ASPHALT ANSWERS
I believe that World of Asphalt will be remembered as the great comeback of this odd time. Even before the doors opened, the overwhelming feeling in the air was exciting to say the least. Speakers had new ideas and contractors were exciting to learn. For quite some time, I have presented a seminar at World of Asphalt. The first question I asked
was to raise your hand if this was your first World of Asphalt. To my surprise, about 75 % of the room raised their hand. This tells me that the contractors are investing in their people, not only with a nice trip to Nashville, but with an intentional purpose to learn new techniques, sharpen their skills and, as an added bonus, see the latest in asphalt technology. The show floor was exciting as well, taking on the enthusiasm of ConExpo. Not only were the booths busy, the attendees came with a briefcase full of questions, ideas and stories of upcoming success. Manufacturers and other vendors came with their latest innovations, eager to impress the masses. Both went home satisfied. Was there one magic bullet that made this happen? Probably not. Just a brew of pent up anxiety, a busy economy and a meeting of the minds that hasn’ t happened in a couple of years. Top it all off with some wonderful nightlife and that’ s a recipe for success!
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The first question I asked was to raise your hand if this was your first World of Asphalt. To my surprise, about 75 % of the room raised their hand.
After everything left town, we are all left with some thoughts to begin the heavy paving season. On the purchasing side, contractors will still be left with some decisions. Manufacturers are still hampered by supply chain issues and surcharges. Contractors will be faced with some tough decisions in the upcoming months. Planning for purchases will be the biggest challenge as lead times grow. As we all know, the best plans get thrown aside by unforeseen circumstances. As a contractor, the first rule is to never panic and buy a piece of equipment without doing the required due diligence. Work with the dealer or manufacturer to determine a solution for your predicament. Perhaps they can suggest another resolution that would pay bigger dividends in the future that never occurred to you. In many cases, these new answers could be a money saver and open new door in the future. I met with a paving contractor last week and asked him what keeps him awake at night. Was it the fact that his trucking cost just went up 25 % per hour? Or that the
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