NAPA's 2024 Annual Meeting has just concluded in Orlando, where the Association celebrated winners of the Sheldon G. Hayes Award; the Larry H. Lemon Awards; the Ray Brown Award; and Operational Excellence Awards.
Sheldon G. Hayes Award
The 2023 Sheldon G. Hayes Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement, bestowed annually since 1971, recognizes the country's highest quality highway pavements.
"The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building quality pavements that deliver high performance and drivability to the public," said 2023 NAPA Chair Christian Zimmermann. "All contractor's projects earning a Sheldon G. Hayes Award are measured against industry best practices, rated for smoothness a year after construction, and visually inspected to ensure the project lives up to our promise."
APAC-Kansas Inc., A CRH Co., of Hutchinson, Kan., and the Kansas Department of Transportation were named the winner of the 2023 Sheldon G. Hayes Award for their work on I-70 in Gove County, Kan.
Finalists for the award were:
- Lindy Paving Inc., of New Galilee, Pa., and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, District 1, for their work on SR 90 in Erie County, Pa.
- Pike Industries Inc., A CRH Co., of Belmont, N.H., and the Vermont Agency of Transportation for their work on VT 113 from Chelsea to Thetford, Vt.
The Sheldon G. Hayes Award winner and finalists are determined through a two-year evaluation process. All highway pavement projects using more than 50,000 tons of asphalt are eligible for consideration. Initially, the project must win a Quality in Construction (QIC) Award, which is determined by numerical scores given by independent pavement engineers based on how well the contractor met specifications and achieved density on the finished pavement. All pavements that meet a benchmark figure earn the QIC Award.
The year after a project wins a QIC Award, it is eligible for consideration for the Sheldon G. Hayes Award. The top-ranked projects from each year are tested for smoothness, and then visually inspected by an independent pavement consultant with many years of experience in the industry. This year, the evaluator praised all the candidates for their high-quality construction practices, which resulted in smooth, safe and durable pavements.
The award is named for Sheldon G. Hayes, a founder of NAPA and the association's first chairman. Hayes spent his entire career striving for better construction techniques and improvements in the quality of asphalt pavements.
Larry H. Lemon Quality in Construction Award
The 2023 Larry H. Lemon Quality in Construction Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement using less than 50,000 tons of asphalt recognizes the 10 highest-scoring projects submitted for a Quality in Construction Award in the General Paving (less than 50,000 tons) category.
"The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building high-quality projects that deliver superior performance to the traveling public. All contractors' projects earning a Quality in Construction award are measured against best practices designed to live up to that commitment," said Zimmermann.
The 2023 winners and their projects, arranged alphabetically, are:
- APAC-Kansas Inc., Shears Div., A CRH Co., of Hutchinson, Kan., for U.S. 183 in Clark County, Kan.
- APAC-Kansas Inc., Shears Div., A CRH Co., of Hutchinson, Kan., for U.S. 54 in Meade County, Kan.
- CWR Contracting Inc., a Construction Partners Inc. Co., of Wildwood, Fla., for SE 73rd Ave. in Marion County, Fla.
- Cadillac Asphalt LLC, A CRH Co., of Farmington Hills, Mich., for Exeter Rd. in Monroe, Mich.
- Granite Construction Co., of Everett, Wash., for fish passage in Skagit County, Wash.
- Howard Cos., of Indianapolis, Ind., for various roads in Carmel, Ind.
- Pike Industries Inc., A CRH Co., of Belmont, N.H., for I-91 NB in Westminster, Vt.
- Scotty's Contracting and Stone LLC, of Bowling Green, Ky., for SR 136 (Livermore Rd.) in Ohio County, Ky.
- Shelly & Sands Inc., of Zanesville, Ohio, for SR 13 and SR 550 in Athens County, Ohio
- Shelly & Sands Inc., of Zanesville, Ohio, for SR 513 and SR 761 in Guernsey County, Ohio
Projects submitted for a Quality in Construction (QIC) Award are evaluated by an independent pavement engineer who assigns each project a numerical score based on how well the contractor met specifications and achieved density on the finished pavement. All pavements meeting a benchmark figure earn the QIC Award. The Larry Lemon Award honors the 10 highest-scoring projects, as determined in the review.
The award is named after Larry Lemon of Haskell Lemon Construction in Oklahoma City. Lemon served faithfully on the NAPA Awards Committee for 18 years, before serving as Chairman of the association's board of directors in 2010 prior to his retirement. Lemon was instrumental in the creation of the rating system for the Quality in Construction Awards, which requires qualitative analysis using data and test results to determine the winners.
Ray Brown Asphalt Pavement Award
The 2023 Ray Brown Asphalt Pavement Award is for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement was won by Allan Myers Inc., of Worcester, Pa.
"The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building high-quality projects that deliver superior performance to the traveling public. All contractors' projects earning a Quality in Construction award are measured against best practices designed to live up to that commitment," said Zimmermann. "Earning the Ray Brown Award demonstrates that Allan Myers has met or exceeded these rigorous standards."
Allan Myers won the award for Lancaster Airport Runway 8-26 in Lititz, Pa. To limit impact on airport operations — and with the July 4 holiday looming — the company had to complete milling, leveling and paving within a strict 28-day runway shutdown. With little to no time available for rework, the Allan Myers team spent four months developing a detailed work plan, quality control and risk management processes, and mix testing and verification.
The presence of rock far beyond what was anticipated caused a two-week paving delay. They acquired the necessary permits, hired a blasting contractor and reconfigured the work plan. Back on schedule, they had to reject the first 10 truckloads of asphalt because they did not meet specifications. Despite these unforeseen and potentially catastrophic conditions, the team delivered the project within its original schedule.
The award is named after Ray Brown, who was the director of the National Center for Asphalt Technology from 1991 to 2007. Under Brown's guidance and tenure, the center became renowned for its asphalt pavement research. The award is presented to the highest scoring project for Quality in Construction — Airport Pavement
Operational Excellence Awards
"NAPA members strive for excellence beyond constructing high-quality asphalt pavements. The two categories of the Operational Excellence Awards — Environmental Leadership and Community Involvement — recognize a company's commitment to operations that make them good contractors, good industry ambassadors, and good neighbors," said Zimmermann.
The 2023 Environmental Leadership Award winner was:
- Tilcon Connecticut Inc., A CRH Co., of New Britain, Conn., for its New Britain Drum Plant
The 2023 Community Involvement Award winners were:
- Callanan Industries Inc., A CRH Co., of Albany, N.Y., for its Callanan Cares program
- Lehman-Roberts/Memphis Stone & Gravel, of Memphis, Tenn., for its Community Engagement program
The 2023 Community Involvement Award finalist was:
- Ajax Paving Industries of Florida LLC, of Venice, Fla., for its Pave It Forward Program
The Operational Excellence Awards honor leaders in the asphalt pavement industry for excellence in community outreach (Community Involvement Award) and exemplary environmental and social stewardship (Environmental Leadership Award).
These annual awards are a counterpart to NAPA's Quality in Construction Awards, which recognize high-quality asphalt paving jobs demonstrating industry best practices and standards.
The NAPA Awards Program recognizes and encourages continuous improvement in all aspects of paving and asphalt operations
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