Tucked along a two-lane highway in southern Illinois, just a few miles apart, sit Covia’s Elco and Tamms plants. This dynamic duo of facilities has a long history of delivering success, all while keeping service and safety at the heart of everything they do.
From Competitors to Teammates
While the Elco and Tamms plants now strive to support Covia’s customers together, they weren’t always on the same side. The two facilities have each been in operation for more than 100 years in southern Illinois, strategically located near a unique geologic formation of microcrystalline silica near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
While the Elco and Tamms plants were run by separate companies for decades, that rivalry came to an end when Covia acquired both facilities a few years apart in the ‘80s. The Tamms plant was eventually transitioned into a processing facility for nepheline syenite, which is used for Covia’s MINBLOC® HC High-Clarity Antiblock additive and MINEX® functional filler. Meanwhile, Elco continues to actively mine and process silica into IMSIL® microcrystalline silica fillers, which are used to support products ranging from paint coatings and polymers to cement casings used for oil and gas wells.
Today, the two plants work in tandem to deliver reliable mineral solutions. A team of 55 team members support both sites, creating a level of camaraderie even though the plants focus on different minerals.
Quality Products, Global Impact
Another trait that the Elco and Tamms plants share is pride in making quality products that customers want to buy. Both plants work with minerals recognized for their unique and valuable properties.
According to Plant Manager Bleve Willoughby, the quality of these products is a reflection on the hard work and dedication of the team.
“People here feel like what they’re doing matters,” Bleve explains. “Our team takes pride in making a premium product that makes a difference for our customers.”
The team also strives to improve their own internal processes. In 2024, the Elco plant was able to achieve a 20% increase in output of fine-grade products by modifying airflow at a key point in the process. This improvement led to reduced operating times and associated costs to meet customer demand. Bleve and his team also developed and implemented a new operating scenario to support the modified process.
Between the quality of the products and the improved efficiencies, the Elco and Tamms plants have several satisfied, repeat customers from far beyond their region. Elco’s silica, for example, is shipped all over the world, including Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.
“It’s cool to think that we’re here in a really small, rural area and we’re making something that goes to customers all over the world,” said Bleve. “They don’t have anything comparable in their area of the world, so they come to us here in Illinois.”
Award-Winning Safety Standards
Product quality is a notable highlight for the team members at Elco and Tamms, but so is the way they go about safely producing those products. The plants strive to keep silica dust exposures at a minimum each day and make safety-based decisions to ensure that team members can return home in the same condition in which they arrived.
“The people run the plant, and it’s their actions and their everyday behaviors that keep us safe,” Bleve explained. “We can engineer safer solutions and put guards where required, but at the end of the day it comes down to people making the right choices for us to be safe.”
Those choices have led to tangible results. According to Bleve, it’s been more than 11 years since a lost-time incident. The Elco plant earned the company’s President’s Safety Award in 2022, an honor that recognizes the Covia plant that achieves the highest level of safety performance.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
In addition to supporting each other, the team members at the Elco and Tamms plants also strive to help the community that surrounds them. Covia is proud to empower team members to pursue volunteering opportunities, and the Elco and Tamms team has a history of going above and beyond for the region.
Every plant has different takes on volunteering, as Covia encourages people to support causes that resonate with them. For multiple individuals at Elco and Tamms, that includes volunteering for the local fire department. According to Bleve, two different team members serve as the chiefs of their respective fire departments, while others find their own ways to give back to their community.
“They volunteer because they want to make a difference,” Bleve stated. “They don’t know these people when they go to their houses
Looking Ahead
The Elco and Tamms plants may hail from a small area, but their impact stretches far and wide. With unique products, innovative processes, and team members who care deeply about safety and community, they embody the very best of Covia.
