please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article is an orphan as no other articles link to it . please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the find link tool for suggestions . november 2010 this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . june 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message the frazier quarry incorp . type private industry quarry founded 1915 1 founder robert y. frazier headquarters harrisonburg virginia united states area served primarily eastern united states products fire pits dimension bluestone fountains benches crushed stone number of employees 50 2008 website frazier quarry home the frazier quarry inc. tfq is a large family owned quarry and stone product retailer based in the united states . the company is headquartered in harrisonburg virginia in the shenandoah valley . it is the only producer of shenandoah valley bluestone and also provides crushed stone and retail products . the company was founded in 1915 as betts quarry and became the frazier quarry incorporated in 1946 . the company is a third generation family owned business and derives its name from the owners . tfq markets its products under its own brand name and also under stonewall grey which is for products cut and sawed on location and unique to tfq . contents 1 history 2 historical innovation 3 community involvement 4 environmental consciousness 5 references history edit beginning in 1915 tfq has been a prominent business serving the shenandoah valley both commercially and philanthropically . frazier quarry is one of the largest family owned and operated quarries operating in the united states . the quarry was founded to function as a cornerstone to the region by providing crushed stone for new construction projects and helping to expedite the growth of the shenandoah valley . the crushed stone production from tfq has remained a reliable mainstay in construction projects in the area and through years of improving practices and setting systems in place the crushed stone production is operating stably and the quarry has begun other initiatives to supply the valley with high grade stone products . the most notable new direction is the production of the valley s own bluestone which has helped to resurrect the region s architectural legacy of bluestone construction by once again providing it from a local source . other aspects of the expansion are largely do it yourself diy outdoor living or landscaping projects including landscaping stone all natural stone intraconvertible fire pits fountain kits flagstone and solid stone garden benches . the diy approach to the product line has allowed tfq to offer low prices for high quality products through selling directly not through middlemen and creating products that do not require professional installation . historical innovation edit bluestone is an identifying characteristic of shenandoah valley architecture beginning with the areas first settlers using the native stone from their own land for foundations and chimneys . it is a type of limestone that is so named because of its dark blue grey color that will eventually weather to a light grey . architects from the area had historically embraced the bluestone legacy and it was continued with the construction of major universities and important historical sites including the aptly named bluestone campus of james madison university the virginia military institute washington and lee university belle grove plantation and the stonewall jackson home . the obstacle that the architects of the aforementioned buildings faced was that there was no large bluestone quarry in virginia they had been forced to look further afield after their initial building projects the first construction used stone from the projects immediate vicinity and transport their bulk amount of stone from pennsylvania or new york . as costs began to rise with transporting such heavy materials and other fabricated materials such as brick and siding became more available institutions were no longer able to afford to continue their bluestone legacy . realizing that a vital piece of the area s cultural paradigm had become out of reach tfq had a vision of restoring the valley s capabilities to honor its architectural stone foundation . the result of the vision was to bring the valley s own bluestone to a commercial scale with the stonewall grey product line from the stonewall division which debuted in early 2005 . the stone s name commemorates stonewall jackson and also demonstrates and pays homage to its close ties with the shenandoah valley . tfq has been able to provide architectural bluestone to architects builders masons and consumers more efficiently than ever as a result of their investment into the valley through their ingenuitive and state of the art stone shop capable of providing custom stone dimensions to order . tfq has orchestrated a kind of assimilation of eras that envelopes the valley s architectural past its current technological growth and its potential for the future . community involvement edit the frazier quarry has a large role in the harrisonburg community . tfq provides tours of the quarry to elementary school students and well as donates stone to community projects . some examples of what the quarry has provided are a stone garden to the local public television station stonewall grey split faced stone to the downtown harrisonburg liberty park a natural stone fountain to the harrisonburg visitor s center also known as the hardesty higgins house a custom inscribed stonewall grey garden bench to the local harrisonburg high school and also crushed stone for a local boy scout to use with his eagle scout project to build a therapeutic riding ring for disabled children . environmental consciousness edit the quarry collaborates with builders and contractors to place an emphasis on local stone thereby reducing fuel costs on the shipping . it also researches how its stone can be utilized to construct leed certified leadership in energy and environmental design facilities promoting both the use of all natural building material . all natural a natural alternative to artificial and man made building products . high calcium neutralizes acids in streams lakes and soils . erosion control large stone boulders rip rap help prevent and control erosion . j hooks a novel use of rip rap in a stream or river to cause an eddy current backwater that protects streambank ecosystems as specified by the virginia department of game and inland fisheries . riparian buffer zone rip rap placed on river banks along with vegetation to slow flood waters . aglime . clean air their low emission quarry machinery utilizes caterpillar s revolutionary acert engines high performance engines that adhere to the environmental protection agency s required tier 2 and tier 3 restriction while improving performance durability and fuel efficiency . no chemicals there are no chemicals added during the process of quarrying and processing stone . only petroleum fuel and lubricants are utilized for the machinery . recycled oil any waste oil and lubricants from the quarrying process are collected and burned in specially designed furnaces to heat the shops during the winter . land reclamation an ongoing process of reclaiming any disturbed land that has had the limestone extracted . they fill re grade and re vegetate those areas creating such useful sites as parks school grounds agricultural land arboretums etc. wildlife preserves tfq preserves the natural habitats of the plant and animal life in these areas surrounding the quarry by keeping out trespassers prohibiting hunting and off road vehicles and maintaining open fields of grasses and hay that are beneficial to the wildlife . references edit 1 the frazier quarry court days festival shenandoah valley business newsletter james madison university frazier quarry online store through the generations with the frazier quarry . stone review oct 1992 14 16 . kushner cathy . science in the quarry . daily news and record harrisonburg 15 jul 1995 reilly micheal . scouts aid spca . daily news and record harrisonburg 06 mar 1995 reilly micheal . stream restoration continues . daily news and record harrisonburg 06 sep 1994 puckett bettina . etched in bronze frazier quarry donation recognized by smithsonian museum . daily news and record harrisonburg 11 nov 1999 retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title frazier quarry & oldid 601812070 categories quarries in the united stateshidden categories orphaned articles from november 2010all orphaned articlesarticles with a promotional tone from june 2012all articles with 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