APE APE January 2020 | Page 16

ASPHALT ANSWERS some of the top experts in our field to give cutting edge seminars that are certainly worth your team’s time. Many of these meetings offer roundtable discussions that give your team the opportunity to get personal time with the experts and discuss trends and pitfalls that come up every day. Be sure to call on your equipment manu- facturer as well. Even if they don’t offer in house training, they are always willing to do on site product training that will cer- tainly pay dividends down the road. Human Resources. Certainly our most valuable assets are the men and wom- en that put in the long days in the heat striving for smooth joints and acceptable density. The biggest issue that plagues the paving crews that are forced to lay off workers in the winter is making sure they come back in the spring. Hiring good help is a challenge anytime, but if you have to do it year in and year out, well, that puts you behind before you can start. The answer is typically found from within your organization. If you build a working culture that breeds success, you will no doubt attract and maintain the in town. out as the ones that consistently pull their weight will not allow sub-par quality to exist. Ask them what they need from an employer. I think you’ll be surprised at how inexpensive their requests are. The slower winter months are a great time to take a deep breath and look back at the challenges of the prior year. What did you do right and how can your com- pany replicate those practices. Even more importantly, what were some aspects of your year that you would just as soon not repeat? Look outside the paving industry at some of the best practices of successful friends and neighbors and see what their secrets are. I think you’ll find that every successful story has a lot in common. Time to write your own. best crew in town. Investing in your team during the season is easier than you think. These folks are your family, so treat them as such. When top performance is re- warded, the slackers will be easily weeded Brian Hall is the territory manager of Mid South Region at ST Engineering LeeBoy, Inc. You can contact him at [email protected]. Ar- ticle sponsored by LeeBoy and Rosco. If you build a working culture that breeds success, you will no doubt attract and maintain the best crew Two Thicknesses ® The Standard in Pro-Grade Paint Stencils for over 40 Years! 1/16” (Duro-Last) 1/8” (Maxi-Last) We Manufacture Professional-Grade Paint Stencils To Match DOT Standard Road And Parking Lot Markings. www.STENCIL.store (877) 275-7550 For More Information On This Advertiser Please Visit www.CallAPE.com/e-inquiry www.callape.com [16] 1.800.210.5923