Pave It Black: The Official Podcast of NAPA

Laura Perrotta, President & CEO of the American Highway Users Alliance, and NAPA’s Jay Hansen, Executive Vice President for Advocacy, break down the inner workings of Capitol Hill and the effects on highway funding. They provide an outlook on what needs to happen before and after the FAST Act expires on Sept. 30. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Fraley of Fraley Construction Marketing explains why marketing is important in a low-bid environment. Learn why complacency is the enemy of progress, especially in the age of Google. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not often you hear someone in the asphalt industry quoting Mike Tyson, but when discussing the topic of resilience, it just fits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season two of "Pave It Black," the official NAPA podcast, opens with our interview with Valerie Echter, a freelance social media strategist and content creator for the construction, asphalt, and engineering sectors. Echter shares the main mistakes industry makes on social media and offers easy tips to help companies build brand authority, increase engagement, attract employees, and grow sales revenue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 30-plus-year industry veteran, Craig Parker, President at Silver Star Construction Co. Inc., has a keen perspective on what he sees as industry game changers. He is particularly excited about balanced mix design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Buzz Powell, Assistant Director at NCAT, got his start in the industry as a laborer with the Alabama Department of Transportation in 1986. He's got a reputation for being truly passionate about asphalt pavements, and he can tell incredible stories about working on the NCAT Test Track during oppressive Alabama summers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grant Wollenhaupt, Chief Commercial Officer of XBE LLC, is challenged to imagine the asphalt pavement industry without cell phones. Wollenhaupt describes some obvious changes to operations but also provides insight into how certain workforce interactions would improve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Riggle, Operations Manager at Bluegrass Testing Laboratory, is asked what life would be like if there were no cameras, especially as it would impact the job site or lab operations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special edition recorded specifically for National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 20-24), NAPA interviews Tim Lee, retired CEO of Lakeside Industries Inc. Lee shares the story of how he became a very vocal NAPA member on the issue of safety, which soon prompted the highly successful WatchForUs campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tanya Nash, Pavement Materials Engineer at Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering (ATS), describes her path into the asphalt industry, which began, of all places, in a karate class. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NAPA's Dr. Richard Willis interviews Dr. Adam Hand, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to teaching, Hand worked for 16 years in the construction industry. As shutdowns related to the coronavirus continue, Willis asked Hand how the industry would adjust if there were no access to classrooms or laboratories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NAPA's hosts of "Pave It Black" interview Ron and David White of Superior Paving Corp., which Ron joined in 1976. David shares fond memories of when his father would take him to visit the job sites on Saturdays. Today, David is the Vice President of Operations and takes his own son to see the asphalt paving and plant equipment. Listeners will discover a unique, father-son perspective of balancing work and family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode three of "Pave It Black," host Dr. Richard Willis, NAPA Vice President of Engineering, Research & Technology, interviews Si Katara, President & Co-Founder of HeadLight (formerly Pavia Systems Inc.), a company that provides photo-driven inspection and verification technology along with other innovative tech solutions to support the transportation industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dr. Richard Willis, NAPA Vice President of Engineering, Research & Technology, interviews Don and Will Gallagher of Gallagher Asphalt Corp. about Command Center, equipped with a new software technology the family business has implemented. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pave It Black is the official podcast of the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Hosted by Richard Willis and Brett Williams, Pave It Black focuses on the people, issues, and technologies of the asphalt pavement industry, road building, and research and innovation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.