MARATHON, Wis. (Oct. 14, 2004) — It's been said, "education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence." And it's just that type of philosophy that led County Materials Corp. and company president Tim Sonnentag to donate $50,000 to the NCMA's Education and Research Foundation. The contribution makes County Materials the association's newest Legacy Society member, at the Patrons Level.

"We felt it was an excellent way to help further the industry - and the craft - of concrete masonry," said Sonnentag, whose company has been a member of NCMA since 1984.

County Materials was founded in Marathon, Wis., in 1946 by Merlin Sonnentag, who had little more than a manual block-making machine and an enterprising spirit.

Into its third generation of family ownership and management, the American-owned and American-based company has fanned that entrepreneurial spark into a steady flame that has made it a beacon of industry excellence.

"We had very simple roots as a company," Sonnentag said. "And it took a lot of people reaching toward a variety of goals for us to grow into the successful business we've become. We feel the NCMA and its foundation play an important role in helping others in the industry reach toward their own goals. And fostering and nurturing that spirit will only help the industry."