From The Top: Perpetual Gratitude

This joint column appears in the Winter 2024 print edition of NAPA Quarterly. Subscribe here.

As we write this (the Thanksgiving season), we are filled with gratitude for the monumental impact the asphalt pavement industry has on our nation.

Americans benefit from our work every day, from first bike rides on the neighborhood cul-de-sac to cross-country road trips, not to mention all the daily services that are only possible because safe, smooth asphalt roads pave the way.

But our impact can be measured in so many other ways. In the care we take of our asphalt plants and how they fit into our communities. In the design and distribution of paving equipment with fewer emissions, making daily operation safer for crew members and local road users. In our individual efforts to expose youth to careers in the industry through events like touch a truck and beyond, and to apprentice students just learning about all the possible professional paths that lie ahead of them. And these examples just mill the surface of the deep connections our industry establishes in big and small ways!

In this issue, we explore more ways the asphalt pavement industry creates a positive impact on communities and individuals, advancing not only our companies and industry, but also the people who surround us – students, families, policy makers, and difference makers.

We celebrate them with stories honoring winners of our Operational Excellence Awards, which include the Community Involvement Award and the Environmental Leadership Award. We imagine you’ll be inspired by reading about their award-winning endeavors.

Another aspect we like to take time to celebrate is, of course, our people. They are the drivers of our shared progress – the literal drivers of shuttle buggies, rollers, and trucks, along with the drivers of innovation, efficiency, and progress.

One such individual worked at NAPA for many years, embracing and encouraging the use of ‘perpetual pavements.’ In fact, at our recent Perpetual Pavement Conference, we had the special opportunity to honor our colleague by issuing the first Dave Newcomb Perpetual Pavement Pioneer Award in his honor, alongside the Asphalt Pavement Alliance and Dave’s widow, Margot. Read about Dave’s contributions to advancing perpetual pavements, the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, and NAPA.

Finally, we share the unique stories of several scholarship recipients in a special submission to this issue. Learn about their path to asphalt and be invigorated by their welcome energy as they enter the industry.

There are many more stories in this issue and beyond – of people, projects, priorities. And that’s one exciting thing about this industry – we are always moving, forward, together. For that, we are grateful.

“I am where I am today thanks to Dave Newcomb. He believed in me, like he did so many other students and young professionals. When he recommended that NAPA consider me to fill his large shoes, it became a life-changing trajectory for me. Dave’s guidance along the way was so valuable. He championed excellence for asphalt pavements and was a pioneer in the development of long-life pavement systems. Dave was a true mentor and legend for our industry.”

– Audrey Copeland