It didn’t matter which seat he held in the transportation industry, Val Riva could see everything.
He was a master strategist, one who planned for every scenario and connected on every opportunity. In fact, Riva was so thorough that even in his absence his vision is still alive and charging forward.
The president and chief executive officer of the American Concrete Pavement Association, Washington, D.C., passed away suddenly after complications following heart surgery in early September. For more than 25 years his actions touched the masses in the construction field, whether it was through words or just a handshake.
“We’re hearing stories about Val on how he would stop and greet somebody or hold the door for somebody,” Bill Davenport, ACPA’s vice president, communications and policy, told Roads & Bridges. “He touched a lot of people’s minds and a lot of people’s hearts, and we’re just beginning to see that.
“In terms of his approach to business, specifically on planning, he was always looking downfield and he saw issues and opportunities in really a three-dimensional sense.”
Davenport felt Riva’s unique initiative almost immediately. On Aug. 4, 1997, his first day on the job at ACPA, Riva set out to establish dedicated research funds for concrete pavement in the upcoming highway bill, which was the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The move was included in the package passed in 1998, and similar language was installed in the major airport bill—AIR-21—in 2000. Today, the Federal Highway Administration has an active concrete pavement technology program that in large part was funded by research dollars.
“He went right to work on that,” said Davenport. “There was absolutely no moss that grew on his feet.”
And there was no issue more important than another. Riva was equally committed to all of ACPA’s functional areas: research and development, technical service and technology transfer, market development and regulatory affairs.
“He really brought each of those functional areas up to par with the association and truly placed equal emphasis on all of them,” said Davenport.
After emigrating from Cuba in the early 1960s, Riva achieved a bachelor’s in economics (cum laude) from the University of Maryland. His first job was with the Associated General Contractors of America in 1976, where he worked for four years before the opportunistic vision kicked in again and he pursued a law degree at Georgetown University. He was awarded his Juris Doctorate in 1984 and returned to AGC. Riva later served as general counsel for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association before arriving at ACPA.
Riva’s legal background helped provide him the perspective and ability to assist with drafting some of the statutory language in various legislative actions. But despite the high intelligence, Riva had the ability make anyone understand what was at stake.
“He could speak a language everyone could understand,” said Davenport.
And he enjoyed interacting with people at all levels of the industry. Riva actually worked a seasonal construction job during his college days, and was always one to get out on the site to see a paving train on the move. Transportation construction was his true calling.
“He was a guy who liked to get out and kick the mud, and when he had the time he liked to get out there and visit the contractors.
“He was a person who believed in people. I think the greatest tribute that ACPA can pay to him is to continue the work that he started and continue in the tradition of excellence that he instilled in us. We know he wants us to keep moving forward,” added Davenport.