ACPA Is Where the Contractors Are

One of ACPA’s priorities this year has been straightforward: put contractors closer to the center of the association and give them a stronger voice in where we are headed. ACPA is where the contractors are — and where they should be.

That is important because this is a consequential time for the concrete paving industry. Across the country, contractors are navigating changing state and federal funding environments, workforce challenges, higher costs, increasing competition for infrastructure dollars and significant differences from market to market in how concrete pavement is considered and specified.

At the same time, there is opportunity. States continue to make major investments in highways, airports and other infrastructure. Freight movement and the demands being placed on our transportation network continue to grow. Owners are increasingly focused on long-term performance, resiliency and getting greater value from infrastructure investments. General aviation airports, overlays, reconstruction and other markets offer opportunities for concrete pavement, but we cannot assume those opportunities will come to us, not unless we collectively push for change.

We are stronger together!

That is one reason contractor engagement matters so much. The people bidding and building projects often see changes in the marketplace first. They know where specifications are creating barriers, where competition is healthy and where it is not, where agencies may benefit from additional technical resources, and where an opportunity exists to grow the concrete paving market.

The new Contractors Advisory Council (CAC), chaired by Tim Duit, gives contractors a direct forum to bring that perspective to ACPA. The CAC is helping us identify challenges and opportunities and shape priorities around promotion, advocacy, technical services and the value ACPA delivers to the companies that build America’s infrastructure.

It is also helping reinforce something I believe strongly: ACPA should not simply respond to the market. We should be working with our contractors, chapters and industry partners to grow it.

That means being on the ground in markets where concrete needs a stronger presence. It means making technical resources available to agencies and engineers. It means telling a better story about pavement performance and competition. And it means making sure the contractor perspective is heard when decisions are being made in state capitals and in Washington, DC. And specifically – concrete paving contractors!

Concrete Paving Contractors Need to Be Advocates

That last point is particularly important right now.

By way of example, the recently passed Continuing Resolution extends federal surface transportation programs, but it does not include advanced appropriations. That provides some near-term continuity, but it is not a substitute for the certainty that comes from a long-term highway bill.

Without that longer-term certainty, the implications could become considerable. State DOTs need confidence in future federal funding when developing multi-year programs. Contractors make decisions about equipment, workforce and capacity based in part on the projects they expect to see coming to market. Suppliers and other businesses throughout the construction economy make similar investments.

Infrastructure works best when we can plan for it.

That is why advocacy cannot be something we leave only to associations or professional advocates. Contractors are among our most credible voices. When a contractor explains what predictable federal investment means for hiring employees, purchasing equipment, bidding projects and keeping crews working, policymakers hear directly how decisions in Washington translate to communities and businesses across the country.

ACPA will continue advocating aggressively for a strong, long-term federal highway program and for policies that support competition, investment and pavement choices that deliver value to taxpayers. But we need our voices to be greater in number and unified.

Where the Contractors Are

That engagement will continue at our Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida, December 1–3. This year we are launching our first CAC Golf Scramble on December 1, and I hope contractors from throughout the country will join us.

Yes, it will be fun. But there is a larger purpose.

Some of the best conversations in our industry happen when contractors have time together — comparing what they are seeing in different states, talking about projects and markets, sharing challenges and identifying opportunities. The golf tournament creates another place for those relationships and conversations to happen.

That same contractor focus will carry throughout Annual Meeting.

We are building an association that listens to the people who build the work, responds to what is happening in the marketplace and is increasingly intentional about creating opportunities to grow concrete paving.

So, get involved. We still have space available on ACPA Committees in 2027. Join us at the Annual Meeting and bring a friend. Play some golf. Tell us what you see in your market. And when the opportunity arises, lend your voice to our advocacy efforts.

Because the future of this industry will not be determined simply by how much infrastructure America builds. It will also be determined by how effectively we compete for that work, advocate for investment and make the case for concrete pavement.

Save the Date – Upcoming ACPA National Events and Chapter/State Association Workshops:

Stay up to date on upcoming industry events with ACPA’s Calendar of Events. To submit your event details, please contact Vickie Spielman at vspielman@acpa.org.

October 27-29, 2026       ACPA Airport Workshop, Phoenix, AZ
October 28, 2026             24th Annual Nevada Infrastructure Concrete Conference, Reno, NV
December 1-3, 2026        ACPA Annual Meeting, Hollywood, FL
December 14-15, 2026   ACPA-SE and CRMCA Count on Concrete Conference, Raleigh, NC
January 11, 2027              ACPA TRB Reception, Washington, DC
January 13-14, 2027        ND Ready Mix & ND ACPA Annual Convention, Bismarck, ND
February 2-3, 2027          New York State Concrete Paving Conference, Clifton Park, NY
February 3-5, 2027          63rd ICPA Annual Concrete Paving Workshop, Des Moines, IA
February 9-10, 2027        South Dakota Concrete Conference, Sioux Falls, SD
February 11-12, 2027     WCPA Annual Concrete Pavement Conference, Oshkosh, WI
February 11, 2027            Indiana Chapter ACPA 2027 PCCP Workshop, Indianapolis, IN
February 14-17, 2027     KCA 2027 Annual Convention, Bowling Green, KY
February 16-17, 2027     2027 ILCPA Annual Meeting, Springfield, IL
February 16-17, 2027     MCA Annual Conference and 75th Anniversary Celebration, Dearborn, MI
February 17-18, 2027     29th ACPA/PA Conference, Camp Hill, PA
March 3-5, 2027               47th Annual Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Conference, Kansas City, MO
March 11, 2027                Colorado/Wyoming Annual Conference Pavement Workshop, Denver, CO
March 18-19, 2027          CPAM Annual Workshop, Waite Park, MN
March 23-24, 2027          Oklahoma Concrete Pavement Conference, Oklahoma City, OK
April 21-22, 2027             California Concrete Pavement Conference, Davis, CA
June 8-10, 2027                ACPA Mid-Year Meeting, New Orleans, LA