VAA Spring/Summer 2020

06 SPRING/SUMMER 2020 Trenton M. Clark, P.E., President, Virginia Asphalt Association The first several months of 2020 have been unprecedented for most, if not all, of us. January and February saw record highs on the stock market; the Virginia and US markets were booming; VDOT’s snow budget was intact, and there were reports of a spreading viral sickness in China. By March, the world’s economies had come to a screeching halt due to that same virus—now a pandemic. COVID-19 caused businesses to close, gatherings to disperse, and stores to run out of toilet paper! What started as a problem in one country, turned into a worldwide disruption! The paving industry was not immune. With the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations to control COVID-19, contractors were forced to conduct business and perform work in new ways. Both the companies and their employees had to make adjustments. How do you hold company meetings? How do you provide safety talks? What should we do with our kids? Where do we grab food as we move from one project to another? And the biggest question of all— how do we keep our most valuable asset, employees, safe? For VAA, COVID-19 forced numerous adjustments on the fly. All the large events and meetings hosted by VAA were adjusted. The 2020 Virginia Pavement Research and Innovation Symposium was canceled. The VAA 69th Annual Meeting was moved from late April to mid-June in hopes it could still be held. In-person VECATMaterials Certification Classes were either canceled or postponed. Fortunately, the VECAT classes were available on-line and, under the right circumstances, exams were offered in a virtual setting. The same primary question facing the industry faced VAA, how to keep everyone safe? As I have seen from the people in this indus- try time and time again, they assessed how to deal with this unprecedented disruption and kept on working. Companies changed their methods to communicate with employees. To minimize gatherings at the company office, employees reported directly to the project site. Where possible, practical, and more importantly safe, employees kept distance between themselves at the plant and on the project. Companies accustomed to traditional office operations allowed teleworking and remote offices. Zoom, Go-To-Meeting, and WebEx became the primary means of communication. In-person meetings were limited in size and time. So, what does the first part of 2020 tell us? I believe we have learned a few lessons that will benefit everyone. 1) What happens in one part of the world will impact us here at home. In the past, we considered war and regional conflicts as the primary concern since it generally influenced the price of oil and, in turn, the price of fuel and asphalt. Today, a health crises on other continents affects the supply chain here at home—not to mention our day to day lives. 2) People and companies adapt to confront challenges. In the past, we have had to react to short- term weather impacts (i.e., snowstorms, hurricanes, etc.) or longer-term economic PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Dealing with Disruption downturns (i.e., the Great Recession or Dot.com bust). While both of those forms of events forced changes, COVID-19 has required industry to deal with a unique set of circumstances that we have never seen and on a scale that has never been experienced. All of the typical planning for spring had to change; it was not an option. In a matter of days, companies put plans in place and continued to make adjustments as the situation developed. Finally, we learned the true meaning of partnership. Too often, that word is thrown around, but the challenges in 2020 have resulted in companies, govern- ment entities, and individuals working together for the common good. Various accommodations were made to keep projects and programs moving. People were going out of their way to help neighbors and family, but also to help strangers. In the simplest terms, people were showing love ! As I look toward the remainder of 2020, I am reminded of the adage, “You can choose to be bitter, or you can choose to be better.” No one asked for COVID-19 to change our daily lives. We did not want to see schools, companies, and communities shut down. We did not want to see people suffer and die from a novel coronavirus, but it happened. Now, all stand witness to whether we evolve. Remember, if we “do not learn from this experience, we are doomed to repeat it.” I am confident changes forced by the virus will result in newer and better ways to conduct business and live our lives. The sacrifices and losses by many will improve the lives of future generations.