Doe Run’s High-Performance Peru Complex Captures Industry Attention
When the Doe Run Company purchased a Peruvian metals complex in 1997 for about $150 million, the St.Louis-based company’s goal was to transform the building, the people and the business in La Oroya with superior quality standards already established in Doe Run’s other overseas operations.
“First we defined the goals and objectives, then we incentivised the workers with a ‘gain-sharing’ program to reward them if production, health and safety targets were met,” says General Manager Kenneth Buckley, in an interview published in the Financial Times, a highly respected daily newspaper distributed to business leaders worldwide.
Doe Run’s emphasis on stricter safety standards is a novelty for Peruvian workers. La Oroya now is considered the safest operation in the country. Lead levels in smelter workers’ blood have been cut by 10 percent in 12 months thanks to sophisticated respirator gear and improved hygiene. Doe Run plans to invest at least $120 million in the next five years, mostly on environmental improvements. Also, better work practices are affecting production figures. Lead output hit a record last December while silver production is 25 percent higher.
La Oroya is one of few complexes worldwide capable of processing the so-called “dirty” (mixed) minerals characteristic of the high Andes. It can produce copper, lead, zinc, silver, and half a dozen other metals, such as antimony, bismuth, cadmium and many highly profitable by-products.
“This is how it will be in the next millennium: company, community and the state sharing the good times and the bad,” says Juan Carlos Huyhua, vice president and operations manager of Doe Run Peru, the privately owned U.S. company that acquired the complex a few years ago.
Area Contractors Make ENR List of Top 400
In a survey published in Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine, 10 area contractors made the list of “The top 400 Contractors.” These include: McCarthy (33), J.S. Alberici Construction Co. (56), Fru-Con Construction (68), Clayco Construction Co. (111), HBE Corp (114), Paric Corp. (222), Fred Weber Inc. (256), Korte Construction Co. (267), Lionmark (316), SM Wilson (325), and Nooter Construction Co. (354).
Contractors are ranked according to construction revenues.
PR Week Survey Ranks Kupper Parker Among Fastest-Growing Health-Care Agencies
PR Week ranked KPC Public Relations, a division of Kupper Parker Communications Inc., as one of the fastest growing health-care public relations practices in the nation. The agency’s health-care division grew nearly 80 percent from 1997 to 1998, making it one of the top 15 fastest-rising public relations agencies based on health-care income. The St. Louis-based agency also ranked 57th in the top 100 health-care public relations firms, surpassing 43 competitors.
“From new pharmaceutical launches to the advent of e-commerce, today’s health-care industry faces constant change,” says Bruce Kupper, managing partner of KPC, whose health-care clients include Centene Corporation, Express Scripts, RightChoice Managed Care, Tenet Healthcare in St. Louis and MD Consult.
“In the booming arena of health and science communications, KPC is well-positioned to offer the level of expertise and insight that health-care organizations must have to stay ahead of the curve,” he says.
In recent years, KPC has assembled an impressive roster of seasoned health-care communications professionals. As executive vice president and partner who heads KPC’s health-care team, Steve Littlejohn brings 20 years’ experience to his position. He joined KPC Public Relations in April 1998 to focus on health-care, strategic counsel and issue management. Mary Sholz-Barber, executive vice president and partner at KPC, is a 15-year veteran of investor relations specializing in managed care.
Kupper Parker Communications is the largest independent St. Louis-based, full-service marketing communications and public relations firm with annual billings of more than $150 million.
Family Fun Names St. Louis Top Midwest City for Visitors
According to a reader poll published in the summer’s issue of Family Fun magazine, St. Louis tied with Chicago as the best travel destination in the Midwest. Described as “super friendly,” St. Louis earned recognition for its diverse attractions, including St. Louis Science Center, Six Flags St. Louis, ragtime composer Scott Joplin’s house and Forest Park, one of the country’s largest urban parks. The poll included cities, amusement parks, aquariums, beaches, museums, tourist attractions and zoos.
Last year, 6.4 million people visited St. Louis on family vacations, couples getaways, group tours, conventions and business travel. Visitors spent more than $2 billion on local hotel accommodations, restaurant meals, admission to attractions and events, local transportation, shopping and entertainment.
