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Slippery Rock Gazette
BB Industries Honored with Top Workplaces Award
The Stone Detective
The Case of the Marble Eater
September 2022 | 11
and other sports fields. Lime is very caustic, meaning it can cause discomfort or damage if the pow- der makes its way to a moist skin surface, such as the eyes or sweaty skin of athletes. These days, powdered marble is used as a safer alternative.
Calcium Supplements
Many farm animals require calcium for health reasons and to produce eggs, milk, etcetera. Farmers mix powdered calcium into animal feed as a supplement. These supplements are nothing more than pulverized marble.
Antacids
If you take an antacid to calm your stomach, you are basically just ingesting powdered marble!
Whiting
Whiting is a fine powder made of marble that is used as a bright- ener, filler, and even a pig- ment in many products. It can be used to clean glass after glaz- ing, and to shine copper, stain- less steel, and other surfaces.
Cosmetics
One of the main ingredients for face powders and blush is pH-neutral calcium carbonate, i.e., marble dust.
Construction Aggregate
Concrete is used for road building and many other uses. Concrete mixtures require cement, water, and an aggregate, such as crushed bits of stone, gravel, or sand. Marble aggre- gate can be used in concrete.
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Stimac continued, “Our employ- ees work together to create work- able solutions to provide our customers with the service level that they have come to expect. Although there are many envi- ronmental obstacles, I believe the way that we tackle them has allowed BBI to continue to expe- rience company and employee growth, making us a great place to work.”
Bill Hickey, Vice-President of Business Development said, “I have worked at BB Industries now for almost 17 years. In that entire time, I have always felt like we were one big family. Beginning with the original owners of Doug Slocum and Ron Weiler and con- tinuing today, we treat our cus- tomers and employees as if they are family. I believe this is why we have so many employees with over 15 years of service, and cus- tomers who continue to allow us to serve them. It truly is a joy to work in an environment like this. I am not sure many people have the chance to experience that, but I know it is why we have been as successful as we have been for 28 years.”
“Many companies often state that they are building relationships with their customers. I believe the difference for BBI is that we build relationships with our employ- ees FIRST,” said Karen Hamilton, BB Industries Human Resources Manager. “We know that with- out our employees, their dedica- tion, their time, and commitment, we certainly would not be where we are today. Our employees are the ‘difference’— in making BB Industries successful. We know that, appreciate that, and do our best to show it. We genuinely care about one another. We do not just say it, we mean it.”
Stimac added, “This award helps us gel even more as an organization and everyone who works here should be proud that they contribute to such a special atmosphere. We know that trans- lates to our valued customers and vendor partners and makes us one of the best in the industry.”
Since its beginning in 1994, BBI’s philosophy has been to offer the best customer ser- vice in the industry and the best value stone fabrication prod- ucts. We are right there for our customers through all phases of business with education, train- ing, and support from CNCs to blades. Our vendors and custom- ers are valued partners. For more info, visit BBIndustriesLLC.com, and BBIndustriesLLC on social channels LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and facebook.com/BB IndustriesLLC.USA.
Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organiza- tions turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recogni- tion through the Top Workplaces Awards. Built on 14 years of cul- tureresearch and the results from 23 million employees sur- veyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage deliv- ers the most accuratecompeti- tive benchmark available. With access to a unique combina- tion of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competi-
tion with an engaged work- force and an opportunity to gain recognition for their peo- ple-firstapproachtoculture.For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage. com or topworkplaces.com.
IT
got dressed and was headed out the door when an email popped up on my phone. Rather than read it on my phone, I walked back to my desk to read it on my laptop.
I have gotten a lot of unusual questions over the years, but this one was especially odd. Intrigued, I called the lady who had sent the email. She started the conversation in tears. I could hardly understand what she was saying since she was sobbing out every word. As near as I could understand, she was having her marble floor honed and polished, and her little 7-year-old started eating the slurry from the floor. Why she contacted me instead of the emergency room, I have no idea. (I may be called the stone doctor, but not the medical kind.) My mom used to say my son’s a doctor – but not the kind that helps people – LOL!
Anyhow, the lady with the slur- ry-slurping kid was really con- cerned. I asked if the contractor was still there, and if so, could I speak with him. She said, “Yes, he is right here, and very con- cerned as well!” I asked him if he was using any chemicals when honing. He told me no, it was just diamond abrasives and water. “Great!” I said. Now, I wasn’t about to give out medical advice, but I told the concerned mom that she might want to take her little
Frederick M. Hueston, PhD
boy to the ER, just to be sure. I then went on to explain that marble is nothing more than calcium carbonate. I added that it is used in antacids, etcetera, and should be safe. Or
non-toxic, at least.
I hung up the phone and within minutes the con- tractor called me back, all con- cerned. I told him that marble is used in many foods and drugs, like the aforementioned antacid. I told him I would send him an email later of some the other uses
for marble. Here is the brief list:
Garden Lime
Gardeners use lime to raise the pH level of acidic soil, which can help certain plants extract nutrients from the soil. Garden lime is processed from marble. The marble is heated in a kiln, which removes the carbon diox- ide from the stone, producing a form of lime called calcium oxide, or quicklime. DON’T put this lime in your coconut!
Field Marking
In the past, lime was used to mark soccer, baseball, football,
was one of those odd
mornings. I woke up early,