Celebrating 100 Episodes of Pave It Black at 2026 Annual Meeting

To celebrate the milestone 100th episode of Pave It Black, hosts Richard Willis and Brett Williams recorded a special session live from the NAPA’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Joining them was Jay Lemon, the newly appointed NAPA Chair, for a deep dive into the past, present, and future of the asphalt pavement industry.

This conversation explores the rich history of the National Asphalt Pavement Association and how the industry has evolved to meet modern infrastructure needs. One of the key topics discussed is the power of advocacy. With the upcoming Highway Bill on the horizon, our industry’s voice in Washington, D.C., has never been more important. Jay explains why technical expertise is a vital component of the legislative process and how NAPA members can help shape the policies that govern our nation’s infrastructure.

Here’s a sneak peek into this week’s conversation but be sure to tune in to the full episode for all the insights. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.

R: As you mentioned, you’ve been coming to Annual Meetings for a while. There are workshops where we look at where the industry is and where we should be going. There are committee meetings where you get into the nitty-gritty of what is going on in the industry at the moment. Then we have general sessions where we bring in people to discuss what is happening in D.C. or to inspire you as a business leader. Looking back over your time with NAPA, what is your one standout memory?

JL: We’ve had some phenomenal keynote speakers over the years. I remember one session where General Norman Schwarzkopf addressed us. The moment he opened the door and walked in, you felt he commanded so much respect, and he had a wonderful message. This was following the Desert Storm leadership. He was retired and traveling, but he talked about being a young up-and-comer working in the Pentagon.

He would go office-to-office and floor to floor, and everyone would have questions, but nobody was making decisions. It drove him crazy. He finally figured out in his career that if you make a decision—whether it is right or wrong—and get in motion, the team will correct you if you are headed down the wrong path. He made his career by saying, “Let’s get the best facts, but let’s make a decision and go forward.” That applied well. We’ve been blessed to be around good people who have corrected the bad decisions we’ve made, but they at least got the team moving. I’ll never forget Schwarzkopf among many other great folks who have been here.

B: You’re just a couple of days into your chairmanship. I’m curious if you could share something you are most looking forward to during your chairmanship with NAPA.

JL: We have a lot of good things going on in NAPA right now. I’m really excited. I think NAPA and the state pavement associations have a good respect for each other at the moment and are really complementing each other. Part of my expectation is to travel and be an ambassador with you to these pavement associations to see the problems and what we can celebrate in Washington, Florida, Virginia, or wherever. To the best of my knowledge, in two days, we haven’t screwed it up yet.

Season 10 of Pave It Black is sponsored by FleetWatcher by AlignOps.