We had an outstanding turnout and exceptional response to the 2025 UAPA Fall Conference in St. George. The festivities kicked off on Veterans Day with our charity golf tournament at Copper Canyon Golf Course, where a combined crowd of nearly 200 golfers, attendees and hole sponsors enjoyed perfect weather and a beautifully conditioned course. We extend our appreciation to our golf sponsors for making the event possible, and we also offer hearty congratulations to our tournament winners!
The fall conference, which took place the following day, would not have been possible without our amazing sponsors. Thank you to Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Coughlin Company, Western Rock, Wheeler/CAT, All States Materials Group, Cate, Suncor and Ingevity for your support!
We also had some great vendors at the conference, including those who took advantage of our first-ever offering of bulk vendor space: Black Ridge Fleet, Cate Equipment, Crafco, Maxwell Products, Wheeler Machinery, Suncore and Peak JCB.
Our booth vendors also featured a strong lineup of industry partners, including Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, Holbrook Asphalt, Jones & DeMille, Straight Stripe Painting, M&M Asphalt Services, Kimball Equipment, Purple Wave Auction, All States Materials Group, FORTA, Owen Equipment, Sunrise Engineering, Dawson Infrastructure, UOSH, Cross Country Manufacturing, RDO Equipment, HHI Corp, Arthur J. Gallagher, Sweeping U.S.A. and Dry Ice Blasting Services of Utah.
Our conference programming began with a keynote address from Zach Renstrom, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District. Zach delivered a powerful and timely presentation on the region’s water needs and the innovative strategies being implemented to support continued growth across Southern Utah.
UAPA Executive Director Rick Johnson provided organizational updates, highlighting major achievements in training, scholarship growth, membership expansion, and our ongoing effort to strengthen partnerships with UDOT, cities, counties and industry stakeholders statewide.
Throughout the conference, our 2025 scholarship recipients presented their project findings. Each presentation served as an inspiring reminder of the tremendous talent entering our industry and the value of these students’ research and fresh perspectives.
Attendees also heard from UDOT Region 4 Director Kirk Thornock and UDOT Region 4 Materials Engineer Jared Dastrup, who shared regional updates and priorities. Breakout sessions included “Best Practices for Cities and Counties,” presented by Mike Skinner from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, along with an Asphalt 101 and Asphalt Inspection course taught by industry experts.
We were especially honored to hear an inspiring keynote from Shawn Tanuvasa, the chaplain for the BYU Football Team, who delivered a memorable message about responding to challenges in ways that promote growth, resilience and personal development. His remarks resonated strongly with attendees.
A special highlight of the conference was our UAPA member panel on local innovations in asphalt, followed by national and regional insights shared by Mike Skinner.
We concluded the conference with a message from UAPA President Jonas Staker and our Charity & Scholarship Raffle, which raised $3,000 thanks to the generosity of attendees.
We extend sincere appreciation to our Southern Region Conference Committee — especially Chair Zach Girsberger (Landmark Testing) and Co-Chair Chris Robb (Maxwell Products) — as well as our regional committee members. Special thanks also to the staff of the Dixie Convention Center and the UAPA team: Kayla Clark (events planning), Gary Lindley (technical director), and Carolee Durrant (office manager).
Finally, thank you to all attendees, sponsors, presenters and volunteers who helped make the 2025 UAPA Fall Conference a tremendous success. We look forward to another excellent conference this fall!
