Welcome to a special Utah Asphalt Conference edition of the On the Road magazine! I am grateful for the opportunity to both welcome and invite you to join us for the 2023 Utah Asphalt Conference happening on March 28 and 29 at the Mountain America Exposition Center (Expo Center) in Sandy, UT.
Looking back, it is hard to not be proud of what we have all achieved through the growth and development of the conference over the past 10 years. For a smaller state such as Utah, our conference rivals almost any other asphalt conference across the entire country! And while the number of attendees, exhibitors, and bulk space does matter for the overall conference experience, I continue to stand firm in the belief that the most important thing we can do is deliver a top-notch education each year through our 28 sessions. Often going unrecognized, the Planning Committee for the conference does an amazing job of bringing together and blending both national and local expertise and trends for attendees to understand the major developments, trends, practices, and technology influencing our industry.
To that end, I am confident there is something at the Utah Asphalt Conference for everyone. We have purposefully redesigned our tracks this year to fit different needs and different positions in our industry more clearly in the agenda. New to Asphalt? There is a track designed just for you where you can learn basics, such as what an emulsion is or the fundamentals of compaction and segregation and why they matter. Already an expert on the job? We have a track designed just for you with more graduate-level topics, including the latest research on the use of plastics in asphalt and the best way to responsibly design, engineer, and construct pavements with reclaimed asphalt pavements (RAP). Are you in a leadership position within your organization? We have a track for you too! Come and learn about what the electrification of our infrastructure means for our industry or why you should be in the know about technologies such as Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) and where it is headed both in the State of Utah and nationally.
Of course, even with some of the changes, the staples of our conference remain. Preservation of our roadways and assets is as important as ever when we may be facing a recession. Also, we always want to celebrate our industry leaders, our Hall of Fame Inductee, and all the great projects that took place in the state over the course of the past year.
We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 Utah Asphalt Conference. A conference is only as good as the people who attend it, and we simply have some of the best. Beyond the classrooms of education and the booths made for networking, I hope you will take the time to take away something from the conference that will help you get better at your job. I recently heard a public speaker say that people, at best, only remember roughly 20% of anything you say to them, so here is my 20% for the 2023 Utah Asphalt Conference: Get Better. The conference will give you the tools, but only you have the will. Put the two together, and 2023 can and will be a great year for you. The conference stands on the cusp of the construction season this year. I cannot think of a better way to start it all off than at the 2023 Utah Asphalt Conference – we look forward to you joining us!
