Roanoke transplant Carrie Conard-Watson joined the Associated Asphalt family in the summer of 2022 as our HRIS & Benefits Administrator. Carrie brings years of experience, an infectiously positive attitude, and a great outlook to the Associated Asphalt team.
Carrie’s professional background is expansive. Construction, retail management, insurance, manufacturing, interior design; you name the industry, Carrie has likely dabbled in it. Carrie’s passion to help people has followed her throughout her career. Even when she was 16 and used to sweep floors at the hair salon where her mother worked, she enjoyed listening to the patrons’ stories and talking with them.
“Before getting into HR, my previous experience fell in customer service and co-owning an interior design business,” says Carrie. “At one point, I had my class A contractor’s license so I could understand and read the blueprints to better help customers.” Her people skills really helped her out in these scenarios! Carrie has always worked within the public in customer service-related fields, “Around 2008, I fell into the HR world because I’m a people person.” She has a passion for helping others solve problems and human resources felt like the perfect fit.
As a means to support her interior design business back in the day, Carrie picked up a job at a local manufacturing plant/bakery as the office admin and worked her way up to become HR Manager. “After ten years, I obtained my certification through SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) in August of 2020,” she mentions. “That was big for me because I had pushed myself and achieved that goal.”
“Helping people solve their problems comes naturally,” Carrie says. “I actually enjoy working in HR, I get to accomplish things not just for the company but for the individuals who make up the company.” In her experience as an HR manager, Carrie was used to performing all aspects of the job but wanted to specialize in something specific; enter Associated Asphalt. “When I saw the job posting, I thought it sounded perfect,” she mentions. “I want to specialize in something HR specific and this job specializing in the human resources information system (HRIS) and benefits would be perfect.”
Currently, Carrie is learning the ropes of Associated Asphalt, the flow of the processes, the landscape, and how everyone works together to accomplish their goals. “My favorite thing about the job is learning new things every single day,” she mentions. In addition to helping others, Carrie’s second passion is learning. “I love to learn, process what I’ve learned, and teach others; that’s who I am,” says Carrie. “That’s my reward, to feel like I’ve accomplished something or helped someone that day.”
Associated Asphalt’s company culture is often a topic new employees mention. “I’ve spoken with several terminal managers, supervisors, and employees,” she says. “Across the board, I feel like the culture here is great because we all have a common goal of customer satisfaction and having a good day at work.” Later on down the road, Carrie would love to journey onto the path of HR leadership, learning, and development and leverage her skills and experience to empower Associated Asphalt.
It’s no surprise that her passion to help translates into her personal life. Carrie is an advocate for dogs and is passionate about supporting local animal shelters like Franklin County Humane Society, Bedford County Animal Shelter, and Angels of Assisi. Three pups, two cats, several chickens, and a rooster named Ichabod Slim currently call Carrie’s house a home. In her spare time, she likes to garden to grow vegetables, sunflowers, and herbs with her husband, Walter. She admits her husband does most of the work including canning the harvest.
When she’s not tending to her small farm, Carrie likes to get outside with her husband. The pair often go kayaking and even have them outfitted for fishing. The couple like to ride their Side x Side KRX and Ranger around West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Virginia while also finding the time to spend with family and friends.
