RMC Group - Celebrates 30 Years

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A Journey of Expansion and Success ROLLING WITH PASSION

Rolling Mix Celebrates 30 years • 1
Published by Brent Trimming Patty and Rod Taverner. Photo by Rebecca Lippiatt
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Rolling Mix Concrete Edmonton was founded by Rod and Patty Taverner and their partners in 1994. In the span of 30 years, the company has grown from humble beginnings into one of Canada’s largest concrete providers. This is the story of a business that started with an idea, a modest fleet of five trucks and an ambitious family that transformed an idea into a powerhouse in the ready-mix concrete industry. Rolling Mix is building the province’s fabric today.

“The story,” says Rod, “starts with Guido and Hector di Stefano’s immigration from Italy. They came to Canada, started work finishing concrete and eventually bought their own truck picking up concrete from their soon-to-be competitors. Then they bought another one… and another one, eventually building their own concrete plant.”

This was in 1955. By the early 1960s the di Stefanos had decided to expand to Prince George British Columbia to take advantage of an emerging pulp and paper boom. As Calgary was still growing, another partner was brought in. This new partner was brother-in-law Joe Paolucci. He had the same work ethic and determination and soon turned the business into the larger of both operations.

Joe and his wife Paolina, immigrants from Italy, had four children in the 1960s. Their third daughter was Patty. Patty and Rod would later meet, marry and have three of their own children. Prince George was now home.

Some years later in Calgary, tragedy struck; Hector passed away in a plane crash. The family came together, however, and Guido took over Rolling Mix Calgary as Hector’s boys, Tony and Rick, were only 14 and 10. Those boys would eventually come into the business and assume Hector’s role. Several years later Tony and Guido would approach Joe to discuss the idea of opening another Rolling Mix Concrete in Edmonton. Joe suggested that his sonin-law, Rod Taverner, who worked for an accounting firm, be the new guy.

“It was my business partner, Hector’s son Tony di Stefano, who approached me and my father-in-law about this. This formation of me and Tony would be the beginning of a lifelong partnership and friendship. With the family’s financial help and five trucks, Rolling Mix Concrete Edmonton was born.”

While Rod’s experience in concrete was lacking at that time in 1994, his wife Patty had already spent several years in the business in Prince George. This would prove to be extremely

Rolling Mix Celebrates 30 years • 2
12640 Inland Way, Edmonton, AB T5V 1K2 Heidelbergmaterials.ca Congratulations RMC Group on 30 Years! Site C - Hydro Electric Dam

valuable in the couple’s pursuit of the new business. They moved to Edmonton where Rod immersed himself in sales and operations while Patty took the administration.

“I had spent five years in university and Patty had spent three in college. All that we really knew was how to learn, so we did. Patty took care of the payroll, payables, invoicing, receivables and month end and I immersed myself in every course on concrete. Patty would make sure we got paid and I sold, batched and drove concrete trucks with our small group of employees.”

“Soon after we moved, Patty became pregnant with our first child,” Rod smiles. “Things got interesting because we would work all day, come home and bill until the wee hours. Then it was back in the office early to keep right on going. Our first son was born in 1995 and he grew up in the business; we set up a little nursery in one of the side offices. We still did the same thing when our second son was born in 1997 and another in 1998. The boys came to the office and slept in our makeshift nursery every day.”

The family was not the only thing growing. In 1999 Rolling Mix moved to a larger facility.

“We gave Patty and the boys a bigger office,” Rod laughs.

Then he turns serious again.

“Look, I tell you the history to understand how important and instrumental the partners were in building the business. They had a lot of blind faith in us. I had been in university for a long time and knew how to learn but I did not know much about concrete when I started. I spent a lot of time learning from Tony. He was a mentor, not just what he said but that I trusted him to share everything, particularly what I didn’t know.

“We worked hard and had a lot of energy. That is what I tell people today. You need energy. You wake up tomorrow and the next day and you do it all over again and again. To succeed, you need to wear down those around you by outworking them. That is what we did. We worked harder than our competitors. That relentless drive inspired everyone to look at industries that complemented our concrete operations.

