BEST IN CLASS PROFILE
BADGER MINING CORPORATION
“Horton is proactive with claims management and their safety professionals have been great. But perhaps best of all, Horton listens. They understand our culture and our long-term goals and this is reflected through their service.� Bob Brooks, Secretary/Treasurer of Badger Mining, believes that partnerships and long-term decisions are far more important than short-term earnings.
company facts Founded: 1979 Location: Berlin, WI Business Scope: Privately-held, familyowned international corporation that manufactures industrial silica sand and other aggregates. Employees: 180 A Horton Group Client: Since 1982
- Bob Brooks Secretary/Treasurer, Badger Mining Corporation
Pumps draw the sand up from the mine to be washed, screened, sorted, dried, stored and finally loaded onto trucks and trains bound across America.
Excellence, One Grain at a Time eing voted the Best Small Business to Work For in America by HR Magazine in 2006 is something that the people of Badger Mining Corporation are rightfully proud of. Bob Brooks, Secretary/Treasurer of Badger Mining, explains how a company in a steel-toe boots-type of industry gained such accolades.
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“We’re still digging sand out of the ground and delivering it to customers like we did 100 years ago,” he said. “But we have significantly refined this raw process by utilizing the latest technologies, safety protocols and land reclamation techniques. Couple our superb operations with an open, associate-driven corporate culture and you have a truly unique company.”
With their corporate headquarters in Berlin, Wisconsin, Badger Mining operates two plants in Wisconsin – Taylor and Fairwater – and one plant in Poland, in Tomasznow Mazowiecki. The foundry and gas and oil industries compose the core of Badger Mining’s business. While most of Badger Mining’s long-standing clients are located in North America, it is not unusual for orders to be shipped as far as Argentina, Russia and Japan.
Genuine Care Badger Mining works in tandem with the Department of Natural Resources and other environmental specialists to reclaim their mined lands and create lakes, wetlands, farmlands and other sustainable habitats. The company is devoted to maintaining their status as a good neighbor, providing scholarships to local high school graduates entering college and helping associates with their family’s college tuition. Badger Mining also hosts an annual Adventure Day for local families to learn about and see their operations, as well as enjoy fishing and other events on their grounds.
Quality assurance tests are conducted hourly and proactive plant inspections are a regular occurrence at Badger Mining.
Working in autonomous teams, Badger Mining associates have the ability to make final decisions regarding their operations. The average tenure of associates is 16 years and turnover is relatively non-existent. Badger Mining
While the actual mining of sand is seasonal, Badger Mining processes, stores and ships their materials year-round.
(From L to R) Doug Henderson of The Horton Group stands with Bob Brooks and Marty Lehman of Badger Mining.
maintains a culture of continuous improvement and encourages their associates to advance themselves in the company through various educational opportunities. “When we needed to hire an engineer a few years back, one of our associates said he would like to go to school to become eligible for that position,” said Beth Nighbor, Vice President of Human Resources. “Badger Mining paid 100 percent of his tuition and provided a full salary while he studied at Michigan Tech. I am also a product of this positive working environment. I started here 16 years ago as a secretary and was encouraged to continue my education and move up in the company.”
Badger Mining is dedicated to sustainable land reclamation, as seen in White Sands Lake at their Fairwater Plant.
“While one of our competitive advantages is our safe culture, we feel that sharing our safety information with our peers is the right thing to do. It feels good to know that your knowledge can help others get home safe,” he said.
For The Long Haul The Horton Group has provided insurance and risk management services to Badger Mining since 1982. After debating the merits of moving away from the traditional insurance market, Horton Vice President Doug Henderson ushered Badger Mining into a captive insurance group in 2007 to provide them with a greater level of control.
Doing The Right Thing Badger Mining works proactively with regulatory bodies like the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to continually improve the safety of their operations. While MSHA requires eight hours of refresher training annually, Badger Mining averages 18 hours per associate. Vendors who enter Badger Mining properties must undergo site-specific hazard awareness training.
“You do not enter a captive without the proper controls and culture, especially when you are in a high-risk industry like mining,” Bob Brooks explained. “Doug made the process of joining the captive seamless, arranging meetings with existing captive underwriters and familiarizing them with our operations and allowing them to become comfortable with us as a partner.”
“Safety is integrated into the culture at BMC taking priority over everything else,” said Marty Lehman, Safety Associate. “Every associate has the responsibility and authority to address every safety issue they encounter.”
The people at Badger Mining are more concerned about the next 10 or 20 years than the next quarter. Long-term decisions are paramount at Badger Mining and they go to great lengths to make sure their business partners understand why they do business the way they do.
With more than seven miles of railroad tracks and two engines on site, Badger Mining wrote a comprehensive rail safety program to supplement regular training. The company has openly shared this information throughout the industry and beyond. Marty Lehman, who is a committee member of the Industrial Minerals Association of North America and chairs their ergonomics task force, believes there is no competition when it comes to safety.
“We have developed a strong relationship with Horton over the years. Their people help educate us tremendously about the ways to look at risk and what can and cannot be covered externally. Horton is proactive with claims management and their safety professionals have been great. But perhaps best of all, Horton listens. They understand our culture and our long-term goals and this is reflected through their service,” Bob Brooks concluded.
Corporate Headquarters 10320 Orland Parkway, Orland Park, IL 60467
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