ASPHALTopics | Summer 2014 | VOL 27 | NO3

1998
1999 2000 2001
1998 Teri McKibbon, Armbro Construction Ltd.
Current Status: President & Chief Executive Officer, Aecon Group Inc.
Someone told me that I would be remembered as the president who “hired
the engineer” and I hope he was right. The asphalt industry is mature and
evolves relatively slowly, but Superpave was completely different. It was like
having to learn a whole new language and we needed someone to help with
the translation. In retrospect, it was the right decision. Not only did we gain
the expertise that we needed, but by doing so in conjunction with the Asphalt
Institute in the U.S., we also cemented our relationship with our colleagues
south of the border.
1999 John Loughnan, Miller Paving Limited
Current Status: Semi-retired
My years of work and research for OHMPA’s Environmental Committee
eventually led to the creation of the Environmental Practices Guide (EPG)
that helped producers manoeuvre their way through the maze of regulations.
My involvement in this field gave me a renewed respect for the preservation
of our natural environment. Along with my past dozen years or so in the
aggregate resources field, there has been a natural fit for me in the work
of the Cornerstone Standards Council.
There will be a rocky road ahead for this initiative, but I firmly believe we can
come together and find common ground to protect our environment.
2000 Robin Beamish, K.J. Beamish
Construction Co. Ltd.
Current Status: President, K. J. Beamish Construction Co. Ltd.
I had just started my term as OHMPA president and as Yogi Berra said,
“its deja-vu all over again”. The cost of a barrel of oil had increased from
around $11 a barrel to $34 a barrel in half a year and asphalt producers
were caught in a squeeze.
Compared to 25 years ago when OHMPA was formed to respond to a similar
jump in oil prices, however, we had a couple of advantages. First, we had been
through this before and knew what we had to do. Second, we were organized
and had the support of virtually every producer and user in the province.
We developed an Asphalt Cost Index in conjunction with the MTO along
with model contract language to qualify hot mix asphalt prices based
upon changes in the cost index. No one likes price increases, but many
municipalities and owners accepted the validity of our case and used the
asphalt index to make adjustments and to compensate for the increased
costs. It was a big change in a quarter of a century and a testament to the
effectiveness of the hot mix producers association.
2001 Wayne Carson, Lafarge Canada Inc.
Current Status: President, Kilmer Developments
We faced three distinct challenges: increasing costs, new product
development and increasingly stringent environment regulations –
all of which affect the long-term viability of our industry. Life cycle costing
clearly demonstrated the value proposition of the new mixes such as Stone
Mastic Asphalt and Superpave, but it needed an industry-wide effort using
sophisticated tools to demonstrate that the benefits of these products are
measured in decades not years.
We also needed to act collectively to promote environmental responsibility
and educate our members on the impending changes to environmental
regulations. That’s why, at our strategic planning session in 2001, we
introduced a new initiative that specifically stated that the association
is “to advance member interests to ensure the long term viability of the
industry.” As an association, it is one of our most important initiatives.
2002 Adrian Van Niekerk, Gazzola Paving Ltd.
Current Status: Manager, Estimating, Gazzola Paving Ltd.
Since I was a member of the Plant and Paving Committee that originally
came up with the idea of an award to set the standard by which good
operations would be judged, I was particularly pleased that the first
Trillium Awards were presented when I was president.
The Trillium Award recognizes good plant operators who also
demonstrate good corporate citizenship in environmental responsibility,
safety, community relations and industry participation. It is an award
that not only recognizes individual plant performance, but also
demonstrates the maturity of our industry.
2003 Mark Rivett, Lafarge Canada Inc.
Current Status: Executive Vice President, Aecon Infrastructure
The hot mix industry tends to focus on internal short-term issues and there’s
nothing wrong with that, but every now and then we have to look up and see
how we can shape the future.
I was very proud that the OHMPA board recognized this with a commitment
to the University of Waterloo’s Centre of Excellence for pavement design,
materials and construction. OHMPA agreed to donate $100,000 to the
university’s test facility spread out over the next five years, and immediately
and successfully set out to raise the funds through donations and a silent
auction. Any additional funds will be used to support other research efforts.
This research collaboration will help us to deal with our unique geographical
and climatic conditions, share innovative ideas, develop improved products
and state-of-the-art processes, solve technical problems, and help develop
our next generation of engineers. The OHMPA mission statement clearly
states that our association is “dedicated to excellence in asphalt pavements”.
Our commitment to research demonstrated just how seriously we have taken
those objectives to heart.
The asphalt paving industry in Ontario continues to evolve, member
companies change, individuals advance through their respective careers,
and issues continually develop. Yet the Ontario Hot Mix Producers
Association remains a constant, an association with the dedicated purpose
to the advancement of an unwavering principle – “dedicated to excellence
in asphalt pavements”.