Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. Announces New Western Organization Structure
RALEIGH, North Carolina (September 6, 2006) - Stephen P. Zelnak, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM), today announced the realignment of its western United States aggregates operations into three operating divisions under the leadership of Bruce Vaio (45), Executive Vice President, who has been named President of Martin Marietta Materials-West. Mr. Vaio will report to Ward Nye, President and Chief Operating Officer. The change in organizational structure is designed to take advantage of growth opportunities throughout the region.
The Company also announced the appointment of Presidents over the three operating divisions. Bill Gahan (48), a 24-year veteran of Martin Marietta currently serving as the Vice President/General Manager of the Iowa Region, will become the President of the Midwest Division headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. He will be responsible for all operations in the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mr. Gahan earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from Iowa State University.
Tom Jones (56), an employee of Martin Marietta for seven years and currently serving as the Vice President/General Manager of the Western Region, is appointed as the President of the Western Division, which will be headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to joining Martin Marietta, Mr. Jones worked for 19 years in the explosives industry. He will provide leadership for operations located in Missouri, Kansas, North Texas/Oklahoma (inclusive of Dallas/Fort Worth), Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, California and Washington. Mr. Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Northern Iowa.
Larry Roberts (52), affiliated with the Martin Marietta group for 26 years and currently serving as the Vice President/General Manager of the Southwest Division's Southern Region, will serve as the President of the Southwest Division headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to his current operational duties, Mr. Roberts has experience managing rail transportation and logistics. He will be responsible for the management of operations located in the southern tier of Texas, inclusive of San Antonio, Houston and South Texas. Mr. Roberts earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, specializing in Accounting, from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
The Company also announced that Jim Seals (39), currently Vice President Finance/Southwest Division Controller, will be promoted to the position of Vice President of Finance for Martin Marietta Materials-West. In this capacity, he will be responsible for the executive finance and accounting duties of Martin Marietta Materials-West. Mr. Seals, who has been with Martin Marietta's accounting group for nine years, earned a Bachelor of Science-Accounting degree from Oklahoma State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Commenting on the promotions, Zelnak stated, "The realignment of Martin Marietta's western United States' operations and the promotions of this group of senior managers provide the Company with strong, experienced leadership throughout the western United States. The new structure is designed to maximize our pursuit of growth opportunities throughout the region, while also assuring our continued focus on operating excellence and cost effectiveness. The change in organizational structure coincides with the scheduled 2007 retirement of Bob Meskimen, Senior Vice President, and President of the Northwest Division. Mr. Meskimen has done an extraordinary job of leading our northwestern operations for many years and will be greatly missed. As we go forward, I am confident that Mr. Vaio and his team will provide exceptional leadership and results for our western United States' businesses."
Martin Marietta is the nation's second largest producer of construction aggregates, a leading producer of magnesia-based chemical products and is developing structural composites products for use in a wide variety of industries.