VAA Virginia Asphalt Fall/Winter 2020

06 FALL/WINTER 2020 Trenton M. Clark, P.E., President, Virginia Asphalt Association Have you ever found yourself asking someone, “What the #%&@ just happened?” One min- ute everything is going smoothly, and then a moment later, everything has turned upside down. As a Hokie alumnus and long-time football fan, I do that at least one or two times during a season. I was in Lane Stadium standing in the pouring rain when Matt Ryan and Boston College came from behind in the closing minutes and beat Tech. Or better yet, when Tech was a heavy favorite over a little school up I-81. Tech even paid them $100,000 to come to Blacksburg and beat the Hokies. Again, I was standing in disbelief with 60,000 other fans. And far from the last time, but the most recent for me was a road trip to Notre Dame last November. Pete, a friend in Indiana, offered me three tickets to the game. So, my brother, son, and I took a road trip to South Bend, Indiana. It was a great trip and an incredi- ble experience. As we stood in Notre Dame Stadium on a cold Saturday afternoon, Tech had a lead late in the fourth quarter— but ND had the ball on their goal line and needed a touchdown to win. Pete said, “Tech has this in the bag.” Being a long-time Hokie and seeing this situation more than once, my brother and I both told him, “Nope, Notre Dame will win.” So, instead of me saying what just happened, Pete got the first-hand experience of the classic Hokie Choke, and he was left saying, “What just happened?” So, why am I reminiscing about past Tech football failures? In each one of the examples I cited, people at the end of the game were in the stands or watching on TV, saying, “What just happened?” Everything was going smoothly, and then out of the blue, the game was turned upside down. Does that not sound like 2020? Overall, 2019 was uneventful, and 2020 had a great start and was going smoothly. However, almost to the day, as noted in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, we needed to “Beware of the Ides of March!” To refresh your memory, the Ides of March or March 15, 44 BC was the date Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate. His death sparked a civil war in the Roman Empire and years of conflict. Around March 15, 2020, Virginia and much of the nation began to shut down in hopes of limiting the spread of COVID-19. As noted at the end of my Spring/Summer 2020 article, I was looking forward to “the remainder of 2020.” How would our industry respond to challenges not encountered PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE What the #%& @ Just Happened? before? As we approach the end of the year, I could not be more proud of the industry I represent. I have seen companies put their employees and the public’s safety above profits. They have gone above and beyond the minimum safety protocols. This cost money with no hope of reimbursement, but it was an investment in people and the right thing to do. I have watched companies quickly adopt and deploy new technologies and approaches to completing work ranging from electronic ticketing to staffing of paving projects. While not the last example of change due to COVID, I have experi- enced the engagement and cooperation between companies and clients to get work accomplished. Realizing “everyone is in this together,” companies, clients, and others have shared information and practices for the greater good of all. As VAA Chairman, David Horton noted in his Spring/Summer 2020 article, the asphalt industry is about family. This could not have been more evident than in the last six months. While I am not sure “what just happened,” I am confident the lessons learned and chal- lenges from 2020 will make our industry stronger in 2021. Realizing “everyone is in this together,” companies, clients, and others have shared information and practices for the greater good of all.