AFS quary sold — exclusive interview
Senior Reporter
Some residents still don’t believe the iconic Albert Frei & Sons Wal-
strum quarry has been sold. To many of those residents and business
people around Clear Creek and Gilpin counties, they are still shaking
their heads in disbelief.
For them and others, the news surrounding the unexpected sale was
the equivalent of an unexpected heavy snowstorm or rainstorm arriving.
However, as the adage about clouds goes, there is something of a silver
lining to the story: Neither Albert Frei Jr. nor the people at the Wal-
strum Quarry along Highway 6 are going anywhere – at least, not for a
while.
Frei Jr., whose grandfather, Albert, started the aggregate and rock-
mining business more than 60 years ago in Commerce City. He said he
would continue to serve as a consultant to Martin Marietta Materials
for at least one year to ensure the local business has a smooth transition
as it becomes part of the vast MMM Inc. empire stretching across the
U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas. Martin Marietta, listed on the New York
Stock Exchange, is a U.S.-based supplier of building materials, includ-
ing aggregates, cement, mixed concrete, and asphalt, that operates in 28
states.
Al Frei Jr. said he plans to continue to be involved with burro races and the
Clear Creek Rotary Club in the future.
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