Dragon Cement and Concrete was one of three companies awarded the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Maine Investor” Award at the statewide organization’s annual meeting in Lewiston on Oct. 13.

The company was given the award by the state Chamber for its recently completed $50 million modernization of its cement plant in Thomaston, the first major expansion of New England's only cement plant since 1971. The modernization changed the plant to a more environmentally efficient process while increasing fuel economy and production capabilities.

“Dragon’s investment in state-of-the-art technology and environmental equipment will not only provide continued employment at the plant but also increase exports from Maine and help to increase revenues for the Maine economy,” said Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber. “They are a solid company with an excellent leader in Joe Koch, who has been at the helm since 1993 and continues to make great decisions that enable the company to evolve, grow and thrive. We applaud his leadership and the company’s confidence in Maine’s future.”

The annual award is given each year by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce to recognize a Maine business for outstanding contributions to the growth of their company and the state’s economy.

"We appreciate this award, and are very excited about the modernization of the plant and its expected boost to the local economy,” said Joe Koch, president of Dragon. “The expansion will allow us to maintain or increase employment levels at the plant for the next 20 to 30 years because we essentially built another generation of new technology in the process.”

The modernization, which involved a major overhaul and rebuilding of the plant, began in the spring of 2003 and converted the cement-making process from a wet, slurry-type process to a dry, state-of-the-art process. The new process allows Dragon to save energy and reduce fuel consumption for each ton of cement made. The change will also reduce the process time of the kiln and at the same time increase production by over 30 percent. The modernization brings Dragon back to a competitive position in New England while competing in a global market place.

The company was incorporated under its present ownership in 1988 as a wholly owned subsidiary of CDN-USA, which is owned by Cementos Portland and Cementos Lemona of Spain.

The modernization included a $10 million dollar upgrade of Dragon’s distribution system including the acquisition of new railcars, a new barge and unloading equipment at its Boston terminal.

Dragon Products is one of Maine’s leaders in recycling industrial materials to replace feedstocks and has received numerous state environmental and safety awards over the years, including a Governor’s Award for its waste reduction program in 1998 and for waste recycling in 2002. The company does not burn hazardous waste at the plant.

In addition, Dragon has invested millions of dollars over the past 10 years into environmental equipment and programs. In 1996, the company made a $1 million investment to recycle cement kiln dust back into the process through a very successful system known as the “dust scoops”. As a result, new material generated as waste was reduced by 98 percent from pre-dust scoop days. Cement kiln dust is a by-product of cement manufacturing that is captured in the main kiln baghouse. Prior to the installation of the dust scoops the material was treated with water and stockpiled. “The success of the dust scoops solved a major solid waste problem for the company and allowed the focus to shift to reuse opportunities for the material,” said Environmental Manager Ann Thayer.