WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company, a mineral producer and concrete and masonry business in Southwest Virginia, has been in continuous operation for 150 years; and

WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company traces its deep roots to 1786, when Ed Dillon immigrated to America and helped build Tredegar Ironworks along the James River after settling in Prince Edward County; and

WHEREAS, after the Civil War, Ed Dillon's grandson, Colonel Edward Dillon, found work as a superintendent of construction for the James River and Kanawha Canal Company, during which time he discovered rich limestone deposits near Indian Rock in Botetourt County; and

WHEREAS, in 1868, Edward Dillon established what was thought to be the largest lime kiln in the United States at the time near Indian Rock; originally known as Dillon and Ellet, the company provided agricultural and masonry lime and calcium lime that was burned and shipped to Lynchburg, Richmond, and Scottsville; and

WHEREAS, in 1933, E. Dillon and Company moved to a new location closer to Buchanan, and in the 1960s, the company expanded to a second location at Sword's Creek in Russell County; the company also opened a concrete masonry division in the 1970s; and

WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company now supplies crushed aggregates; specialty fillers; high-chemistry mineral products; custom products, such as brick coatings; animal feed supplements; fertilizer supplements and fillers; and a variety of concrete masonry products, including EverLoc Retaining Walls, specialty mine supports, highly polished Architectural Blocks, and regular masonry units, to local and national markets; and

WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company has been headquartered at the Swords Creek location since 1980, and today the facility employs more than 100 salaried and hourly workers, including members of United Steelworkers Local 8544; and

WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company has achieved success with the hard work and support of employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, neighbors, friends, and generations of members of the Dillon family; and

WHEREAS, E. Dillon and Company will commemorate its historic 150th anniversary with a special celebration at its Swords Creek plant on August 4, 2018; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That E. Dillon and Company hereby be commended on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to E. Dillon and Company as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the company's storied history and contributions to the community.