About 30 associations were represented at the State Asphalt Pavement Associations (SAPA) meeting held on August 1-5 in Louisville, KY. Some of the people that arrived early played golf on Saturday and Sunday, and may have also participated in the Bourbon Tasting event late Sunday afternoon.
The 80-plus attendees got reacquainted at the kick-off Sunday evening reception and dinner. The group was treated to a history lesson by Mr. Larry Johnson and entertained by jazz band Emanuel Maize & Swing Shift.
The first day of the two day meeting focused on industry association updates from the Asphalt Institute, the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, and the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Topics discussed included the industry’s unified marketing effort, an update of the Pavement Economics Committee activities, and the industry’s Go To Market efforts. Technical issues discussed included RAS mixture designs, MSCR implementation update (by the Asphalt Institute), and pavement preservation.
The evening event was held at Churchill Downs. It got started with a walking tour of the facility including the museum. Dinner was next, followed by a night at the races. We all got a chance to place bets on two races. Once the betting was closed, we watched a video of the actual race. It was very exciting and likely a new and novel experience for many of us.
The second day of the meeting focused on SAPA business, including the election of next year’s officers:
- Chairman: Richard Schreck (Virginia Asphalt Association)
- Vice-Chairman: Bill Rosener (Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa)
- Secretary and Treasurer: Jim Warren (Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, Inc.
Issues, such as MEPDG implementation and LCCA, were also discussed. However, the highlight of the day was a roundtable discussion with the “Senior Class” consisting of the following executives, each with 20-plus years of service:
- John Becsey (Asphalt Pavement Association of Michigan)
- Tone Garrett (Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association)
- Jim Huddleston (Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon)
- Pat Parsons (Asphalt Pavement Association of West Virginia)
- Richard Schreck (Virginia Asphalt Association)
We all gain valuable insight and guidance from their sharing of their experiences.
We all thanked current chairman Brian Wood (Plantmix Asphalt Industry of Kentucky) for hosting such a wonderful and informative meeting.
For photos of the meeting, please click here.
