The 50th year of a relationship—be it a marriage, a partnership or a trade association—is worth celebrating. Here at the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), we are proud of the work the association has done in service to the hot-mix asphalt (HMA) industry and to our members, and looking back on the past 50 years is a pleasure.
I believe that NAPA’s unique accomplishments can be traced to the character of its members. They are people of vision and commitment who are never afraid to take on a new challenge. It is the leadership and involvement of our members that have set the stage for all NAPA’s successes for its first 50 years. If NAPA has a personality, it is the personality of the contractors who are our members.
Several themes come through to me as I reflect on NAPA’s history. Here are my thoughts:
High ground: NAPA always takes a high-ground position. Some examples would be the engineering controls initiative and all the work that we have done in the environmental and occupational health arenas. Whenever there is a question about our industry’s operations, the reaction is not “defend, defend, defend”; it’s “Let’s get the facts and science, then figure out how to solve the problem.”
Proactive: NAPA never sits back and lets things happen. We go out and make things happen. A great example is the National Center for Asphalt Technology. What other industry has raised $10 million to endow a research center, then put its governance in the hands of a team of government officials, representatives of universities and contractors?
Partnerships: NAPA is a vibrant organization, but in the scheme of things it is relatively small. We have a long track record of leveraging our strength through partnerships with academia, government agencies and other industry associations and alliances.
Incredible scope and scale: We cover the waterfront. NAPA is not content to do just the standard things that all trade associations do. Yes, NAPA does represent its members effectively in traditional trade-association matters, but we go into uncharted territory so often, it’s almost routine. Multifaceted: The variety of NAPA’s involvements could make one’s head spin. For example, on one day in 2003, NAPA’s leaders signed an alliance agreement at OSHA and attended an event celebrating our partnership with the Smithsonian.
Complexity: When the first group of HMA producers gathered to form a trade association to represent their industry, the issues they faced were fairly straightforward. EPA, OSHA and NIOSH had not even been thought of. Today, we are partners with the regulatory agencies and with the unions that represent our workers. Also, the American HMA industry is more connected to global events than ever before.
Commitment to quality: The first ambitious program announced by the association in its earliest years was the Quality Improvement Program. Ever since then, dedication to helping our members deliver the best-quality asphalt pavements has been a priority.
Fifty years is a long time, and NAPA has a lot to celebrate. We invite the entire asphalt industry to celebrate along with us. And we invite any HMA producers and others in the industry who are not already NAPA members to join us. Just visit our website at www.hotmix.org.
