Karl Watson, Sr Retires
After 41 years, Karl Watson, Sr, president and COO of Construction Materials US, retired on 31 March, 2006.
Karl has been an instrumental part of Rinker’s management team and the Florida business. He started working for Rinker Materials in 1965 in Pahokee, Florida. His humble beginnings in concrete sales led him to many successful management positions in Rinker’s Florida business under Doc Rinker.In 1988, Doc Rinker sold his business to CSR Limited and over the next 15 years, the US business grew substantially under the direction of David Clarke. Karl played a key role in many strategic acquisitions as well as managing the Florida aggregate, cement and concrete divisions.
In 2003, when Rinker demerged from CSR Limited as a pure play construction materials company, Karl was promoted to president and COO for the US Construction Materials.
Today, the Florida business generates approximately 40 per cent of Rinker’s global revenue - something Karl is linked to and should be extremely proud of.
“I am very appreciative of all the work Karl has done right across the Company, and he was a huge contributor to our overall success,” says David Clarke, Rinker’s president and CEO. “Personally, we worked extremely well together and it has been a pleasure having him on my team.”
Building blocks of Florida
Concrete block is the most popular wall-forming product used in Florida’s residential market, and Rinker Materials is responding by increasing block production capacity.
Four new block manufacturing facilities are now 100 percent operational with three more currently under construction. These new plants will add more than 40 million units per year to Florida’s concrete masonry market.
The new plants not only help satisfy our customers’ appetite for concrete block, they are also creating improved facilities for our employees, which - most importantly - means a safer workplace. They will also increase our sales volume to help generate higher shareholder value.
The four new operating plants are South Jacksonville, Bunnell, Zephyrhills and Coral Rock (Charlotte County). Those under construction include two plants in Bushnell and one in Palmetto. Both Bushnell plants and the new Palmetto plant should begin shipments mid year.
Recruiting and training the new production crew is often the most difficult aspect of starting up new plants. Crewmen are normally hired around the same time a plant’s initial construction begins, but will go to a nearby block plant to train alongside an experienced crew. Once the plant is ready, they begin the long and exacting process of troubleshooting, calibration and adjustment. If they are successful, the plant usually transitions from making its first test block to steady production in about 30 days! Now that’s a fast set-up.
Not content with just adding new plants, the Rinker Materials block production crew is also committed to improving existing plants. The Leesburg block manufacturing plant recently received a makeover with installation of a new rack loading system and new self-cleaning concrete mixer. Although it took nearly two weeks of around the clock work, the upgraded plant should produce nearly one million additional blocks per year.
