BT Labs: Driving Quality and Innovation for Associated Asphalt

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From highways to airport landing strips, rooftops to bridges – asphalt plays a critical role in the infrastructure of our daily lives. As the impact of the environment changes and the needs of our customers become more advanced, Associated Asphalt looks to the Bituminous Technologies® (BT) Labs division to pave the way forward for our products by assuring quality control and innovation.

Previously, Associated Asphalt outsourced product and materials testing to the Asphalt Institute and other third-party labs. In an effort to bring that process in-house and expand our service offerings, Associated Asphalt acquired Mariani Asphalt’s lab in 2009 and later created BT Labs in 2010 to support the need to produce quality, innovative products that comply with federal and state regulations; all while solving the asphalt and paving challenges our customers face. With two AASHTO Accredited laboratories in Paulsboro, NJ, and Tampa, FL, we have access to state-of-the-art testing equipment and a team of knowledgeable, certified technicians. These labs are in charge of Research & Development, Quality Control & Assurance, and third-party testing for internal and external customers.

Assuring Quality PG Binder and Emulsion Products

When it comes to formulating specialty paving grade binders and emulsions, our customers depend on a reliable supply of asphalt materials that are durable and easy to use. There is no room for inaccuracy or inadequate materials; which is why our labs work hard to make sure that all materials and formulations that Associated Asphalt supplies meet specifications for customers and state regulations.

Through various methods of testing with advanced equipment, our team of technicians are able to ensure that our asphalt products will perform in our customers’ specified environments. We verify that our materials meet state standards, are free of contaminants, and that our asphalt formulations resist rutting, thermal cracking, fatigue damage, and stripping.

In addition to testing Associated Asphalt’s materials, our labs offer third-party testing services at competitive fees for those needing data on their asphalt products. So when one of our formulation partners is working on a new asphalt product to solve a unique customer challenge, we can perform the necessary tests to assure compliance and project success.

All-in-all, we hope to pave the way forward for quality in the industry at large, not just our own products.

Setting the Standard for State Regulation Compliance

Some of our most important partners in asphalt material and formulation testing are the state departments who set the standards for paving grade and emulsions. Each of the states in our footprint face unique climate challenges that drive these guidelines. For example, paving grade produced for Pennsylvania roads will require crack resistant formulas to endure cold winters, while asphalt applied to the hot highways of Florida must be designed to resist rutting.

BT Labs prioritizes keeping an open line of communication with state and federal agencies to make sure that we meeting specification standards. Part of having a good rapport with these representatives also means that we’re a trusted consultant when new challenges arrive. Playing a role in the solution allows us to innovate and adapt quickly to changing specifications.

Paving the Way Forward®

As our tagline suggests, Associated Asphalt is dedicated to paving the way forward for product quality and innovation. That’s why our testing doesn’t stop at the task at hand and our labs are constantly looking towards the future. Our specialty products and sales marketing teams work with customers to find the right product to fit the unique performance criteria. Then, BT Labs is able to create the right formulation and test materials to provide assurance that the product will both meet our standards of performance and fulfill the needs of the application.

Our most recent successes range from materials used in standard Department of Transportation paving applications, like chip seals and overlays, to asphalt binders for shingles. We’ve also demonstrated our abilities in the applications of our StellarFlexFR® asphalt binder that provide a jet fuel resistant pavement for an airfield apron used to park nostalgic war-birds in Pennsylvania and protection from damage caused by horse urine on a horse-drawn carriage path in St. Augustine, Florida. When we can provide efficient and effective asphalt solutions for our partners, we call it a job well done.

Curious about what solutions Associated Asphalt can provide for your next project? Contact us to discover more about what it means to be an Associated Asphalt partner.

Employee Spotlight: David Lind, Tampa Terminal Manager

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David Lind is one of the few people who can say that what they do is in their blood. Coming from three generations of working in the asphalt industry, David says it was “faith, destiny, or opportunity” that led him to being the Terminal Manager at one of our Tampa, Florida locations.

Growing With The Company

Until the early 2000s, David’s family owned their own asphalt operation. In 2007, Associated Asphalt bought the Lind family operation and offered David the opportunity to work at the terminal.

“Associated Asphalt made sure I had a path forward. They challenged me to take on new roles. Personal and career development were always available,” says David.

In His Own Words

David describes his work with his team members as very hands-on. He’s not a behind the scenes style of manager. Although he manages 10 team members, he makes sure to spend time with each of them individually.

“I am a very hands on manager. I work closely with the operators in my terminal. I enjoy getting to know the employees on a personal level in order to help motivate them on a professional level,” David says.

Outside of the terminal, you can find David enjoying downtime with his family, fishing, or hitting some hiking trails. If you’re lucky, you may even see his band preforming at a wedding or two!

