A new plant manager was appointed at Lafarge in Exshaw on Tuesday (Aug. 4) following the retirement of Heinz Knopfel from the cement plant.
Jim Bachmann will oversee operations at the plant that is currently undergoing a multi-hundred million dollar expansion for LafargeHolcim, scheduled to be finished May 2016. Bachmann has been with the Exshaw plant since the fall of 2013, preparing the transition team who will run the expanded operation.
Bachmann’s history with Lafarge includes 12 years of experience as operations manager for the Alpena, Michigan plant – Lafarge’s largest North American plant – and as plant manager in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
During the next few weeks, Lafarge representatives will go door to door in the Exshaw and Lac Des Arcs communities to initiate the first stage of gaining feedback for the fugitive dust communications plan.
“We’re starting a broader consultation effort around fugitive dust,” said Michelle Gurney, spokesperson at Lafarge in Exshaw. “Next week, it’s about input from the community regarding dust and how they want to be involved.”
MD of Bighorn Reeve Dene Cooper wished Knopfel well in his retirement and said he was pleased with the appointment of Bachmann and hopes to be able to work closely with him.
“(Bachmann) knows the community well and plant well,” Cooper said. “I think (Bachmann) will work with the company and get things to a better place.”
Graham Lock, president of the LDA Community Association (LDACA) also said it’s looking forward to working with Bachmann and the planned public consultation should help find solutions to issues before they become a difficult task.
In the past, LDACA worked closely with Knopfel to address community matters that arose during his tenure, said Lock.
“Heinz’s participation and leadership always led to better outcomes for the affected communities, and he will be missed as a leader,” said Lock in an email. “During his time at Exshaw, Heinz always listened and sought to find solutions to issues such as fugitive dust, noise, and other environmental matters.”
Knopfel had been plant manager since 2011 and spent 34 years with the international company, coming full-circle as he originally began his career in Exshaw.
During his tenure the Lafarge Education Endowment Fund scholarship was established last year, where a $5,000 grant is awarded to MD of Bighorn students pursuing post-secondary education.
