May 2025

Team,

As we close out a very wet May, I want to acknowledge the incredible work each of you is doing. I know the weather hasn’t exactly been on our side lately, but even with all the rain, you’ve all stayed focused, pushed through, and kept things moving. It is encouraging to see how everyone is collaborating and supporting one another, ensuring that we remain on track for a successful year.

It’s easy to get frustrated when the weather slows us down, but don’t let it take the wind out of your sails. We’re still having a strong year, and we’re in a great spot for when the skies finally clear. The way everyone has been working together, helping each other, stepping up, and staying positive has been awesome to see.

As we move into what’s typically our busiest stretch, I want to remind everyone to stay safe out there. That goes for physical safety, but also mental. If something’s not working or you’re feeling overwhelmed, speak up. Let’s keep talking, keep looking out for one another, and tackle problems before they grow.

We’ve got a lot to be proud of, and even more to look forward to. Thanks for your hard work, and let’s keep it going.

Another Strong Month of Growth!

April delivered another month of positive gains, continuing our strong start to 2025.  We outperformed April of last year, and through the first four months, Revenue is up 25%, while Net Income has grown 54% year-over-year.

Here are a few key highlights (many of which mirror last month’s strong performance):

• Salt Sales have nearly tripled
• Organic Sales to Scott’s are up 75%
• Deliver Revenue has increased 38%
• Contract Revenue is up 23%, driven by:
  • Conneaut: +60%
  • Cliffs: +20%
  • NEORSD: -53%

These wins have us tracking 18% ahead of budget on Revenue and 44% ahead on Net Income – a fantastic achievement!

While May has started off a bit slower due to the rain, we remain well-positioned for a strong 2025.

Great work, team – let’s keep the momentum going!

Over the past couple of months, KB has been working with one of the nation’s larges steel producers, Cleveland Cliffs. The industrial giant is located in downtown Cleveland with their main blast furnace visible from I77 west of the highway leading into the Cleveland. This year Kurtz was hired by Cliffs to recycle steel slag, an aggregate byproduct that is generated from the process of steel making. For years steel slag was stockpiled onsite where the stockpile has just grown and grown. 

Today Kurtz is removing that legacy slag material and taking it back to one of our sites where the material is being beneficially reused. Kurtz is using Cliff’s slag aggregate as a base for one of our locations where the material will help stabilize the site and provide a larger stronger work surface at the property. In addition, Kurtz is looking at other reuse opportunities for the steel fines including in applications like concrete production and even agriculture applications. 

Kurtz is excited for this partnership, supporting the steel giant right here in Cuyahoga County.  Our 2025 project goal is to recycle over 140k tons of steel slag and setup for a longer partnership for residuals management as more of their future operational needs come into view. Today, Kurtz has removed over 70k tons of slag from the Cliffs operation. The project is being led by our operations team as well as Matt Brennan and the transportation division. So far, the project has been a big success and outlines a large opportunity for further beneficial reuse services for years to come. 

Construction and Landscape Season Is Heating Up!

Just as we expected, the snow melted—and the work began. From site work to commercial contractors and residential landscapers, things are moving quickly. Soil sales are already ahead of last year at this time, and mulching season is off to a strong start.

Projects kicking off this month include:

• Parma Schools
• Akron YMCA Camps
• Case Western Reserve ball fields
• Steel Yard Commons
• Sherwin Williams Brecksville
• Massillon Street Improvements
• NASA Bio Swales
• City of Cleveland Streets and Tree Lawn repairs
• Akron Main Street

Contractors working on Cleveland’s waterline repairs are stocking up on soil, seed, sand, fertilizer, and straw. Baseball fields from Cleveland to Canton are filling up on Infield Mix, and municipalities are purchasing our CHILD SAFE playground mulch.

Building strong relationships is the foundation of our success.
Gaining customer trust opens the door to new business—and growing with existing customers is the quickest, most cost-effective way to scale. Let’s make relationship-building a company-wide priority. Whether you’re in trucking, loading, accounting, or customer service, every role is essential in delivering the kind of service that brings people back.

And remember—if a customer throws you a tough question, send it over to the commercial sales team. We’re here to help.

May is here—let’s be ready and keep the momentum going!

Operations Update: What’s Happening Across Our Sites

CDF
The CDF team is hard at work removing sediment from the field and hauling it to Warner Road for use in capping Cliffs material. In addition, they’re removing sand from the chutes and transporting it to Avon and Hudson for reuse.

North Canton
Grinding operations have wrapped up, and the team has shifted focus to screening and coloring mulch as we prepare for peak landscaping season.

Avon
Grinding, screening, and coloring operations are all in full swing, keeping the site busy and productive as demand ramps up.

