General Info:
Wake Stone Corporation was founded in April 1970 by John Bratton, a civil engineer with 23 years of experience in the quarry business. He began the company with the purchase of approximately 100 acres of farm land near Knightdale, N.C. The granite reserves under the farm became the company's first quarry. Picture on left shows John Bratton ( second from right ) and his sons ( from left ) Sam, Ted and Johnny.The first employees were John Bratton, Johnny Bratton, Duncan McCormick, and Ronald Bissette. Sam Bryant was hired three months later. Together they erected the first crushing plant and developed the first pit. After purchasing the farm land, Wake Stone spent the next 10 months preparing for operation. During this time, a competitor reopened an abandoned quarry on adjacent property, posing a significant threat to the newly formed business. However, a few key customers had pledged their support to Mr. Bratton during the company's planning stages, and they remained loyal to their commitments. Those customers were the key to the initial survival of the company, and they are among Wake Stone's most important customers today.In 1974, the company took a bold step. It opened the Moncure Quarry to provide stone for CP&L's Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant in southern Wake County. Between 1974 and 1982, the quarry sold nearly three million tons of stone to CP&L. When the CP&L project was completed, Wake Stone closed the quarry.The decision came at an opportune time. For several years, Wake Stone had been planning, testing, acquiring real estate options, and attempting to gain permission for a site in Cary. Finally, in 1982 with all permits in hand, Wake Stone opened its Triangle Quarry. It was able to move the crew and much of the equipment from Moncure.The Triangle Quarry is adjacent to Interstate 40 and a short distance from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The site gave Wake Stone a strategic location. Although the economy was in a recession, Wake Stone was positioned to capitalize on the explosive future growth in the Research Triangle Park area. The Triangle Quarry now is the most successful quarry in Wake County.