Pub. 3 2020-21 Issue 2

15 continued on page 16 U APA has had 10 active presidents to steer their ship, one per year since its inception. Their first president, Craig Fabrizio, led the way not just for one year in 2011 but again in 2014. And the second person to hold the seat, Waylund Ludlow, also served twice, in 2012 and 2017. Succeeding presidents for the association include Joe Johnson (2013), Dale Hansen (2015), Aaron Edwards (2016), Scott Fernald (2018), Jaden Kemp (2019), the current president, Jeff Collard (2020-2022), and the incoming president, Doug Watson (2022-2023). Mr. Ludlow said in 2017, he “truly believe[s] that when we come together as an industry, we amplify the best of the collective, and we all benefit.” Indeed, this has been the case for UAPA. When past presidents were asked about the most rewarding part of their careers, Mr. Fernald stated it was “the people.” He said that “the results of teamwork and collaboration are immediate and tangible.” Mr. Ludlow stated it was “seeing a project come to fruition.” Mr. Kemp also credited the people with whom he worked to be the most rewarding, as well as the relationships he formed. When he reflected on his career and its varied and differing moments “it always comes back to the people you did it with,” he stated. Current president, Mr. Collard, attributes his best career moments to his various relationships within the industry as well. He believes “we’re all a product of the people we have met and been inspired by. A lot of the people who have made an impact in my career have been people I met through the association.” Incoming president Mr. Watson stated without equivocation that it is “the people” who are the most rewarding part, and when dealing with the challenge of both sides of a project, it’s “rewarding to see a good solution based on good specifications.” IMPACTS Since “people” appear to be the driving force for our presidents, both past and present, curiosity was piqued when discussing specific individuals who most impacted our presidents’ careers. Mr. Ludlow explained that Al Schellenberg, the past president of Geneva Rock, was of major significance in his life; “Al was the epitome of integrity.” He valued his people, and all-around him knew it and were inspired to do their best work. And when Al said he was going to do something, he did it; this trait rubbed off on those around him. When the same question was asked of Mr. Fernald about who impacted his career, he stated Mont Wilson at Granite Construction, Inc. without equivocation. Mr. Wilson has been inducted into the Utah Asphalt Hall of Fame, so great is his work and influence on others. Mont mentored Mr. Fernald in many ways, from interpersonal skills to how to approach the work one performed. Mont was a big part in Mr. Fernald’s personal evolution – not only professionally but also personally. The net he cast was wide and generous, and many of the workers at Granite benefited from knowing him. In the words of Mr. Fernald, Mont was the “ultimate ‘pay it forward’ guy.” The individual who most impacted Mr. Kemp was someone much closer to him than a co-worker or a boss. It was his own father, Judd Kemp. Judd wasn’t a fan of television, played a bit of golf, skied less than he wanted to, but his actual hobby was business. He was passionate about it. When the two of them spent time together, that’s what they discussed: business. Judd instilled into him the importance of honesty and mutual respect – Mr. Kemp the younger hopes – and some business savvy. Mr. Collard described several individuals who impacted him and his career. When discussing what he called “stepping stones” in his career, he said it was Frank Mayfield and Kim Brooks from Staker Parson Materials & Construction and John Butterfield with UDOT. All three paved the way for him (pun intended) and helped him lay out his career. Frank taught him about the makeup of asphalt and how to build and design well-performing pavement and keep the asphalt within specifications for a longer-lasting road. Kim taught specifically about asphalt plants, and Mr. Collard stated he will always be grateful for his advice and mentorship over the years. John from UDOT taught him to rely on common sense and to look at the big picture. He explained that there are two sides – and sometimes more – to a construction project and that the bigger the project, the more sides it seems to have. Being able to see a project through the eyes of all stakeholders takes patience, the ability to ask the right questions, and listen to the answers. Mr. Watson was impacted significantly by a group of engineers at Granite Construction, Inc. specifically John Epps and Adam Hand. They gave him all of the “industry geek” he craved, as much as his brain could take. He called it his “one personal asphalt graduate program.” 10 YEARS, 10 PRESIDENTS