Hartford Business Journal

18 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | DECEMBER 11, 2023 Benjamin Dunning, president and CEO of Dunning Industries, with his wife, Donna, who is the nursery manager, in front of an excavator on their Brickyard Road property in Farmington. They're relocating the business' nursery and garden center to a larger, more visible location on Route 4. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Searching For Sustainability Farmington quarry owner, who survived a plane crash, diversifies to keep business alive as rock supply dwindles Brickyard Road. In November, Dunning received zoning approval to move it to a larger, more visible space on Route 4, which sees 27,000 vehicles daily. The new nursery and retail store will span across three parcels that Dunning Industries owns: 1079 Farmington Ave., the former Walpole Fence; 1085 Farmington Ave., the former Green Tails retail shop; and 1091 Farmington Ave., currently occupied by a residence and detached garage/barn. The existing buildings will be trans- formed into retail space, a green- house and offices, with a separate area for contractor sales and loading. With a new location and new name — Maple Tree Nursery — Donna Dunning said they're trying to differ- entiate the retail component from the company's industrial arm. Renovations are already underway, and they plan to open the new facility in spring 2024. After that, they'll begin phase two of the project, which includes opening a coffee shop and cafe at 1079 Farmington Ave. The largest parcel, 1085 Farm- ington Ave., extends 107 acres into a wooded area with a lake that houses Dunning Industries' active quarry. There, workers use a barge to dredge earth material from the lake. That section of the property is not accessible to the public, and the Dunnings have been known to patrol it using a drone with flashing lights — an effective tool to deter trespassers, Benjamin Dunning said. Family history The company was started by Benjamin Dunning's great-grandfa- ther in 1917 as Atlas Sand, Gravel and Stone Co., which produced gravel to build the parking lot at Colt Manufacturing's Hartford factory, which was buzzing during World War I. He expanded the business and began manufacturing concrete for various uses, including road construction. The business survived the Great Depression, despite suffering financially. His grandfather and father continued operating the sand and gravel operation, but their product line was limited to seven or eight items. "It was a very simplified business back then," Benjamin Dunning said. He purchased the business from his father, R. Mort Dunning, in 2002. Since then, he has added product lines that include different types of mulches and soils, customized for golf courses and baseball fields — including Dunkin' Park, home of the Hartford Yard Goats minor league baseball team. "When I took it over, I saw that construction materials were a commodity and it was all about price and volume," Dunning said. "I wanted to go for higher-quality and different niche markets to deal with landscapers and homeowners and that sort of thing. So, we kept By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com A t the age of 24, Benjamin Dunning, a Burlington native, had just graduated from college and was learning to fly small airplanes. He asked his college sweetheart to marry him. She said yes. Six days later, he was in a plane crash that could have derailed his life. He shattered both legs along with his spine. Doctors told him he'd never walk again and would never have children. Twenty-eight years removed, he's now the fourth-generation owner of Dunning Industries Inc., a Farmington business that has grown from a sand and gravel quarry to a one-stop shop for contractors and homeowners. He not only walks, but rides motor- cycles. He's married and has two children, who may one day sustain the business into a fifth generation. As Dunning prepares for the future, he knows the quarry's rock supply won't last forever, so he's focused on developing new products. A key part of the company's diversification plan is a recent zoning approval that will allow Dunning to relocate its nursery and retail garden center to a new location on Route 4. Overcoming obstacles Dunning defied the odds, making a remarkable recovery from the injuries he suffered in the 1995 crash. He credits his wife, Donna, who was then his fiancée, with giving him the will to recover. She now helps him run the business and manages the nursery. Just as Dunning refused to accept his initial medical prognosis, he eschews the idea that a quarrying business should have a finite lifespan. So, he has focused on new growth channels that involve sustainable resources, such as recycling wood scraps by turning them into mulch and repurposing discarded asphalt and concrete. "Eventually, the sand and gravel is going to run out, because it's a finite supply, versus I can always get more plants, I can always get more wood, I can always recycle more stuff," Dunning said. "But the sand and gravel is the one thing I cannot count on." He said the supply of sand and gravel on the hundreds of acres he owns will be depleted within the next 15 to 20 years. "Securing new reserves around here is almost impossible," Dunning said. "The towns are so restrictive on mining." Dunning Industries' quarrying operations generate more than 50% of the company's roughly $11 million in annual revenue. The company has an average of 36 to 45 employees, some of whom are seasonal, he said. Nursery relocation Currently, the garden retail center and nursery — where plants are grown using advanced gardening methods — sit in a corner of the company's industrial operation at 163 AT A GLANCE Dunning Industries Inc. Industry: Quarry mining, nursery Top Executive: Benjamin Dunning, Owner HQ: 105 Brickyard Road, Farmington Website: dunningindustries.com Contact: 860-677-1616

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