The Renco Group takes great pride in the fact that each of its operating companies works not only to produce superior products, but also to make a difference in the communities where they are located. Renco Group-affiliated companies contribute to local economies by providing job opportunities and financial support. They sponsor educational initiatives and host town meetings designed to help community members better understand their products and industries; and they work aggressively to protect the health of community residents both by operating in an environmentally responsible manner and by sponsoring cleaning and public outreach initiatives.

Our Companies' Record of Achievement

The Local Economy

Unarco is a vital part of the community and takes its role as a major employer in a small city very seriously. Unarco teams with local employee relations groups to provide jobs to veterans and disabled workers. Some Unarco employees have been with the company since its founding more than 40 years ago. The company is also a major donor and works with other area businesses in support of local charities.

Doe Run Peru has initiated programs designed to improve the local economies in La Oroya and around the Cobriza facility, beyond providing employment opportunities for its residents. La Oroya and Cobriza facilities have each developed training programs to help local residents learn to handle and care for their sheep and other livestock, resulting in healthier flocks and herds. The company runs seminars for local residents that provide training on how to successfully operate small businesses, develop essential work skills, and even raise children.  In addition, since 1999, more than 8,500 women in La Oroya have participated in training courses in food-related industries, texile production, and business management. Because Doe Run Peru believes that prosperous environments encourage people to succeed, they have supported reforestation efforts and the creation of community gardens.

Educational Initiatives

The Doe Run Company, based in St. Louis, Missouri, takes an active role in helping residents in the areas surrounding its facilities understand the industries in which the company works. Sending employees out into the community as part of a Minerals Education Team, 2,587 students in 2006 learned about the use, origin, and importance of minerals. The team uses educational and creative activities to teach schoolchildren about the mining industry and the role that minerals play in everyday life.

As a committed supporter of education, The Doe Run Company contributes to local scholarships and educational stipends; provides support for the Missouri Minerals Education Foundation; and maintains an employee education assistance program.

Showcasing its innovative mining processes, The Doe Run Company’s safety-award-winning Southeast Missouri Mining and Milling Division was featured on a hour-hour program of Discovery Channel’s “The Daily Planet,” to demystify and help bring science to life. In 2006, the History Channel relied on Doe Run’s expertise for an episode on “Modern Marvels.” The Mining and Milling Division and Resource Recycling were featured in an episode on “Heavy Metals.”

Protecting Our Communities' Environments

Renco Group-affiliated companies also work hard to ensure that the communities surrounding their facilities are safe places to live. For example, millions of dollars have been invested in new technology at US Magnesium's Rowley facility to reduce emissions resulting from magnesium production at its Utah plants. In March 2003, the Utah State Legislature heralded a 95 percent reduction in air emissions achieved at the facility from 1996 to the present, the highest reduction margin achieved by any facility in the United States during the same time period. 

The Doe Run Company, too, has made great strides toward improving the environment of residents who neighbor its facilities. These initiatives include a voluntary property purchase plan designed to provide Herculaneum residents living near the smelter an opportunity to relocate, installation of a new, all-weather vehicle wash facility to clean lead and other related materials from all vehicles leaving the smelter, and an ongoing program of soil replacement and home cleanings in the Herculaneum community.  To further reduce emissions, the company in 2006 spent more than $1 million on maintenance, repairs and upgrades at the Herculaneum facility.

In a joint program with the Peruvian Ministry of Health, Doe Run Peru provides financial and additional support for a number of measures proven to be effective in controlling blood lead levels in neighboring communities. These include: tracking emissions reductions; providing facilities for medical evaluation and materials for blood testing, education and training; carrying out the chemical analyses of 2000 children under the age of 6 and pregnant women; and providing social workers, environmental specialists and cleaning crews with essential information on diet, nutrition and hygiene, all factors that are important in the reduction of blood lead levels.