Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 2

4 How did you become involved in the construction industry? Well, I worked construc- tion after high school — building houses — to pay for college. I loved the con- struction industry; it was a natural fit for me. I was a summer intern with UDOT and worked in the laboratory testing asphalt and out on the grade inspecting the asphalt paving. My first project with UDOT — Parley’s Canyon — in 1999. I loved the asphalt industry, right from the start. Right after my intern- ship ended, I got a jobwith Staker ParsonMaterials & Construction working in the quality control lab. I’ve worked with Staker Parson Materials & Construction for 20 years and was promoted to general manager at Hales Sand and Gravel in 2015. Do you have family members in the construction industry? Not really. I didn’t come from a construction background. I found my own career based on what I was interested in, and it became something I love. Describe your educational background. What did you study? I have a degree in civil engineering from the U of U. I paid for my schoolingby buildinghouses, and to see the progress fromnothing to something was incredibly exciting. I just loved the process, so civil engineeringwas a great fit for me. Although coming from the building construction side, I pictured myself engineering build- ings and so forth. Never did I see myself as a materials engineer working in the road construction field. I am extremely happy my career path changed to working with asphalt. Are there any specific individuals who had a major impact on your career? I’ve been lucky. I’vemet a lot of people over the years who took an interest in me and my career. They gave generously of their time and knowledge. In the early stages of my career, Frank Mayfield, and Kim Brooks with Staker Parson Materials & Construction, and John Butterfield with UDOT, helped to build the stepping stone for my knowledge of asphalt and helped to lay out my career. Frank Mayfield taught me the makeup of asphalt and what it takes to build a quality pavement, how to design a well perform- ing asphalt, and the ways to keep the asphalt within specification for a longer lasting road. Kim Brooks taught me specifically about asphalt plants, and I will always be grateful for his advice and mentorship over the years. John Butterfield taught me how important it is to rely on some common sense, which is a really good skill set to have in this indus- try, and the ability to look at the big picture. There’s two sides — sometimes more— in any construction project. In fact, the bigger the project, the more sides it seems to have. To be able to see a project through the eyes of all the stakeholders takes patience and the ability to ask the right questions and listen to the answers. No one grows and advances in their career on their own. I think we’re all a product of the people we have met and been inspired by. A lot of the people who have made an impact in my career have been people I met through UAPA. What is the most rewarding part of your career? I would say the relationships that I have formed. I workwith people that I have known for over 20 years. There are great people in the asphalt industry — they are genuine and hardworking. I wouldn’t have put the construction industry as a people indus- try, but after working in this industry for as long as I have, it’s really a people industry first. It’s the people working together who create the projects. What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the asphalt industry in the next 5-10 years? I think we’regoing to seemoreperformance-basedproducts. I think the asphalt industry, just like other industries, wants to improve and be better. The end users want longer lasting pavements. As technol- ogy becomes more of a factor in transportation, our roads will need toadvanceaswell. Infrastructure is important toour overall economy, so it’s definitely a field that will see growth. INTERVIEW WITH INCOMING UAPA PRESIDENT, JEFF COLLARD, GENERAL MANAGER, HALES SAND & GRAVEL