Pub. 1 2018-2019 Issue 4

6 Jaden Kemp, GEOdyneTransport continued on page 8 PRESIDENT OF UAPA INTERVIEW How did you become involved in the asphalt pavement industry?Was this career path always the plan? I grew up around the construction and trucking industries, but, no, this business wasn’t the career path. My dad, Judd Kemp, started working for a construction company right out of college as the GM. But he always had that entre- preneurial spirit.With the permission of his employer, he started buying dump trucks as a side business. In 1978, his side business became the main business, and Geodyne was officially launched. Services of Geodyne in the early days included hauls of sand, gravel, and asphalt in Utah. In 1990, my dad formed a related business, Geodyne Asphalt Products, which oper- ated an asphalt mixing plant and supplied hot-mix asphalt to government and con- tractor paving crews. Both companies were successful despite severe competition and the challenging construction cycles of the 1980s and 1990s. I started working for my dad in 1993, while I was in high school. Summers, of course, were really busy. In 2000, my dad sold the business, kept the building, and became a landlord. He also became really bored. While I was in college, my dad would show up and want to play golf, which was really surreal, because my dad was a workaholic. Needless to say, this didn’t last long. I think the general consensus in regard tomy dad was that the only thing he ever failed at was retirement. My dad started up in business again, and while I would have loved to work with him, it never really panned out. He never had a job opening when I needed a job or was ready to leave where I was. My dad offeredme a job twice, and I turned him down twice. I did eventually end up in the family busi- ness. My dad passed away in 2012. Today, my mom, my brother and I are all owners, but I run the day-to-day.We have 35 trucks and 100 trailers. I think my dad would have been very proud. Do you have family members in the business? I do. As I mentioned, my mom and brother have an ownership stake in the business. My son Brandon works in the shop around his school schedule. He’s 16, and has been coming inwithmetoworksincehewas6or7. Describe your education background. What did you study? I went to BYU and graduated in 2003 with a B.S. in economics and business. Are there any specific individuals who had a major impact on your career? My dad, Judd Kemp, had such an impact on my life. Therewas noTVwatchingwith him. He played a little golf, and he skied less than he wanted to, but his true hobby was busi- ness. He loved it. He was passionate about the subject. We had a very close relation- ship, andwhenwe spent time together, we talked business. Not just about his business, but business in general. He instilled in me the importance of honesty, mutual respect, and I’d like to think some business savvy. What is the most rewarding part of your career? It’s the people and the relationships that are built. I have found that when I look back at different moments in my career, it always comes back to the people you did it with. What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the asphalt industry in the next 5-10 years? I am hopeful that we will see more and more collaboration as an industry on prod- ucts and processes. Back in 1993, if anyone had toldme that we could all have a seat at the table, as we have with UAPA, I wouldn’t have believed them – but here we are. As a business owner, I see the positive impact of industry dialogue between competitors on an almost-daily basis. I see the future in this industry as verybright. As our population continues to grow, our infrastructure is going to growas well.We’re going to have to get better at what we do andhowwe do it.There is always the discus- sion of oil supply, and I thinkwe’ll be seeing some alternatives in that area. What makes being a member of UAPA beneficial? First and foremost, if you are not amember or a member who isn’t as engaged as you