Founder

After driving a concrete mixer for someone else for roughly six months he knew he was ready to strike out on his own and during the winter of 1971 he personally constructed a set of concrete foundation panels in his parent’s basement.  In April 1972 he founded R.A. Cummings, Inc. in Alton, ME.  He started as a foundation contractor with a $2,500 loan from his parents that was repaid over time with interest to purchase a pickup and the materials necessary to construct the forms.  In 1982 he transitioned into a ready-mix concrete and aggregate enterprise serving the greater Bangor area community until the mid-90s.  Rod briefly considered retirement but wound up instead, building a concrete plant in his home away from home, Greenville, ME.  In 1998 he was joined by his daughter Lori in starting Auburn Concrete.  The “Never say NO!” mantra was well received and flooded the small company with requests for service.  Soon they were ready to expand to southern Maine.  Rod’s son, Joel joined them in 2001, built and took over operations of their second location in Westbrook.  Auburn Concrete soon became the largest producer of ready-mix concrete in Maine.  In October 2005, Rod made one of the best business decisions of his life when meeting with arguably the most knowledgeable individual in the concrete industry in the State of Maine. During that meeting he convinced Remi Delcourt that he’d look better in a red truck and over the next 20yrs Remi led the company through immense growth while continuously expanding upon the technical services offered by the company making Auburn Concrete the first and only choice of many contractors.  In 2016, Rod, looking to improve upon the quality and consistency of the stone supply, decided to purchase the Christian Hill Quarry.  Auburn Concrete’s coarse aggregates had been supplied from this location since its inception, but Rod was confident he could do it better.  His vision for the quarry took some time to realize and left many heads spinning as he shared his ideas with the team, but Auburn Aggregates now supplies all nine concrete plants as well as millions in outside sales.  They’ve found their niche in supplying not only concrete stone but also 1 ½” stone for septic systems, ¼” paver stone, recycled crushed concrete and they’re also in the process of developing a manufactured sand among dozens of other product offerings.

Rod was set to enjoy some well-deserved downtime after the “silly season” as he affectionately referred to the busy Fall season when he passed away in November of 2023.  Just a few months earlier he had negotiated the purchase and started upgrades on the 9^th concrete plant in Fairfield, Maine.  Rod always remembered his humble beginnings and acknowledged that Auburn Concrete and Auburn Aggregates are thriving entities due to the hard-working and dedicated employee-family who shared his “can-do” manner and “git-r-done” approach.  As one long-time employee stated after his passing, he wasn’t just our boss “… he was a man you just wanted to make proud.”  Over his 50+ years in business for himself, Rod employed hundreds of people and rest-assured he left an impact on them all.

His background also allowed him to have a direct and genuine connection with his customers and business associates.  These are central themes on which the companies he founded have and will continue to operate under the watchful eye of the leadership team he put in place; his son, Joel, his daughter, Lori and his trusted friend and colleague, Remi.  While his presence is missed every day, his influence and his teachings will be ever present in our endeavors.