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The Virginia Asphalt Conference and Expo (VACE) was held December 5th and 6th. The new dates were selected to avoid the busy October paving season and allow more field personnel to attend. The move was successful! Nearly 500 people registered for the two-day event and over 450 attended.
 
The Conference agenda was built around the theme “Innovation – Driving the Future" including the keynote speaker, Mr. Ben Brock – CEO of Astec Industries.  Ben kicked off the conference speaking about Astec innovations (successes and failures of the past) and eluded to the unveiling of new technologies in 2019. Andy Babish – VDOT, spoke next and laid out plans for a performance-based mix design process. Like many other agencies and industry, this process is the next big step in improving and extending the life of asphalt materials and pavements.
 
During the first morning of the Virginia Asphalt Conference & Expo, VAA and VDOT announced the winners of the top paving projects of 2017. VDOT selected a Maintenance Paving Winner from 9 candidate projects and a Construction Paving Winner from 4 candidate projects. VDOT’s top Maintenance Project was the resurfacing of I-95 Southbound in Fairfax County completed by Virginia Paving Company. This project was paved at night with heavy traffic using SMA as the final surface. Ride numbers for all four lanes were in the 40s and 50s. VDOT top Construction Project was the construction/reconstruction of I-81 Exit 310 in Staunton District. W-L Construction and Paving along with Stuart M. Perry teamed to pave SMA, and SUPERPAVE mixes on the I-81 mainline and ramps, SR 37 mainline, and the associated front road. Congratulations to all three companies on their awards.
 
Roadtec, Inc.
Kickin Asphalt Paving & Excavating, LLC
Innovation in Action

2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Regional Asphalt Seminars. Originally started to outline the specification and procedural changes associated with the Blue Print, seminars over the years have covered topics from basic paving to research to innovations. For 2019, VDOT and VAA planners have decided to return to the inspection and paving basics. Each aspect of the paving operation from safety to paving to markings will be outlined. VDOT presenters will review the inspection points and specifications; industry presenters will cover the operational considerations for each step in the process.

Dates, locations, agenda and registration information can be found on VAA’s website. Cost for 2019 is $85 per person which includes the breaks and lunch. See you in Roanoke, Richmond or Fredericksburg.

 

Plans are underway for Virginia Pavement Research and Innovation Symposium 2019 (VPRIS). Open to everyone, VPRIS showcases the latest in research by Virginia Transportation Research Council and innovations by VAA members. If you are a VAA member and want to present and exhibit, please contact Caroline Fahed cfahed@vaasphalt.com for more information. Remember - space is limited to 16 companies and over 1/3 of the slots have been filled. Companies who participate in VPRIS will receive a special price on booths at VACE 2019. Do not miss this opportunity to showcase your company to contractors, VDOT, local government, and other decision makers.

 
Insider Report

Asphalt Plus, LLC

Mix Additives & Paving Materials Member.

 

After a 30+ year career in the asphalt industry, Mr. Jeb Burton of Boxley has announced his retirement effective April 1, 2019. A graduate of VMI, Burton has been a leader in the industry working for Marvin V. Templeton and Boxley. His experience and knowledge of asphalt will be missed by the industry.
With the announced retirement of Burton, Mr. Charles Craddock has been named VP of Asphalt for Boxley. Craddock has been with Boxley for more than 15 years serving in various roles at the quarries and with asphalt operations.

Please take a moment to wish Jeb well on his retirement and congratulate Charles on his promotion.

 

For the last three years, companies have donated items to be raffled at Virginia Aphalt Conference & Expo. Proceeds of the raffle support the Richard J. Schreck Scholarship.

At VACE 2018, six different items were donated by generous companies – Yeti Tundra 65 Cooler - Excel Trucking, Astec Plant Coffee Table - Astec, Inc., Henry Golden Boy 22 Long Riffle - Hi-Tech Asphalt Solutions, and Golf Foursome at Farmington Country Club - Aquaphalt. Along with these items, VAA provided two sets of tickets (four tickets per set) for zip lining at The Salamander Inn and Resort. The raffle generated over $2,200 that will be combined with other contributions to fund 9 or 10 scholarships in 2019.  Thanks to all the donors and attendees that bought tickets to support a great cause!
 
Asphalt Emulsion, Inc.
Quality Emulsion For Every Application
Since 1984 Asphalt Emulsion Industries, LLC has been producing quality emulsions for contractor and DOT use in the Mid-Atlantic. Our goal is to continually deliver our customers products and services that exceed expectations.
https://www.asphalt-emulsion.com/
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Spotlight on VECAT
 
   
If you attended the Virginia Asphalt Conference & Expo on December 5-6, you might have seen the VECAT booth with its newest apprenticeship program partner, the Virginia Department of Labor (DOL). DOL administers the state’s Registered Apprenticeship program which helps Virginia-based companies combine on-the-job training and related classroom or online instruction in occupations that demand a high level of skill.  
 
VECAT is excited to offer a third option in 2019 for completing MCS Certification courses.  In addition to classroom and online opportunities, VECAT is now offering the ability for students to complete their required certification training in a group setting at their home office.  Facilitator guides and instruction sheets have been created to help a company-designated facilitator or subject matter expert to run training for a group of employees so that everyone completes their training at the same time.  Some benefits of this training option include:
 
 
   
*2019 MCS Certification Classes Are Open for Registration*
Registrations for 2019 classes are open via the Germanna website at www.germanna.edu.   Act fast if you prefer to be in a classroom class as space is limited. Once a class is filled, you can revisit the website periodically to see if any seats come available.

*2019 Class Calendar and Other VECAT FAQs*
Information about VECAT, including the complete schedule for 2019 MCS classes, addresses for class facilities, testing information and other frequently asked questions can all be found on VAA’s website under VECAT/VECAT MCS Schools
 
Environmental Matters
 
   
GOVERNOR NORTHAM NAMES NEW AIR AND WATER BOARD MEMBERS
On November 16, Governor Northam made four appointments to Virginia’s environmental citizen boards.  
On the State Air Pollution Control Board, Governor Northam appointed: 
• Gail Bush of Stafford, Clinical Manager, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
• Kajal B. Kapur of Albemarle County, Principal, Kapur Energy Environment Economics, LLC
 
State & National News

At the December 5th CTB meeting, Secretary Valentine announced that Catherine C. McGhee, P.E., has been named the new Director of Research and Innovation for the Commonwealth. The position will focus on collaborative efforts in innovation and research among Virginia’s transportation agencies, including the Department of Aviation, DRPT, Virginia Space, the Virginia Port Authority, VDOT, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The position will work across the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation system to identify collective opportunities, coordinate research, and create an entrepreneurial environment within the transportation sector.

The Secretary also presented Governor Ralph Northam’s Executive Leadership Team on Highway Safety and announced the conclusion of the yearlong Interstate 81 (I-81) Corridor Improvement Plan study.

Full Press Release

 
Upcoming Events

REGISTRATION OPEN

March 5, 2019 - Fredericksburg | Fredericksburg Expo Center
March 13, 2019 - Roanoke | Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
March 19, 2019 - Richmond | The Westin Richmond
 
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
April 24-26, 2019
MGM National Harbor
Oxon Hill, MD
 
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
June 18-19, 2019
GCC Daniel Technology Center
Culpeper, VA
 
VAA Partners
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