Welcome to Red Army Radio! Today, Francis sits down with Derek Thomas our Aggregates Sales Manager and Kevin Bowes, Scale Operator, who’s been part of the Tomlinson team for nearly three decades. In this episode, we explore how automation is transforming customer service, the logistics of getting products from quarry to job site, and the teamwork that keeps our projects running smoothly.

Derek explains how the sales team works with everyone from homeowners to major contractors to match each job with the right products. Kevin walks us through life at the scale house, from streamlining truck turn-around times to some of the wildest things he’s seen in 18 years at the scales. Together, they highlight how Tomlinson is embracing technology, expanding product offerings, and keeping customer satisfaction at the heart of everything we do.

From large-scale automation to interesting homeowner requests, this episode offers a behind the scenes look at how one of the region’s busiest aggregate operations delivers both speed and service. Tune in for real world stories, operational insights, and a few laughs.

Episode Highlights:

• Kevin’s 28-year career path from loader operator to scale lead.
• Derek’s decade in aggregate sales and approach to building long-term client relationships.
• How scale automation has cut truck processing from minutes to seconds.
• New product offerings, from salt to specialty products and why they matter to customers.
• Real success stories – such as 873 trucks going through the scales in one day
• The role of Tomlinson’s quality control lab in keeping products up to spec.
• Creative problem-solving, from rush racetrack builds to multi-home stone deliveries.
• The future of scale tech: kiosks, cloud access, and improved customer data tools.

• “How can we get our customers to their job quicker, efficiently, and safely? That’s the goal.”
• “Once the customer is set up, they just run all day, they don’t have to talk to anybody, they just go.”
• “Our lab… I’d eat my lunch in there.”
• “Same day deliveries - we’re trying to make sure we’re available and have the trucking to do that.”
• “Eight hundred seventy-three tickets in one day - and no lineup.”
• “It’s too easy, just make the call, and we can make it happen.”