Pub 3 2020-2021 Issue 1

10 I am the executive director of the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association. Here in 2021, we have a wonderful oppor- tunity to celebrate 10 years since the inception of UAPA back in March 2011. UAPA is, of course, near and dear to my heart not only because I am currently the executive director of the association, but because I was granted the opportu- nity to become the very first, and so far only, executive director of the associa- tion, it’s been a special privilege of mine to watch as we have brought together companies, agencies, owners, consult- ants, contractors, and anyone else that touches asphalt from design to its con- struction and even on to its mainte- nance and preservation. This team approach is the part of the association that helps make us who we are. As I look back on these 10 years, I can’t help but think how grateful I am for the people that have really made UAPA what it is and hopefully grow into what it can be. There are opportunities and chances that I think still await each and every one of us as we contemplate what the association has been, where it is now, and where we might be able to go. As I think about UAPA, I think about Alexis de Tocqueville, a famous French diplo- mat that came to the United States in the 1830s and 1840s. One of the very first talks that I gave to UAPA members at our annual meeting was about what Alexis de Tocqueville observed in America. He observed the incredible ability of Americans to come together, and that has always stuck with me, whether it’s through associations or through shared interests: the ability for us to come together and to unite as one. I recently read an article that shed a little more light on what he observed and what he coined thereafter. In fact, he was the one that coined the term individualism. The thing that was interesting for him was the balance that we draw together as individuals, of those individuals that come together, and really, the way to frame that is self-interest rightly under- stood. All of those individuals, taking themselves as an individual organization, are self-interested, as they should be, but when we come together with UAPA, we understand that self-interest has a greater purpose, and it’s rightly under- stood that we’re stronger together, and when we’re together, we can unify. When we’re unified, we can take that voice, and we can make a difference. You may think, well, it’s just roads and that’s true. It’s just roads. But those are roads that take us to our families; those are roads that take us to our loved ones; those are the roads that connect our community; those are the roads that the trucks drive on that bring us our supplies; and those are the roads on which we enjoy the beauty and the nature that is incredible and second- to-none in this state. I’m proud to be a part of the associa- tion that just makes roads, with all of the beautiful things that those roads do as a result. That’s what I think about when I think about UAPA. It’s all of the great people that make that happen each and every day, and they are people that largely go unknown, but they do a wonderful job, and I’m just proud to be a part of it. Thanks to all our wonderful members, thanks to all our potential members who are yet out there, and I know who you are. I want you to be a part of this because we’re building something great, and we still have a long way to go, and we need you to be a part of it. Happy 10-year anniversary to the asso- ciation. I’m excited for the next 10 years, and the 10 years beyond that, and the 10 years beyond that. I know that we will all continue to be a part of it and to do our part to do the very best. Thank you, UAPA, and thank you to our won- derful members. 3 Reed Ryan 10 TH ANNIVERSARY ROUNDTABLE