When we reimagined the NAPA media landscape, we also improved the reader experience, allowing you to tailor your access to our published products, from the weekly newsletter you are reading now, to our quarterly magazine, microsite, and other association communications.

 

Review our new lineup via our new subscription platform and tell us what you want to see. Indicate which publications you would like to receive and which topics you are interested in to customize your NAPA membership experience.

World of Asphalt Show Director Brittany Schmidtke writes the 2024 event "will have more exhibitors, more equipment, and even more fun ..."   Save 20 percent on registration when you use promo code PARTNER20.

Last week, the Biden Administration released a new, unprecedented rule, ending the long-standing Buy America waiver for manufactured products. Although this Notice for Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) does have some potential impacts to sourcing various materials for highway construction, the Buy America construction material exemptions achieved in IIJA, and affirmed by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) this past summer, ensure asphalt production can continue as normal without any deviation or restriction.

NAPA is looking for input on its website as we aim to recategorize our resources to help improve the user experience. There are two exercises: a site mapping exercise and a content tagging activity.

  

The deadline to participate is March 12 at 5 p.m. ET. To thank you for your input, we’ll choose four participants at random to win a $25 Amazon gift card. To qualify, you must complete both tasks using the same email address.

NAPA joins the friends and family of Dave Newcomb in mourning his death on March 2. Newcomb served as NAPA's vice president for engineering, research, and technology from 1999 until 2011. He was also involved in the leadership of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT), serving as president in 2012, and chairing the membership committee – always encouraging young engineers, researchers, and those new to the industry to get involved in AAPT. Most recently, Newcomb retired from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

 

NAPA President & CEO Audrey Copeland said Newcomb was a renowned expert on asphalt pavements, a staunch advocate on behalf of the industry, and those in the industry. "I considered him a mentor – and he and his wife, Margot, dear friends," she said, “Dave was instrumental in my career and my growth professionally and personally.”

 

Newcomb included some thoughts on mentorship in his LinkedIn bio:

"My mentors have played a vital role in shaping my approach to work and my relationships with my colleagues," he wrote. "I believe mentorship is the best form of teaching and I challenge everyone to become a mentor to your peers and to the next generation of pavement technologists."

NAPA's Pave It Black podcast episodes are released every Tuesday. In the latest episode, Richard and Brett speak with Walter Tersch from the General Services Administration, as well as Scott Legg and Fred Marvel from Brannan Companies to gain insight into GSA processes, including the importance of providing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for asphalt products.