What an election night in the United States! So many races remain too close to call across the country and the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate remains unclear at this hour. The balance of power or majority size in the Senate could come down to a “runoff” in Georgia in December, and the House power is still hinging on a few competitive races. Last night, the election produced many unexpected results. Tight margins in the House and the Senate may reintroduce political gridlock to the Nation’s capital, but absent either party having a mandate or a referendum, it also could mean certainty on issues such as infrastructure funding and high-priority Administration items like sustainability are less vulnerable. We will discuss these issues and more at the Government Affairs Update on November 30, 2022, at ACPA’s Annual Meeting.

While many Congressional races across the country remain “too close to call”, the ACPA Distinguished Service Award votes have been tabulated and the results are in just three weeks away from our awards Luncheon, Reception, and Gala where we will celebrate exemplary people and projects in the concrete pavement industry. Here are a few of this year’s award winners we will honor:

ACPA’s Hartmann-Hirschman-Egan Award is the most coveted award presented by our organization. The award recognizes individuals and companies, as well as other organizations, for unparalleled commitment, dedication, participation, and leadership in the concrete pavement community. Awarded annually since 1968, the longest-running award given by ACPA, the Hartman Hirschman Egan Award nominations may be made by any member of ACPA with the winner being selected by a vote of ACPA’s Board of Directors. This year’s recipient is Steve Jackson of Cedar Valley Corporation. Steve is recognized for his distinguished career and dedicated service to the ACPA and the concrete pavement industry. For nearly 50 years, the concrete paving industry has benefited from his exceptional career with both Jackson Construction Company and Cedar Valley Corporation. Under Steve’s leadership, Cedar Valley Corporation has been routinely recognized for outstanding quality, innovation, and construction of smooth concrete pavements. In a range of leadership positions, including service as ACPA’s 2016 Chairman of the Board, his contributions have gone above and beyond.

ACPA’s Presidential Award is given at the discretion of the ACPA president to an individual who has made significant impact on the concrete industry. Jim Mack of Cemex is this year’s recipient. Jim joined CEMEX in September 2007 as Director, Market Development. In this position, he works with state agencies, cities, and other agencies and professionals to identify and develop concrete and cement-based pavement solutions for all pavement applications. He has 32 years of pavement engineering experience with expertise in pavement design, rehabilitation, evaluation, construction, pavement management; concrete materials; and life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment (environmental impact). Jim is a member of the ACPA Board of Directors and served as Chair in 2019. He is currently the Technical Co-chair overseeing pavement research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub. He participates in numerous associations including: ACI, PCA, ACPA, NRMCA as well as FHWA, FAA, Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Concrete Consortium (NCC) and other National and State committee activities. Jim is also a co-author of ACPA’s Sustainability White Paper which will be released at Annual Meeting.

ACPA’s 2022 Outstanding Promotion Award is presented annually to an individual or group who has made significant contributions through promotion efforts or programs to advance the awareness, specification, and/or placement of concrete pavements. We are thrilled to honor Angela Folkestad, PE, Executive Director of the CO/WY Chapter – American Concrete Pavement Association, to celebrate her commitment to concrete in Colorado and Wyoming. The award specifically recognizes her work helping Colorado pioneer the use of concrete overlays, portland-limestone cement, on-site recycling, and adopting performance-engineered mixtures. Her leadership in helping Colorado implement Environmental Product Declarations and as a nationally recognized expert on the subject has been invaluable to our industry.

Read on for ACPA updates and industry presentations, a new Executive Director in North Dakota, new research from University of Michigan, and more.

Cheers!