Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
September 25 2019
$3.00
Vol. XXXII • No. 20
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Hurricane Dorian struck North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras region on the evening of Sept. 6.
WIC: M aymead’s Mar y Katherine Harbin...8
May Elected Deer e & Company CEO...64
Rit chi e Br os. At lant a Aucti on.. .84
Paving Section ......30-45 Off-Road Trucks Section ..............................47-61 Business Calendar......80 Auction Section ....82-84 Advertisers Index ......86
Everything has to come from somewhere. So it is that a small company in south Arkansas has become a leading producer of sand. Not “Lawrence of Arabia” sand or time-is-running-out sand or bury-dad-to-the-neck-on-vacation sand. The family-owned Hayden Group Inc., based in Sheridan, produces sand tailormade for use in golf course bunkers around the nation. From courses designed by Tiger Woods to some of the finer courses in Arkansas, the Hayden sand is in demand. “When you work hard, and we work hard, and you get to turn on the television and see your product on the television it’s a very humbling experience,” Michael Collins, the Hayden Group’s chief growth officer and vice president of marketing, told Arkansas Business. “Before every big tournament on TV I sit down with all of our guys and I tell them ‘Hey this is your product that you’ll see on television today.’” The Hayden Group, with 35 employees, composes three types of bunker sand from the quartz it mines from its local quarry. It also produces gravel for high end swimming pool liners as well as sand for construction projects, among other things. But the golf course gig has a certain cachet. “It ended up being a pretty good side of the business,” Collins said. “We’re still pretty big in the aggregate pool finish business. I tell everybody we do that for work, the golf courses are fun.” The Hayden Group has shipped its Premier White, Premier Play and ProChoice sands to courses in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Florida as well as the elite, nationally ranked Alotian Club in Arkansas, along with other top courses in the state. After declining participation, golf saw its first uptick in 14 years in 2018, according to the National Golf Federation’s industry report. As courses have cut budgets, the Hayden Group’s bunker sand proved to be ideal because it requires little maintenance. “Our sand lasts so long, so a club might go 10 years before they renew bunkers,” Collins said. “If they’re just buying sand to touch up, a lot of courses don’t do it for a couple years.” Collins can’t recall which course was the first the company supplied, but he believes it was either The Blessings in Fayetteville — home course of the Arkansas Razorbacks funded by Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman John Tyson — or Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.
By Todd Traub
ARKANSAS BUSINESS
NCDOT Working to Remedy Hurricane Dorian’s Destruction When Hurricane Dorian struck North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras region (Dare and Hyde counties) on the evening of Sept. 6 as a Category 1 storm, it caused considerable damage to coastal towns, homes and businesses, along with vital highway and road infrastructure. The storm remained in the area until the next morning before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone and heading out to sea toward Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) initial estimate of the damage range between $40-50 million. As more debris is cleared over the coming weeks, NCDOT inspectors will soon have a better idea of how much money will be needed to fund the repairs. For primary roads, such as the coastal route NC 12 — which had more than 1,000 ft. severely punished by the storm surge on Ocracoke Island — the damage range is expected between $25-30 million. NCDOT has already begun seeking funds from the Federal Highway Administration for initial repair work. The department estimates the damage to secondary roads (country roads) and related infrastructure to be within the $16-20 million range, and reimbursement By Irwin Rapoport
Table of Contents ........4
Small South Arkansas Company Becoming Chief Sand Producer
CEG CORRESPONDENT
see DORIAN page 70
see HAYDEN page 64