Pub. 1 2018-2019 Issue 4

12 Lunch and learn UAPA’S LUNCH & LEARN PROGRAM C raig Fabrizio, a leading organizer for UAPA’s lunch and learn program, recently answered questions about UAPA and its lunch and learn program. How did UAPA get started? In the U.S., 37 of the 50 states have asphalt associations. Many of them have been going for decades. UAPA is a relative new- comer that was formed in the spring of 2011. It was the 35th association and the first state association to be formed in 20 or 30 years. Since then, two other asso- ciations have been organized. UAPA gained its 100th member this year. Membership currently is at 101 or 102. Compared with similar associations, it is doing very well. Why did UAPA start its lunch and learn program? When UAPA was organized, Reed Ryan and I, along with the eight other founding UAPA leaders, decided we wanted to find a simple, easyway to educateUAPAmembers and community members about relevant industry information. Toward that end, we asked questions and did some research to seewhat other associations were doing.We found out that lunch and learn programs were a popular and effective choice, so we decided to start one. Eight years later, the association is consid- ered to be one of the best in the country. Part of its success has been the result of its successful lunch-and-learn program, which is currently being run by the board of directors and the executive commit- tee as a tool for educating anyone who is interested in learning. How are meetings planned? UAPA’s leadership plans the meetings that take place throughout the year by selecting topics, asking for someone to sponsor each meeting, finding experts to teach attend- ees, and choosing and paying for the lunch. The lunch-and-learn meetings are a great way to get information to people in a fairly inexpensive way. They provide a chance to share knowledge, best practices, and indus- try innovations. UAPA often consults with UDOT while deciding which topics would be most valuable for attendees. Many organiza- tions have been willing to act as sponsors. Meetings usually take place sometime around lunch and are open to members and nonmembers of UAPA alike. Tell us about lunch. Sometimes we pick up lunch from Jimmy Johns. We have also provided food trucks, which works really well. If we are in a small town, we talk with sponsors about the options. We try to support local restaurants. How successful have the sessions been? Soon after we started, the lunch and learn programusuallyhad50 to75attendees, with meetings taking place either at the UAPA office or in the conference or training rooms of participating contractors. Attendance depends on where the meetings are being held and what the topic is. In addition to UAPA members, attendees often include city and county employees whose jobs have to do with building and maintaining roads and engineering firms that design and build parking lots. Lately, themeetings have been held on site in places where it is possible to do a demo, and there have sometimes been as many as 125 attendees. What do you see as the value of UAPA with respect to the lunch and learns? UAPA and the lunch and learns both help members stay current about spec- ification changes. Members get infor- mation about new products and inno- vations. Our events, including the lunch and learns, are also an opportunity for industry networking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_scWujS_EkQ LUNCH & LEARN VIDEO HERE: