![]() ![]() At this time, our five generation business is struggling to survive because we cannot open our quarries without workers. Having no work experience in the United states nor English language skills, such workers cannot communicate their needs for housing, transportation and basic living requirements. Recently we lost our primary quarry instructor, due to health problems, making the training of the golden triangle visa people essentially impossible. The problem with inexperienced workers is that it will take at least two years to make them proficient in the extraction of stone. We looked at all aspects of bringing some of those workers to the United States but the logistics were not good, additionally the recruiters had a hard time finding any willing workers. We were approved for eight workers but when talking with the recruiters, we were advised that they had no designations for quarry work with any of the golden triangle workers. We took a shot in the dark and tried for some of the golden triangle workers. The first visa application was returned to us without being filled. This year the Department of Labor and USCIS added an additional 33,000 visas with a percentage being from the golden triangle designated in El Salvador, Guatemala And Honduras. All of the available visas were dispersed before the end of the C group. In the lottery for visas, which has alphabetical lottery divisions of A through G, we were put in the groupings of D & E. This year, 2023, we applied for workers’ visas costing our company $20,000 for two applications with eight applicants per visa. We have been employing the same group of workers for generations because of their expertise in the extraction of our sandstone. We have always complied with their stringent requirements and regulations to employ workers from Mexico. Our company has used the Department of Labor and USCIS H2B visas since the time of their inception. There has not been a single applicant from people that live in the United States during those 15 years. In the last 15 years we have advertised to fill H2b visas and were required by the Department of Labor to hire anyone for the job that could meet the qualifications. For our quarriers it is a hot, cold, dirty, heavy, back breaking work to produce the stone by hand. Needless to say it is a very labor intensive material to remove to cut, lift, handle and ship. It is always in demand because of its quality. In our many years in business we have shipped our stone nationwide from California to New York and into Canada. It is neutral and stands up to wear and deterioration for centuries. The Lyons sandstone and Colorado Buff sandstone are a hard quarzitic stone that can be used in all types of environments, including extremes of freeze and thaw and saltwater. That is the same methodology that we use today with the addition of a forklift to move the materials and bring them to our production site. At the turn of the century, there were 600 workers in the quarries using bars, hammers, wedges and chisels to remove the stone from the sandstone formation and cut it to size by hand. He started as a bookkeeper in the stone business, and then in 1892 he purchased our existing quarry that we have used ever since. After looking around in the United States, he came to Lyons Colorado and found that workers were quarrying sandstone for foundations, walls and sidewalks. Contact the experts at Bedrock Landscaping Materials for advice in planning the time of delivery for your products and the delivery location.Sad state of affairs! It was 133 years ago when our great grandfather came to the United States from Finland. Timely ordering of products and materials, and having necessary supplies ready can make the actual installation very efficient. Landscape fabric also withstands extreme temperatures and ultraviolet rays and can be installed close to plant material. Water penetrates landscape fabric, draining into the soil beneath it while controlling weed growth. Preparation of the designated area is crucial to the long-term success of the project. Weed prevention and water drainage issues should be addressed prior to installation. A combination of materials, sizes and colors can provide for striking results. For berms or steep slopes, we recommend larger cobblestone or rip rap for best results. Where pedestrian traffic is not expected, and on slopes, borders, and around foundations, 1 1/2″ rock is usually appropriate. To customize your landscape, see our display areas to find the product best suited for you.įor high-traffic areas, driveways and walkways, we recommend 3/4″ rock, road base or breeze products. Bedrock Landscaping Mateirals offers many sizes and colors of decorative rock to choose from for your landscape project. ![]()
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