“We recognized the value of having our own supply, so we expanded into the aggregate business. We then opened a company to haul our own cement and cementitious materials. This company then expanded the hauling service

Rolling Mix Celebrates 30 years • 4
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Rod & Patty, it is amazing to think back to where you started and what you have built in Edmonton.

On behalf of Ash Grove Cement, congratulations to you both and the Team at RMC Group on this significant 30 year milestone. www.ashgrove.com

States. In 2018, we started a mobile division to supply ready-mix concrete in rural and underserved areas.”

This mobile division was a pop-up model in which Rolling Mix would erect temporary facilities, do a project, then tear the facility down and move on to the next job. This mobile model resulted in numerous infrastructure projects in rural BC and Alberta.

He continues, “Growth continued along with our reputation and this led to being awarded one of the largest construction jobs in North America –the Site C Dam in BC.”

Site C called for 700,000 metres of concrete, but as the project went on – and continues to go on today – Rolling Mix would supply nearly 1 million metres of concrete.

“That was a defining moment in how the construction world viewed and trusted Rolling Mix,” Rod proudly says. “Now, people were starting to call us and inviting us to supply concrete across a wider geographical region with increasingly more technical and large concrete jobs. One of the most interesting was consulting for the Tappen Z bridge in New York. Rolling Mix

Rolling Mix Celebrates 30 years • 6

THREE DECADES OF AMAZING!

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations to RMC Group of Companies on an incredible 30 years of industry leadership and innovation! Your partnership has been pivotal to our shared achievements, setting the stage for future success.

Here's to many more years of collaboration and excellence together!

PROUD TO BE A BUSINESS PARTNER WITH THE RMC GROUP

“A company driven by loyal and dedicated employees and an ongoing commitment to building long lasting business relationships.”

Lamoureux VP Operations & Sales OCL GROUP Inc

Edmonton was now at the forefront of technical concrete supply in western Canada.

Rolling Mix would continue to expand into complementing spaces such as environmentally friendly fibreglass rebar, screw piles for residential and commercial projects and even precast concrete. Opening their own new businesses under the Rolling Mix banner is not the only path. Rolling Mix also makes thoughtful acquisitions, folding well-founded companies into the brand.

As the company’s products and services grew, the administration also changed. It was now that an executive team began to emerge to facilitate

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“Of all the things we have been successful with, is hiring people. We took our time and have grown most of the talent from within with the balance coming on board and helping with the independent family philosophy. Our team is simply the best. Patty and I developed an executive team that has been critical to our success and growth. We have a very tight-knit group of local talent; we have not gone outside of our borders to fill and build key roles. And those three boys that grew up in the nursery? They have all gone through university and returned to work for the company. Andrew is running operations in Fort St. John. Joshua runs our Vancouver operation and Matthew collaborates with the executive team.

“Today, although everyone’s roles have changed, it allows us to focus on what is important in the business and what tomorrow looks like. Our people are our key assets in our company and the boys, our sons, have their own ideas and strategies. It is not time for us to get out of the way yet, but it is time for our people to run the business in a larger capacity.”

He admits that is a challenge because he and Tony love their work.

“Tony has been with the business since high school and I know nothing else,” says Rod.

He continues, “My personal success is due to having a partner who understood the business and was there when I needed a set of ears to listen. It is also due to a wife that knew the business from the other side,” Rod praises. “We are celebrating 30 years because we are family owned and operated and the people that got it going surrounded themselves with likeminded talent. Now, we are a force to be reckoned with

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250.219.836
www.oclgroup.ca 1-800-933-SIKA www.sika.ca
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due to our passion for the business. Residential, commercial, infrastructure spaces – we supply them all; we have certainly found our niche.”

Rod smiles as he concludes, “I came out of university thinking I was going to be a chartered accountant and here I am today talking about ready-mix concrete. But you know what? I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Building Progress for People and the Planet. Celebrating RMC’s 30 years in business! Lafarge wishes you many more years of continued success!
Rolling Mix Celebrates 30 years • 9
lafarge.ca
#350, 10403-172 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5S 1K9 info@rmcgroup.com • 780.434.3736 rmcgroup.com
Patty and Rod Taverner. Photo by Rebecca Lippiatt

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