Marv Fleming building plants designed from the top down

SALEM, OR — With more than 40 years of industry experience under his belt, Marv Fleming knows a thing or two about designing a batch plant. As the owner and operator of Marv Fleming Enterprises — “It’s a Mom & Pop operation,” Fleming says. “I’m chief cook and bottle washer” — Fleming has been in and around the business of concrete production for much of his life. When Doug Jorgensen and his brother, Mitchell, approached him about purchasing a concrete batch plant for their growing Molalla Redi-Mix and Rock Products, Inc. (MRM) business, Fleming came to the table prepared. Not only did he put the purchasing together for the Jorgensen brothers, he helped to design a Belgrade batch plant that, in the end, was as unique as MRM itself. “We’ve been doing this sort of thing every since we came to Salem in ‘76,” Fleming said. “We do some things with concrete plants, we’ve done a couple asphalt plants over the years and we’ve done a lot with crushing plants. We’ve fabricated custom screening plants and custom crushing plants, stuff like that.” Fleming recalled that MRM had been operating a SPOMAC plant, part of that business’ original operation. “They had that plant. I think that was an existing operation their dad bought from somebody,” he said. “I’d dealt with them before and sold them some conveyor components over the years. I’d worked for a dealer that worked with Stephens batch plants and some Belgrade plants. When I went on my own, I went with Belgrade.” According to Fleming, MRM had received quotes from other dealers looking to sell them what they needed. However, “I was able to come in with the low ball, and that’s what they went with.”