As most companies are facing the imminent retirement of long-term employees and the need for a solid bench as back up, employers are looking for creative ways to find the people they need to fill that bench. Enter the VECAT program and its latest partnership with Branscome, Inc's Richmond Office. On Friday, March 2 and Monday, March 5, Carter Iseman and Mike Dudley of VAA, and Rob Anderson of Branscome, Inc. met with students from Highland Springs and Hermitage high schools’ Advanced Career Education Center (ACE) to discuss the asphalt industry and its career opportunities. Twenty-eight students representing Highland Springs’ Masonry and Electrical programs and 13 students from Hermitage's Electrical, HVAC and Landscaping programs attended the sessions. The purpose of these two visits was to introduce students to the asphalt industry and the dozens of career opportunities that exist within it. Simultaneously, Branscome is looking to identify candidates from this pool of future laborers to employ as apprentices via VECAT’s Apprenticeship and Associate Degree programs.

As fast as they started, they were over. In 12 days, three seminars were held across the state. From Roanoke to Fredericksburg, and from Fredericksburg to the newest location, Williamsburg, more than 500 people attended. This year’s audience was very well represented by contractors, VDOT personnel and consultants.

Three out of every four years, the World of Asphalt is hosted in the United States by NAPA, AEM, and NSSGA. This year the event was held at the Houston Convention Center from March 6 to 8. More than 5,000 attendees had the opportunity to see the latest and greatest equipment, learn from the numerous educational sessions and network with counterparts from around the world. This year Trenton Clark, VAA Executive Vice President, joined Dr. Dave Newcomb, Professor Texas A&M University, to provide an educational session on pavement design.

By: Ken Arthur, Asphalt Plant Operations Manager & Project Manager, Boxley For almost two decades, the Asphalt Pavement Alliance has been recognizing pavements that have exhibited long structural life. In fact, Virginia won the award in 2004 for a section of I-81 in Frederick County. With the development for the PerRoad pavement design program by NAPA, many states have designed and constructed perpetual pavements. While not a recognized practice in Virginia, VDOT has been constructing perpetual pavements through the thicknesses and asphalt mixes used on projects.

VAA's Annual Meeting is right around the corner. Have you registered? Have you reserved your hotel room? If not, there is still time to join your industry colleagues at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg. This will be VAA’s first visit to Virginia’s newest resort. Nestled just west of Dulles Airport in Loudoun County, Salamander offers the amenities of a large resort with the feel of a small community. Delegates and their guests will be treated to two evening receptions and a banquet with desert on the lawn.

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Robert Lewis Goode, beloved son, devoted husband and father and cherished friend passed away on Friday, February 9, 2018, after a lengthy battle with dementia. Robert was born in Farmville, Va., in 1956, the son of the late Lewis Bouldin Goode Jr. and Martha Wallace Goode. Robert had a long and very successful career serving the road paving industry beginning in 1982 with Boxley Quarries in Bowers Hill, Va. and concluding with J.T. Russell and Sons in Albermarle, N.C. Throughout his career Robert built a strong and loyal customer base and was both beloved and admired by the many people with whom he worked in the road building industry.  Obituary.

As the VECAT program continues to grow, with more MCS certification classes added to the schedule and the responsibility of proficiency testing in Germanna’s court, VECAT administrators have sought to grow the staff that supports the program. We are excited to welcome to our instructor list two long- time industry professionals who will be helping with Plant schools and the proficiency testing required for each. Welcome Dickie Maddox and Rob Lawson.

!!ATTENTION!! Change to Plant I & II class locations: The March 20-22 Plant I & II classes at VTTI will be MOVED to the Culpeper and Fredericksburg locations. *REMINDER* As of January 2018, all MCS certifications must be renewed every five years. There is no longer a re-certification process. If you have a certification coming due this year, you must sign up to complete either the classroom class or the online class BEFORE Dec. 15, 2018. This deadline includes all proficiency testing required for that course. Prerequisite classes for a given course do NOT need to be completed if your certification for that prereq class is still active.

2018 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION

Reprint: Better Roads - Kerry Kline (March 2, 2018)
AAA Mid-Atlantic asked the Virginia Senate Finance Committee to approve House Joint Resolution 41, a constitutional amendment introduced by Delegate Dave LaRock (R-33) that would ensure that transportation funds would only be used for transportation purposes, AlexandriaNews.org reports.

DIAMOND Allan Myers American Paving Fabrics Associated Asphalt Bitumar USA Boxley Branscome, Inc. Branscome Paving Company Chemung Contracting Corp Colony Construction, Inc. James River Equipment National Asphalt MFG. Corp.

Slurry Pavers Superior Paving Corp. S. L. Williamson Co., Inc. PLATINUM Astec, Inc. B & S Contracting, Inc. Blacklidge Emulsions, Inc. Carter Machinery Company, Inc. F. O. Day Lee Hy Paving Corp. Virginia Paving Company