The many ways that non-profit construction trade associations and public agencies interact for mutual benefit was the theme of a CalAPA presentation delivered to more than 200 Caltrans employees last week in Sacramento.

The March 13 "all hands" meeting of employees of the Caltrans Materials Engineering & Testing Services (METS) branch featured numerous presentations and highlights of the important work the branch does to ensure taxpayers get the performance, value and sustainable attributes from the materials that go into state transportation projects.

CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder (pictured), a former deputy director of Caltrans who also previously worked for Associated General Contractors of California, was invited to deliver the keynote address to the gathering as part of the METS robust workforce training and development program.

Snyder recounted is previous career as a reporter and editor for United Press International, and how that led to him to join Caltrans as a Public Information Officer, eventually becoming Quality Program Manager and acting Deputy Director for Policy & Administration, plus a stint in the Governor's Office of Innovation in Government. His time as executive director of training and apprenticeship programs for the Laborers' Union in Northern California also helped spark an interest in education and workforce development, a foundation for the many technical training programs developed or supported by CalAPA. When he asked the Caltrans audience how many had attended CalAPA training classes, about 30% of the hands went up.

While many in the audience may have heard of CalAPA, the accelerating pace of retirements meant that there were some who were relatively new to state service and may not be aware of what a trade association is, and is not. Snyder's talk outlined the history of construction trade associations, how they are bound by strict federal anti-trust law and must justify their tax-exempt status with annual filings to the Internal Revenue Service that are publicly available. CalAPA members also agree to adhere to a Code of Ethics and various other conflict-of-interest policies. But in many other respects, Snyder said, associations are businesses that must ensure that income matches expenses or they will quickly go out of business. Repeating an oft-cited quote in association circles, Snyder said, "Non-profit is a tax status, not a business strategy."

While the family tree of all construction trade associations are connected to the formation of Associated General Contractors of America in 1918, specialization has led to the creation of associations that focus on segments of the industry that require special expertise. CalAPA was formed in 1953, has about 200 member companies statewide, and has an asphalt-specific mission. The association represents asphalt producers, refiners, paving contractors, consulting firms, equipment manufacturers and many other companies that make up the asphalt pavement industry in California. The National Asphalt Pavement Association, an important CalAPA strategic partner, was created in 1955, Snyder noted. Another important national CalAPA partner, the Asphalt Institute, representing oil refiners and other liquid asphalt binder suppliers, recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

After providing the overview of the space in American society that non-profit associations occupy, Snyder provided specific examples to help the group understand the various initiatives that CalAPA and Caltrans has collaborated on for mutual benefit, such as ongoing asphalt specification review and updating, spearheading with California State University, Long Beach the landmark Joint Training & Certification Program for construction materials technicians, and helping to secure passage of Senate Bill 1, the $50 billion Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017. CalAPA's Political Action Committee and its member companies collectively contributed $7 million to the campaign to defeat a SB1 repeal measure, Proposition 6, that was on the Nov. 6, 2018 ballot.

Snyder also highlighted the joint agency-industry Women of Asphalt California Branch effort, which has organized several events hosted by Caltrans. Cathrina Barros, Chief of the Caltrans Office of Asphalt Pavements, is the co-chair of the Women of Asphalt California Branch. Snyder also previewed the formation of a non-profit charitable foundation being established by CalAPA to support the Women of Asphalt California Branch as well as to accelerate CalAPA's scholarship and other workforce recruitment and development activities. The entity has formally been incorporated as the California Asphalt Research & Education Foundation, otherwise known by its acronym the "CARE Foundation." More information about the Women of Asphalt California Branch can be found HERE. An official launch of the CARE Foundation will occur later this Spring.

METS Chief Tim Greutert helped introduce Snyder and also participated in a surprise recognition for a visiting civil engineer, Andrew Onoja, P.E., from Nigeria, who attended CalAPA's Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference March 7-8 in Ontario and extended his stay to learn more about Caltrans. He specializes in asphalt pavements in his home country.

Greutert said the CalAPA talk was illuminating.

"I found your recounting of your career journey, from journalism to public service, and your pivotal role in launching CalAPA’s innovative CARE Foundation deeply inspiring," Greutert wrote Snyder following the presentation. "Your commitment to engaging stakeholders, identifying common goals for advancement, and delivering tangible results to better our world is truly remarkable. Moreover, your transparency in sharing not only your personal code of ethics but also fostering a culture within CalAPA where members uphold these principles as a guiding light in decision-making is commendable."

CalAPA welcomes the opportunity to deliver versions of this educational session to others. For a copy of the CalAPA presentation, or to schedule a similar talk for a meeting or training session, contact CalAPA at (916) 791-5044 or send an e-mail to: info@calapa.net .

The Women of Asphalt California Branch organized a tour this month of a Pavement Recycling Systems (PRS) aggregate recycling and emulsions plant in Colton.

