Ozinga opens new Des Plaines facility
Mokena-based Ozinga Bros. Inc., a nationwide family-owned concrete business, unveiled a new facility Friday in Des Plaines that could change the way concrete companies do business.
The company cut the ribbon on the new facility at 200 E. Jarvis Ave., which aims to reduce dust emissions, said Lloyd Meyer, president of Ozinga's Chicago region.
"This facility is expected to serve a very hot area for construction," Meyer said.
The 90-year-old concrete business, which started in south suburban Evergreen Park, has since become a nationwide provider of concrete and other building products with 30 locations. It aims to continue to grow with about 1,000 employees, including 100 in Des Plaines.
The new Des Plaines facility is designed to be more green than other facilities in this industry. Sand and gravel will be dumped directly into an underground cavern and then fed into the mixing system inside a building. The traditional way had trucks dumping loads of sand and gravel into stockpiles above ground, which led to a lot of dust, Meyer said.
The facility also will collect rain water that will be used in the concrete mix and the trucks will use natural gas to help curtail emissions, he said.
"We bought the property about four years ago and have continually improved it ever since," said Meyer.