SGI president celebrates 25th anniversary with company

SGI President Justin P. Dunlap, at the end of August, marked 25 years at SGI.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been 25 years,” said Dunlap, who has led SGI’s strategic direction since 2017. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that I’ve stayed in one place this long.”

Dunlap joined SGI in 1999 in an Information Technology role troubleshooting issues withautomation, phone and computer systems.

During his first several years with the company, he worked between the corporate office inHagerstown and the Charmian Plant in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, managing variousbusiness processes and construction of the site's Headlap Plant.

Around the time of the Headlap Plant’s completion, the market fell, causing numerous changes in the company and providing him with the opportunity to spend a year at SGI’s Kremlin Plant in Pembine, Wisconsin, as its granule superintendent.

Dunlap returned to Hagerstown and soon began splitting time between the corporate office and SGI’s Ione Plant in Ione, California, during the next five years.

Once back in Hagerstown full-time, he gradually gained additional responsibilities and was named president in 2017.

He said that the time spent and professional growth experienced at SGI equipped him with the knowledge needed to address problems and develop solutions.

"Growing up in the business has allowed me to understand just how important each role is at the plant and corporate office," he explained. "Having spent time in just about every area allows me to have an understanding and engage in good discussion to help solve problems."

Dunlap said that as president, he is most proud of SGI's people — and the things they collectively accomplish.

"Early in my career, my pride came from the things that I was able to accomplish by myself. As I have matured and taken on greater leadership roles, that same sense of pride is now felt as I see the organization achieve great things."

As he looks to SGI's future, Dunlap said that he hopes to one day leave the company in a better place than when he joined the organization in 1999.

"I need to be clear that it wasn't a wreck when I found it, but as with any organization, we did have issues. My hope would be that over the time I have spent here, I will have made improvements and had an impact on those who will take over after me.”

Headquartered in Hagerstown, SGI is a leading mining and mineral processing company specializing in the development of roofing products, building materials and soil amendments for agriculture.

SGI sites are strategically located nationwide in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.; Waynesboro, Pa.; Annapolis, Missouri; Pembine, Wis.; Ione, Calif.; and Trona, Calif.

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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: SGI president celebrates 25th anniversary with company