Kevin Cardwell, Associated Asphalt E&I Coordinator.

Employee Spotlight: Kevin Cardwell

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At Associated Asphalt, we believe in the essence of opportunity, for our business, for our customers, and for our employees. We seek to provide opportunities for growth in all facets of our business. Kevin Cardwell, E&I Coordinator, has experienced the strength of this culture first hand during his 11 years working here.

After growing up in Covington, Kevin pursued an Associates Degree in Electronics at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and later completed coursework at ECPI University to receive an Associates Degree in Information Technology. It was his education in these two closely related subjects that brought him to where he is today, at Associated Asphalt.

When Kevin joined the IT team at Associated Asphalt in 2008, he provided help desk support to employees and managed internal networks, servers, VPN connections and more. No two days were the same and that’s what Kevin liked about it.

Seizing Opportunities for Growth

As Associated Asphalt continued to grow, so did the opportunities for employees. After a major growth and acquisition period, our Operations team undertook a major upgrade project for all terminals. Kevin began working with the Electronics and Instrumentation (E&I) Manager to install terminal automation upgrades for all terminal locations. As a naturally curious person, he was immediately fascinated by the technology and process, asking a lot of questions along the way. After shadowing in E&I for a year, he was presented with the opportunity to join the Operations team to be responsible for maintaining the automated technologies they installed.

Today as the E&I Administrator, Kevin is able to fuse his two degrees in Electronics and Information Technology to make sure that the technology assisting drivers in loading and unloading materials is running accurately and efficiently. By streamlining this process, we are able to make sure that the transport of vital materials is on-time and in the right quantities. Paperwork is then generated automatically, reducing the time it takes to fully process a transport.

“I’m very happy for the opportunity. They could have easily gone outside of the company to find someone with more experience,” says Kevin. “They knew my work history and my work ethic and gave me this opportunity to prove myself.”

What’s Next for Kevin?

As an eager learner and someone who seeks to excel at his job, Kevin feels like he still has a lot to learn in his role as E&I Administrator. He looks forward to continuing to grow into his role, discovering more about technology automation, and traveling to work with terminal employees face to face.

Safety Comes First at Associated Asphalt

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Year after year, the team at Associated Asphalt are proud to decorate their walls with awards for safety practices.

As an industrial company, it’s our obligation to make sure safety training is a top priority to keep our employees safe. Whether they’re working at an emulsions plant, mixing new paving grades in the lab, or driving a tanker truck – our employees are required to live up to high standards in safety.

“Nothing we do is so important that a person does a task and risks not going home at the end of the day. Safety is a top priority and not negotiable,” says Terry Adams, EHS Manager of Training and Development.

Here’s how we do it.

Proactive Organizational Processes

Part of our 2018 initiatives for Operational improvement included our Operational Capability Programming, Life Critical Skills Standards Development, and Incident Reporting & Analysis Process. These initiatives aided in making sure that our terminals are operating at the right capacity, that our employees are equipped with the proper skill sets to do their jobs safely, and that in the event of an incident, we can learn from it and prevent it in the future.

These initiatives were built on the input of our team members and we are confident that as we continue to fine tune these processes, our employees will continue to work in the safest environment possible.

Continuous Safety and Skills Training

Some of the most common injuries on the job include light burns, sprains, and strains. With the right training, we can help employees work more mindfully to avoid injury. In the second half of 2018, out of our entire company, there were only 2 OSHA recordable incidents, down from 5 at the beginning of the year.

We start with common sense training. Encouraging our people to ask themselves what kind of dangers are in their current work environment and what they need to do to avoid injury. From there, we do more specialized training for different groups of employees to increase hazard recognition in their work environment and which safety measures to take to protect themselves. For example, lab technicians must wear protective sleeves and lab goggles at all times.

Trainings take place year-round at each terminal by our Environmental, Health, & Safety team. We have also established a safety bonus program to encourage employees to go above and beyond in sticking to safety guidelines.

At the end of the day, we’re nothing without our employees. Our tenets of Safety, Integrity, Relationships, Excellence, and Innovation can only be achieved when we are all working towards the same goals.

Daniel Palmer, Associated Asphalt Roanoke Terminal Manager in front of an Associated Asphalt sign.

Employee Spotlight: Daniel Palmer, Roanoke Terminal Manager

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At Associated Asphalt, we’re proud of our humble beginnings. We’ve gone from being a 3 terminal oil company to being the largest liquid asphalt reseller in the country with 33 terminals along the Eastern United States. Daniel Palmer, Manager at our terminal in Roanoke, shares the same humble beginnings from his time as an Associated Asphalt employee.

