Pave It Black: The Official Podcast of NAPA

NAPA partnered with Georgia State University to give Public Relations/Journalism students an opportunity to learn about the asphalt industry. In Pave It Black’s season 2 finale, we talk with a GSU professor and two students about how the asphalt industry went from something they didn’t know existed to an industry they respected.

Dan Stys, P.E., of the PEA Group, an integrated site development firm with a specialty in test track design, explains why asphalt is predominantly selected for automotive testing facilities and racetracks. Reasons include asphalt’s smoothness, economical cost to build, speed of construction, and ability to fine tune asphalt mixtures.

Paul Lum, Technical Director at Colas Inc., talks about the different types of plastics, the wet and dry processes of introducing recycled plastics into asphalt pavement mixtures, worker safety, and more.

Pat Nelson, President & CEO of Lehman-Roberts Co. in Memphis, Tenn., dives into the details of some very intentional workforce development changes that are happening at his company.

In the wake of the “silver tsunami,” who will lead the next generation of asphalt plants and businesses? Buddy Hobart, President & CEO of Solutions 21, expert on the multi-generational workforce, and author of “The Leadership Decade: A Playbook for an Extraordinary Era,” explains the importance of company leaders having a knowledge transfer strategy.

How does one go from a career in music to a career in asphalt? The answer, for Janie Gallagher, Marketing and Events Coordinator at Wirtgen America in Nashville, Tenn., is the asphalt pavement industry's commitment to sustainability

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.

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.

It’s not often you hear someone in the asphalt industry quoting Mike Tyson, but when discussing the topic of resilience, it just fits.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

In a special edition of "Pave It Black," recorded specifically for National Work Zone Awareness Week, NAPA interviewed Tim Lee, retired CEO of Lakeside Industries Inc. Lee shares the tragic story of a crew member who was pinned to the back of the screed by a reckless driver.

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.

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.

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.

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.