On Being Deemed Essential and Rising to the Occasion

The grit of a person or organization is determined by how they respond in times of crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has up-ended “business as usual” for many industries in the United States and across the world. In this crisis, we are very humbled that our industry has been deemed essential.  While we have always realized the importance of our nation’s infrastructure, we welcomed the opportunity to rise to the occasion during these challenging times.

Amidst all of the uncertainty, we are thankful to have been able to maintain operations at full capacity, while incorporating social distancing guidelines in order to protect our employees, contractors, and carriers.  Beneath our humility, we are incredibly proud of each and every one of our employees’ dedication. As James Hill, Chief Operating Officer put it, “You all represent a bright light in an otherwise cloudy situation and for that, you should smile and stand proud.”

The dedication displayed by our team has been paramount in playing our integral role in the infrastructure supply chain. Our customers depended on us. Departments of Transportation depended on us. Municipalities, inspectors, and transportation networks all counted on us to navigate this historic challenge we faced. We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank each department at Associated Asphalt.

“Rest assured, when you reflect on your individual performance you will have much to be honored by as each of you sacrificed for the collective good,” Hill wrote in a letter to the organization. “It is because of your individual actions that we are collectively able to provide an essential service to our nation.”

Not only did our team rise to the occasion to maintain operations, but they did so in alignment with the continually changing Federal and State guidelines. We worked with our customers, carriers, and suppliers to ensure that our safety priorities were not compromised. Communication and collaboration between our departments and partners has been admirable.

As we look toward the future, we will do so with an unwavering commitment to Paving the Way Forward^®. We will continue to play our critical role in our nation’s supply chain and will do so with the health and safety of everyone involved as a top priority.

“While no one can say for certain when the COVID-19 pandemic will end; I am certain it will end and when it does we will rise on the other side as a tested and stronger Associated Asphalt,” says Hill in the closing of his letter.

If you’d like to learn more about Associated Asphalt, visit AssociatedAsphalt.com, and be sure to check out our Careers section for our up to date job postings.