include a 3 ½ mile, two-lane approach roadway in Nevada from the Needles Highway to the Colorado River Bridge and a 0.2-mile approach roadway in Arizona from the western end of the Bullhead Parkway to the Colorado River Bridge.

The new bridge will benefit both sides of the river as it will relieve some of the traffic volume from the existing four-lane bridge that connects Highways 95 and 68 in Arizona with Highway 163 in Nevada. This highly anticipated project has been in discussion for over 20 years.  The need for a second bridge has become more urgent, with over 30,000 vehicles traveling on Highway 95 through Bullhead City daily.  Construction is expected to begin in late 2021 with a contract of 730 days to complete.

Prairie Business Announces 50 Best Places to Work

The September issue of Prairie Business magazine salutes the region’s 50 Best Places to Work. 2020 marks the 7th consecutive year that Fisher Industries has made this list!

Each spring, employees around the region are invited to nominate organizations by submitting anonymous employee satisfaction surveys. These surveys highlight some of the reasons they believe make their company a great place to work. Among the topics were workplace culture, employee growth opportunities, teamwork, individual responsibility, and employee morale.  Prairie Business then uses the survey results to select the 50 Best Places to Work.

“We are very happy with the number of nominations we received this year,” said Andrew Weeks, editor of Prairie Business. “Learning about the successes of these companies is even more meaningful when the employees announce them - and this year, they announced them enthusiastically.”

As we all know, 2020 has proved to be a very challenging year for businesses everywhere. Fisher Industries has done whatever we can to make sure that all of our 1,000+ employees feel essential. We are thankful that our employees feel valued in their work and reflect that feeling when completing the nomination process.

Prairie Business magazine covers business news of the Northern Great Plains region, and the publication is distributed nationally. The 50 Best Places to Work spotlight is published annually every September. We would like to thank all our employees that took the time to complete the survey and nominate us for this distinction!

Our I-11 Job Earns Project of the Year Award

Fisher Industries is proud to announce that our Interstate 11 Phase One project, also known as the Boulder City Bypass, has earned an American Public Works Association (APWA) Project of the Year Award in the Historical category.  

The completion of this project, along with the I-11 Phase Two, provides a freeway system unencumbered by traffic lights that now extends from Kingman, Arizona to Ely, Nevada. The project consisted of constructing 2.5 miles of new four-lane concrete freeway, a system-to-system interchange, and a new local interchange.

The project earned a nomination in the historical preservation category due to the reconnecting of the historic railroad corridor. The rail line was once used to provide goods and services to Boulder City and further west for the construction of the Hoover Dam. As part of the highway design, the Boulder City Rail Museum requested that the rail line be restored, running either above or below the new highway. As a result, a bridge was constructed. The line had not been active in 30 years. Now, as part of the Interstate I-11 project, the historic railway line is connected once again. 

Project landscaping was incorporated which honored the history of the construction of the Hoover Dam and the creation of Boulder City. This feature offered recognition to the history of that era and its significance to the state of Nevada and the United States of America.

Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. broke ground on this project in May 2015. The job was completed in May 2018.

General Steel Launches New Smaller Air Separator

General Steel & Supply Co. recently completed its first demonstration of the new Model 76 Air Separator. This unit is designed for applications of feed rates up to 60TPH. It incorporates all the design concepts of the 13’ air separator with the AC inverter drive for variable speed, specially designed wear liners in all critical wear areas, hydraulics for easy setup, (2) 18” x 24’ discharge conveyors, and a 18” x 34’ feed conveyor. The main difference with this unit is the use of an oil bath system for the main bearing compared to the grease system used on the 13’ model.

The new Model 76 is available as either a portable or stationary unit. The stationary unit is designed so that it can be easily disassembled and loaded into a standard shipping container. This will be beneficial to international customers in saving on freight costs.  

The Model 76 is going to be a great addition into General Steel’s air separator product line, especially for the smaller operators that deal with the same regulations and specifications as competiting large producers.

Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. Secures Large Crushing Contract

Fisher Sand & Gravel has procured a 2.5 year contract to supply the North Antelope Rochelle Mine (NARM) with nearly 5 million tons of scoria. NARM is located 65 miles south of Gillette, WY and is the world’s largest open face coal mine, producing over 100 million tons of coal a year. The mine has some 1.7 billion tons of provable and probable reserves.  They move a million tons of overburden a day: moving up to 400’ of overburden to get to a coal seam of around 80’. The mine is owned and operated by Peabody Energy. Approximately 1,500 people work on site during the day.

The scoria we will be suppling is located within the mine site at two different locations.  The scoria will mainly be used on the haul roads when they are wet. The overburden is a bentonite material, and therefore gets quite slick with moisture. It is not uncommon for the mine to haul up to 40,000 tons of scoria overnight.

Southwest Asphalt Named Producer of the Year

We are pleased to announce that Southwest Asphalt (SWA) has recently been named Arizona Rock Product Association’s (ARPA) Producer of the Year! This recognition is given to a standout producing member company that participates on all fronts and also supports the ARPA’s mission. Southwest Asphalt was selected for this honor because of the support and leadership provided by many key individuals of the SWA team.  

Southwest Asphalt has representation on many of ARPA’s committees in addition to assisting other the industry organizations, whether it be with ADOT, MAG or other municipalities. SWA has also been a supporter of ARPA events, including fundraising activities, community relations efforts, and the performing of community projects.  Southwest Asphalt is deserving of its Producer of the Year recognition!

ARPA is the oldest Mining Association in Arizona. Their membership includes producers or suppliers of aggregate, asphaltic concrete, ready-mix concrete, asphalt, and Portland cement, as well as trucking firms, paving contractors, and other aggregate end users, material testing labs and ancillary companies. Their primary goal is to track critical environmental, safety, transportation, and governmental affairs and to educate members on the potential impact of current issues.

Fisher Builds “Unbuildable” Wall

Fisher Industries recently completed one of its more notable jobs in company history.  While Memorial Day weekend typically marks the unofficial start of summer for most, Fisher crews were hard at work constructing a half-mile of fence for the nonprofit group, We Build the Wall. The location of this project was Sunland Park, New Mexico, on private property belonging to American Eagle Brick Company. This area has been previously deemed “unbuildable” by government agencies due to the harsh construction conditions.  

Upon procuring materials, Fisher owned Stinger Bridge & Iron fabricated all the bollard fence panels for the project within two days. We designed the panels with ¼” weathering steel with two #8 rebar welded in the center of each bollard providing a 75+ year lifespan.

While Stinger fabricated the bollard panels, Fisher Sand & Gravel crews set to work preparing the construction site. The mass excavation of over 200,000 yards of material was required to construct the fence in the mountainside. In less than a week, we were able to transform a once impassable mountain range into a roadway accessible for all vehicles.

For the fence installment, we utilized our patented bollard hanging system. Our unique system allows us to hang five bollard fence panels concurrently: placing 40 feet of fence at one time. Another benefit of our method is the ability to install fencing in 40+ MPH winds as well as during rain showers. Such weather conditions would have delayed work efforts if we had utilized traditional crane methods.  

Primarily built into the mountains, the project required the ability to install fencing on steep grades. Our installation system can maintain vertical and horizontal alignment up to 31% grade. We were also able to parallel the fence with a 25-foot wide concrete roadway which will allow border agents to have unobstructed access from each end of the project.

We rounded out the project with an extensive electrical/technology package, including the installation of fourteen 40 foot tall light poles every 150 feet, providing agencies adequate lighting to perform nightly patrols. We also installed three pan-tilt-zoom cameras and placed fiber optic cable capable of detecting tunneling and foot traffic alongside the border fence.

Our company’s vertical integration business model allowed us to have total control over all major aspects of this border wall construction project including design, steel procurement, fence fabrication, heavy-haul transportation, grading/excavation, fence installment, and all concrete work. After the raw steel leaves the mill, Fisher is 100% in control until the final project close-out.

This project had a final close-out date of June 5th. Upon completion, Fisher is now able to show that we are capable of constructing in any terrain along the border. We feel that our schedule and price are both unmatched, and we look forward to another opportunity to build along the southern border.