November 6, 2009 - A Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) Construction Management Department class of about 20 students was visited by Southern Minnesota Construction on November 6th. After an hour of presentations about the company and what it does, SMC gave the class a guided tour of multiple locations. These locations included the Kasota Limestone Quarry, the North Star pit/wash plant, and the Riverbend Asphalt Plant. The weather was sunny and mild which allowed the students the opportunity to operate some construction equipment. After a brief safety demonstration the students were able to get into a front-end loader, bulldozer, and an off-road truck with an experienced operator; giving the students a feel for what the machines are capable of.
As one student put it, "The field trip to Southern Minnesota Construction (SMC) was both educational and fun at the same time." Another student stated, "I liked the fact that we got an up close and personal tour of their quarry and asphalt plant as well as learned how to operate some of their equipment." And yet another student described the day as a "... fun hands on experience that will not only help with my understanding of construction and construction practices but also with equipment management and the behind the scene activities that you don’t think about in the everyday construction process."
SMC extends its thanks to MSU, the Construction Management Department, and the Students and Faculty of the department for allowing us this opportunity to share this experience with the community.
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