July 22, 2021

I’m actually from Payson, Utah and my grandparents raised me. I had a troubled youth, got in with the wrong friends, and went to prison for 15 months. I got out six years ago and began working a year later for Staker Parson.

By becoming a member of Women of Asphalt (WofA) you are joining an organization which strives to mentor, educate, and advocate for women in the asphalt industry.

There is NO COST to join and invaluable benefits to be had including connecting with women around the country working in various positions within the asphalt community, mentoring programs, networking events within your state and at World of Asphalt, and employment leads.

Become a member today!

UAPA is the only trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the asphalt pavement material producer and paving contractor on a local level with government agencies and other trade and business organizations.

The Utah Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently published the 2020 Report Card for Utah’s Infrastructure. Craig Friant, P.E., was the Report Card Chair, and Ryan Maw, P.E., D. GE, was the Vice-Chair. Experts in each chapter’s subject wrote individual chapters. For a complete list of authors and contributors, please refer to the report itself.

My dad was a civil engineer, but I didn’t know what that meant when I was growing up. There is a technical school close to our home. I took mechanical drafting there during high school and liked it. My older brother was a Civil Engineering student. He knew I liked drafting, encouraged me to take some engineering classes at Utah State University, and I ended up getting my degree in civil engineering.

It was both, actually. One led to the other. I got into this industry while in school, and it was a natural fit for me.
I am a technical geek, I admit, and I think that has been my contribution to the industry. First through my work experience, and then through my company, CMT Group Companies.

UAPA 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).

I was part of the group that organized our association. It was a different experience – something I had never done before, but I learned a lot. It was also one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.
We – meaning me and our small group (most of whom became our charter members) spent about a year and a half preparing and exploring. We decided to launch. Reed didn’t come into the association until the middle of the first year.

As many of you know, UAPA is quietly celebrating 10 years this year since the association was created by 10 charter members. From those signatures, we have now grown to 129 members strong. And while that tremendous growth over 10 short years is significant, it also means that we must continue to do our very best to deliver value to our diversified membership roster.