Teichert: Mining stipulations offer chance to leave neighborly legacy

Editor's note: This is the last of a four-part series recognizing businesses that were awarded Business of the Year for their category by the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce in 2006. While the 3,455 acres Teichert Aggregates plans to mine north of Lincoln lies unearthed, the company has been doing business in Lincoln on the project since 1994. Teichert Aggregates, a sand and gravel mining division, makes up one of the two-branches of Teichert, a family owned business since 1887. The other branch, Teichert Construction, specializes in building everyday infrastructure such as sidewalks, freeways and curbs. Both have been operating in Lincoln for the past 15 years and received the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce's distinction as the Major Business of the Year for 2006. That distinction doesn't surprise Communications Specialist Becky Sabin, who's been with the company for four years. "It's a family-run business and that culture runs deep," she said. "You get that good feeling as an employee. They just want to be good citizens and they try to be good neighbors. I knew the first time I walked into the Teichert office that this is where I want to be and want to work. They encourage their employees to be good neighbors too."In Teichert's case, being a good neighbor means setting up a special Foundation to provide scholarships and grants for the youth of the community. It also means turning the traditionally environmentally detrimental effects of mining into an opportunity for habitat restoration. That's the idea anyway for the Lincoln site, which is expected to begin operations in 2008 or 2009 after it meets the nearly 200 conditions of approval required by Placer County. In total, Property Manager Troy Reimche estimated the site will yield one to two million tons of sand, gravel and granite during its 35- to 40-year life span. Most of that product will stay in Placer County, in the form of sidewalks, sewer vaults and other products. The property will be mined in stages, allowing for the gradual creation of a non-recreational lake, as well as the restoration of Coon Creek. To this end, Teichert has established Coon Creek Conservancy to restore the 187-acre corridor along the Sacramento River tributary, which has been overgrazed for years. "Now there'll be a restoration project and we'll be dedicating the house at Wilson Ranch to the Conservancy as a learning center," Reimche said. The property encompasses Hoffman Ranch and Wilson Ranch.