The March 6 event, which was held in conjunction with the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference week of activities, allowed participants to get an up-close look at the state-of-the-art facility, which recycles aggregates primarily for reuse in Hot Mix Asphalt and surface treatments, according to WofACA Communications Director Sydney Johnson of Earth Systems, Inc.

"Thank you so much to PRS for their generous tour," Johnson said.

Those pictured in the photo include (from left to right): Lisa Perkio, PRS; Jessica Tolentino, PRS; Cathrina Barros, Caltrans (Women of Asphalt California Branch Co-Chair); Kelsy Yunker, PRS; Sydney Johnson, Earth Systems; Monica Zaring, GuardTop; Suzanne Morgan, Structure Groups; Mimi Le, MCK Services (Women of Asphalt California Branch Co-Chair); Mary Mills, PRS; Lilian Alvarez, PRS; Jackie Henry, CalAPA; and Savannah Gibb, PRS (top).

The tour comes on the heels of PRS hosting the quarterly Caltrans-construction industry liaison committee meeting March 5 at the PRS headquarters in Jurupa Valley.

A brief video (set to music!) featuring additional photos from the Women of Asphalt California Branch tour can be viewed on CalAPA's YouTube page HERE. The video is produced by CMS Media Pros, a subsidiary of Construction Marketing Services, which produces the CalAPA magazine "California Asphalt." The CMS Media Pros website is HERE. Another brief video featuring participants at the CalAPA Topgolf networking event held March 6 in Ontario is HERE.

The deadline is today (March 18) to submit public comments to the U.S. Environmental Agency over the agency's proposed labeling program for low-embodied carbon construction materials. The website to post public comments is HERE.

The asphalt pavement industry has been following these proposed regulations closely to gauge the impact on the industry and "The Road Forward," the industry's net-zero carbon initiative. The National Asphalt Pavement Association and the Asphalt Institute, CalAPA partners, as well as many CalAPA members, are commenting on the program.

According to the official notice posted in the federal register, the EPA is seeking public comment "on a document that describes its draft approach for implementation of the EPA label program for low embodied carbon construction materials." A webinar put on by the EPA on this topic was held Feb. 27.

The CalAPA comment letter is HERE. For more information on this topic, contact CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder at (916) 791-5044.

CalAPA is pleased to welcome its newest associate member, Pavement ACES, an engineering consulting firm with expertise in asphalt pavement maintenance and preservation strategies as well as network-level decision making. Pavement ACES is focusing on local agencies and private owners.

Principal Scott Dmytrow has been an active participant and leader in the asphalt industry in California since 2002. He has worked on various pavement specification committees with Caltrans. He is actively involved in the Western Regional Association for Pavement Preservation (formerly the CCSA) where he was president in 2007 and again in 2014. He also served as the APWA Northern California chapter president in 2015. From 2006 to 2023 he served as chair of the pavement preservation subcommittee of the Caltrans-industry Rock Products Committee, which is now known as the Pavement & Materials Partnering Committee. He is a current board member for the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturer’s Association (AEMA) and is active on the National Emulsion Task Force (ETF) group working on the development of AASHTO specifications for pavement preservation.

Dmytrow presented on pavement preservation strategies at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference in Ontario on March 7, and will be making similar presentations at the National Association of County Engineers conference in Palm Springs in April.

To learn more about Pavement ACES, visit their website HERE, or contact Dmytrow directly at (916) 825-9415, or via e-mail at scott@pavementACES.com .

To learn more about CalAPA membership, click HERE.

Powering asphalt plants and related facilities is an increasingly costly and complex proposition. CalAPA member Constellation Energy will try to help demystify energy markets, strategies and the link to sustainability in a series of free “lunch and learns” to be held Tuesday, April 23 in Berkeley, Wednesday, April 24 in Coalinga and Thursday, April 25 in Long Beach. Constellation has assembled an array of experts to provide the latest information on energy market trends, how to address and mitigate price spikes and how everything relates to sustainability and Greenhouse Gas issues.

Although attendance is free, advanced registration is required by signing up HERE. For more information, contact Zach Hoffman at (945) 544-8124 or via e-mail at: Zach.Hoffman@constellation.com .

A CalAPA magazine article on the association's popular webinar series, "The Future of Powering Our Plants & Fleets," can be accessed on-line HERE.

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

ASPHALT CONCRETE: High quality, thoroughly controlled hot mixture of asphalt cement and well-graded, high quality aggregate, thoroughly compacted into a uniform dense mass typified by the Missouri Department of Transportation Type B and C and Superpave mixes. This term has largely been replaced in specifications by “Hot Mix Asphalt.”

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

ASPHALT MIXTURE: Ask yourself: Is this the correct mix type for the project and the layer you are constructing? Verify that the truck delivery ticket matches the approved mix design. 

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE.

ZERO WASTE: System-wide approach maximizing recycling and reducing waste/consumption.

"When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let it go."

– Carol Burnett

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®