Bridgeview
The crew at Bridgeview is actively grinding, screening, and coloring material. Soil production is also underway, helping us stay ahead of seasonal demand.

Our team continues to deliver strong results and maintain smooth operations across all fronts. Year-to-date, we’ve hauled an impressive 15,860 total loads, consisting of 4,380 single loads and 11,480 commercial loads. This steady pace reflects the hard work and coordination of our full crew of semi and single axle delivery drivers, who have been keeping up with high demand across multiple channels.

We’ve maintained consistent service to our store stocking needs, distributor customers, and active project sites. Notably, the Cleveland Cliffs project is progressing exceptionally well. To date, we’ve moved 66,632 tons of slag across 3,323 loads, with operations running efficiently and ahead of expectations.

CDF hauling has also been a success this year, with 601 loads of material transported directly from the site — a testament to our logistical coordination and on-time performance.

Additionally, we’ve delivered 2,681 loads into our stores, keeping shelves stocked and supply chains uninterrupted.

Most importantly, we’re proud to report zero incidents this month. With everything running smoothly and safely, we remain focused on sustaining momentum and supporting continued growth in the months ahead.

May is off to a slow start with the rain, but we’re thrilled to share some incredible highlights and updates with you from April!

🏆 Store Achievements

• Congratulations to North Canton for winning the Store Appearance Award! Your hard work and dedication earned you an exciting team-building event at Dave & Buster’s. Enjoy!
• A shout-out to Valley View for winning the Most Improved Award! Your efforts will be celebrated with a memorable trip to a Guardians game.
• Garfield crushed April’s budget and is ahead on assigned sales goals. Way to go, Garfield! Keep setting the bar high. 🥇
• Willowick also exceeded April’s budget! Amazing teamwork and perseverance.
• North Canton and Garfield are neck-and-neck in new customer acquisitions, leading us all toward success storewide. Let’s keep up the momentum as we’re currently at 28% of our overall goal.

☀️ Upcoming Event

Mark your calendars! The Akron store is hosting a Plant and Clippings Swap on May 18th. It’s going to be an exciting day for plant lovers, and Tim will be there to share his plant expertise and answer all your questions. Don’t miss it! 🌱

🚀 Operations Updates

• Smart Count Inventory kicked off in April! While there were a few small hiccups, this new system has already made a big impact by helping us tighten inventory accuracy and catch mistakes early.
• Fertilizer and Seed: Great news! Our volume and revenue are up, and costs are down by 7% on average.
• Bagged Mulch and Topsoil: We have a large supply available and now offer discounted pricing for employees. Know someone who’d benefit from bulk discounts? Send us your leads!

🌟 A Note on Staffing

Staffing continues to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but we’re confident in our team’s ability to adapt and continue thriving together. Let’s stay strong and keep supporting each other!

Thank you for all your hard work and determination as we gear up for an incredible season ahead. The weather hasn’t even hit its stride yet, and we’re already seeing amazing results. You’re all the reason behind our success!

Here’s to a productive May! ☀️

As we head into the start of summer, all current marketing campaigns are live and running strong across digital and traditional channels. Our team is working hard to capture as much of the retail market as possible despite a noticeable slowdown in sales this April and May, driven largely by unseasonably poor weather conditions.

While the weather may be out of our hands, our teams in the stores and on the road have truly stepped up. We’ve received a steady stream of glowing 5-star reviews praising our outstanding customer service—thank you to everyone who continues to go above and beyond for our customers!

On a community note, Susan Harris and I had the pleasure of representing Kurtz Bros. at the Independence Community Business Expo over Easter weekend. It was a great opportunity to connect directly with local customers, many of whom shared how much they love our materials and enjoy shopping with us. Moments like these are a strong reminder of the value our brand delivers beyond just products.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to deliver excellence and helping us stay top of mind this season!

Recent Google Reviews

🎓Employee Spotlights & Celebrations 

We want to celebrate our employees and their families together! Submit your graduation, wedding, baby, and other milestone announcements and photos to be featured in our Employee Feature!  Please send submissions to hr@kurtz-bros.com 

📆Town Hall

Our next quarterly town hall will be scheduled for June (Date TBD).  Watch for the calendar invite, and be sure to join to hear about important company activities and updates. 

😎 Summer Activities & Skin Care 

There are a lot of great ways to stay physically active and enjoy the summer!  Check out the article below for everyday ideas!   

While enjoying the weather outside, remember to take care of your skin!  Click here to read up on protecting yourself from sunburn, rashes, stings, and more:

💲Career Center

• We are always searching for great team members and updating our open positions in our ADP Career Center. 
• View the career center and current openings, and share the link with others!  If you refer an employee who is hired, YOU can get a referral bonus!