Robbie Robinson has a knack for combining his technical knowledge with marketing and sales. “I do a lot of different things as the Sr. Technical Services and Marketing Manager. I market our specialty asphalts and performance products and once I sell a job then I go and support it technically,” he said. His sales territory includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Robbie has been with Associated Asphalt for four years but has been in the asphalt industry for 32 years. “My previous background allowed me to develop a unique skill set that has benefited me in this kind of industry,” he said. A typical day or week for Robbie can take many different forms. He reflected on this and said, “I show up on the job making sure that everyone knows all the protocols. It can entail a lot of different things and I’m never sitting in one spot.”

We get the feeling he prefers it that way.

As for how he got here, Robbie said his education in Administrative Management from Clemson University, while valuable, has actually played a very little role in the day-to-day. He also took a full year of engineering classes and uses that knowledge much more frequently. While leveraging his education, he learned much of the technical and marketing expertise on the job. “In this work, it’s a very hands-on learning experience and that’s how it’s always been.”

When it comes to technical support, there are many steps to the job. “It involves many different things including coordinating the production of the material, the timing of it, particularly knowing when the customer needs it. We then make sure that our production folks are ready for it and know what the specifications are. From there it’s managing the communication on both sides to ensure that the work gets done,” he added.

Throughout his experience, Robbie has worked on a wide variety of projects, with his primary focus on premium products. “I really enjoy the race track projects because those are so unique. Of course, there are only so many of those in a given time frame, but our process is different from project to project making it really interesting,” he reflected. He added, “I love our StellarFlex FR®,” which is Associated Asphalt’s fuel resistant product applied at airports around the country.

When asked about the future of the asphalt industry, he spoke about the evolution of Associated Asphalt. “Our business has evolved a lot over the past few years. Owners and agencies definitely want more performance and longevity out of their pavements,” he said. “They are looking at different processes and different technologies to achieve that goal. I think our company is well equipped to help our customers achieve success. It’s sometimes a tough sell because our performance products cost more up front, but it saves the customer money in the long run.”

Outside of work, as a Clemson graduate, Robbie loves to attend college football games with his family. “I take my whole family down and I’ve been going there since I was a kid. My kids didn’t want to go to Clemson, but they love it too!” Robbie also enjoys sporting clays and skiing; he even got the chance to go skiing at Park City, Utah while attending a conference. A lover of Asian food, seafood, and just spending time with family, Robbie is an example of the talented employees that make up Associate Asphalt.