A 100% solar-powered quarryMay 9, 2011
SANTA ROSA -- The BoDean Company aggregate and asphalt supplier is going 100 percent solar-powered, the first to do so in the world, according to the industry magazine Rock Products.
WINDSOR -- Founded in July of 2003, Northgate Ready Mix concrete is partnering with the BoDean Company’s line of local sustainable rock, gravel and sand products.
Modernized and rebranded by Troy Soiland in 2010, Northgate Ready Mix is located at 5922 Pruitt Ave., adjacent to Standard Structures just off Shiloh Road in Windsor.
He and brother, Dean, president of the BoDean Company and a partner in the Northgate venture, believe that their two firms complement each other since they both share the same vision for providing quality sustainable materials.
“Primarily, 70 percent of concrete is rock, sand and gravel. We use ingredients mined in Sonoma County within an eleven-mile radius of Santa Rosa. These sites provide the best local sources for contractors and builders in our region,” said Troy Soiland, head of Northgate Ready Mix.
“We have the newest, and most productive ready mix concrete plant in the county capable of producing up to 1,000 cubic yards per day. All concrete projects involve the use of aggregates and sand, and every concrete pour utilizes these ingredients.”
Soiland said that some concrete suppliers import gravel from as far away as Canada, and others use gravel taken from riverbeds and creeks, a practice that has been largely abandoned due to environmental concerns and regulations.
With 10 employees and a fleet of five concrete mixing delivery trucks, the firm is poised to benefit from a number of jobs currently in the bidding stage.
“There is demand for concrete in both up and down markets. We’re seeing bids for local, state and federal projects funded by tax dollars in our region earmarked for projects such as school expansions, bridges, forestry projects and sewer treatment plant additions.”
While private development is down, a few new home developments are under way, such as the one at Heritage Ranch, Village Station and Linwood in Santa Rosa along with Quarry Heights and South Gate in Petaluma. Affordable housing is also being developed in Sonoma County by Burbank Housing.
A major improvement project is also under way at the former Home Club retail center at the Stony Point Plaza on Sebastopol Road.
Northgate’s products, processing facility and weighing systems have been approved by CalTrans, the county of Sonoma and the city of Santa Rosa for public projects.
