Innovation
Setting priorities
How Fairmount Minerals scores big by giving back
By Megan Tackett
Smart Business Akron/Canton | September 2008
“Do good. Do well.” It’s a nice
philosophy, and it’s one that
Fairmount Minerals Ltd.
swears by. The industrial sands producer is a corporate do-gooder, and all those
good deeds pay off well.
CEO Charles Fowler and Chief
Financial Officer Jenniffer Deckard
know that their ability to manage the
company relies on earning the trust of
the communities in which it operates.
Their commitment to social responsibility has translated into a companywide
commitment that puts Fairmount on the
map within its industry. And the entire
mantra springs from the idea of promoting sustainability.
Sustainability is something Fairmount
Minerals takes seriously, which is why
the company operates 11 committees
dedicated to various sustainability
development initiatives. To keep it all
organized and on track, an annual
Corporate Social Responsibility report outlines explicit goals to reach. The 2007
Corporate Social Responsibility report
listed more than 50 goals associated
with such complexities as land
reclamation activities and
greenhouse gas emissions, for
instance.
With half of employee bonus
compensation hinging on successfully realizing the goals laid
out in the Corporate Social
Responsibility report, there
was plenty of incentive to make
sustainability the centerpiece
of the corporate strategy. And
it paid off, literally and figuratively. The company achieved
more than 97 percent of its
objectives, everyone got their
bonuses and the company saved
almost a million dollars.
By using a conveyor system to
transport sandstone instead of the trucks
traditionally used for the same purpose, Fairmount cut back on the amount of
harmful carbon emissions it produced,
while also saving $400,000 a year on operating costs. Similarly, simply
recycling the bags used for shipping sand saves the company
$500,000 a year.
But it’s the personal reward
that Fairmount employees feel
about their work that yields
the most impressive results.
Last year, the company could
boast more than 4,800 hours
of community service by its
410 employees, earning recognition from the National
Association of Manufacturers
with the organization’s first-ever Sandy Trowbridge Award
for Excellence in Community
Service.
HOW TO REACH: Fairmount Minerals Ltd., (800) 237-4986 or
www.fairmountminerals.com