Starting out as a groundskeeper cutting grass and weed-eating in his youth, Daniel’s growth in skills and expertise has mirrored the growth of our company. In his twentieth year as an employee, he now leads a team of 12 in the day-to-day operations of our Paving Grade service and supply for a large footprint in Southwest Virginia. This includes coordinating with our fleet of drivers, dispatchers, and Emulsions team.

Daniel’s Day-to-Day

For Daniel, coming to work is just another day working alongside his family.

“It really wasn’t work – it was just pure enjoyment,” reflects Daniel.

His only challenge at his job is learning to manage people. This is when his humility shows the most. His proudest moments are when he sees his team go from being strangers to acting like family and spending time together hanging out on the weekends.

“I don’t like titles. I’m just a regular guy,” says Daniel humbly. “I get down in the ditches with the guys and I’ll take the trash out. I’m no better than them. You learn a lot more respect through leading by example.”

Safety is another important part of Daniel’s role at the Terminal. With continued training and a friendly reminder each morning to stay present and be safe, his team takes their work and their safety seriously.

Personal and Professional Growth

Daniel’s growth as a result of working with Associated Asphalt hasn’t just come with the passing of time. At Associated Asphalt, we believe in investing in our employees. He was able to acquire additional training and licensure in metallurgy and welding with the company’s support. Although Daniel departed from the team for a short period of time to explore welding in his own business, after 3 years he rejoined the team.

“I was on the road a lot and wanted to slow down a little to spend more time with my son,” says Daniel. “I missed the people, too.”

Paving the Way to Giving Back

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For the last 70 years, Associated Asphalt has been a leader in the asphalt supply industry. As we’ve grown to become a company that impacts many communities throughout the Eastern United Staes, we also want to be known for our dedication to giving back to those communities. We seek to supply more than just asphalt. We strive to provide community support too.

Building on the Kirk Family Philosophy

Under the leadership of J.W. Kirk, Jr. and Bill Kirk, Associated Asphalt has extended the philanthropic impact that the Kirks have made on Roanoke, VA to all the communities we serve. With a long history of family giving, they have instilled the value of giving back at our corporate headquarters and beyond.

“The Kirks are historically charitable and we as a company represent that across our Associated Asphalt footprint,” says Jena Owen, Senior Accountant and Community Involvement Coordinator.

Giving Back in Our Communities

At the corporate level, Associated Asphalt gives back to our communities with financial contributions to a variety of non-profit organizations that serve the community. From environmental organizations to the American Red Cross, we make sure our dollars are spent on bettering the lives of our friends and neighbors from all angles.

At the leadership and individual level, giving our time is just as important. Our corporate headquarters and terminals take the time to seek out their own service projects in the community to give back in the best way they know how. From participating in runs like the Rugged Maniac in Hopewell, VA to helping in a church construction in Martinsburg, WVA – our employees are passionate about giving their time.

Associated Asphalt community food drive

“Giving back is about making a difference in your own backyard and that’s exactly what we try to do,” says Jena. “We just listen to the community and go where the need is.”

By playing an active role in supporting organizations that drive the socio-economic environment in which we’ve been able to build our company, we can build our communities.

Associated Asphalt to Hold Job Fair at SEACO Asphalt Emulsions

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As one of the largest independent liquid asphalt resellers in the United States, Associated Asphalt continues to grow in capacity and in number of employees. To invite potential employees into the workplace, we will be hosting an on-site Job Fair at SEACO Asphalt Emulsions on Thursday, April 25, 2019, in Columbia, SC.

What to Expect

Attendees will be able to talk in person with recruiters to discover the wide variety of positions available. On-site interviews will be conducted and refreshments and giveaways will be available.

Location:
SEACO Asphalt Emulsions
2700 Tuller Drive
Columbia, SC 29205

Hours:
11:0 AM – 7:00 PM

Available Job Opportunities

All employees of Associated Asphalt enjoy the benefits of working for a large national corporation. We offer competitive wages, excellent  benefits, and opportunities for growth.

Terminal Operators
Terminal Operator 1 is an entry level operations position focused on the general functions of the terminal. Responsible for maintaining customer, supplier and Company confidentiality, receive and hook up rail cars, collect and record tank temperatures and measurements, and more.

Learn More

Fleet & Dispatch Manager
Reports to Senior Transportation Manager. Is responsible for inspecting the “Daily Load Schedule” for next day shipping, work with Terminal Manager to arrange third party haulers for product, and more.

Learn More

Heavy Truck Mechanics
A Skilled Tradesman is a highly skilled professional specializing in one or more specific trade professions who provides preventive maintenance, general maintenance and repair functions within the terminal location. This position works closely with terminal employees and leadership to ensure facilities and equipment are adequately maintained and in proper working order at all times.

Learn More

Unable to Attend?

If you live outside of the Columbia, SC area, but are still interested in joining the Associated Asphalt team, visit our job board to explore other opportunities.