Hot Mix September 2004

Major developments in the Pavement industry.

naPSa certifies 20 sweeping contractors

Ten months after initiating its contract sweeper certification program the North American Power Sweeping Association (naPSa) has certified 20 contractors with four applications pending, says Gerry Kesselring, naPSa president and president of Contract Sweepers & Equipment, Columbus and Cincinnati, OH. He says the first Certified Sweeping Company (CSC) was announced at National Pavement Expo West last December.

"Certification is an essential element of the growth and future of the contract sweeping industry. It's something naPSa has been working toward and we're very happy to have the program in place," Kesselring says. "We're proud these naPSa members have stepped up and completed the certification process to receive their CSC."

To become a CSC, which is available only to naPSa members, contract sweepers pay $300 and complete a process that qualifies the contractor in a number of areas including safety, experience, continuing education, vehicle maintenance, driver training, and adherence to naPSa's code of ethics. Once approved the certification is good for three years. Kesselring says naPSa also is developing a master certification program they expect to have in place by National Pavement Expo next February.

"The master certification sets the bar a little higher than standard certification. It requires more experience, has stricter guidelines, and establishes a higher level of commitment to the industry," Kesselring says.

NaPSa has 320 member companies, up from 250 last year. New supplier or manufacturer members are Superior Engineered Elastomers, Warren, PA; Superior Service & Supply, Concord, NC; West Coast Equipment, Glendale, AZ. SK Sweepers, Kalamazoo, MI, is a Premier member.

New naPSa member benefits include an Exxon Mobile fuel savings program enabling members to save up to 3 cents per gallon, vehicle spill kits from Breg Environmental, sweeping industry specific insurance rates through AFLAC, financing/leasing options through Bank of the Ozarks, collections services discounts through AS&B.

NaPSa also completed its first benchmarking survey with results available to participating members. For more information on naPSa, which will hold its annual meeting at NPE in Atlanta, visit www.napsaonline.com.

ASMA continues to develop sealcoating market

The Asphalt Sealcoat Manufacturers Association (ASMA) worked the last two years to get more exposure for the organization and to develop the industry, according to Carl Reed, Asphalt Coatings Engineering.

"We try to educate the end user as to when and how sealcoating needs to be done and how effective it can be when done successfully. We're trying to raise the overall awareness and overall quality of the industry," says Reed, who ends his term as ASMA president at National Pavement Expo West, Dec. 2-4 in Las Vegas.

Reed says ASMA continued to promote sealcoating to property owners and managers, getting the ASMA spec out at major property management trade shows. ASMA also is writing a sealcoating article for property management magazines to help educate the end user and to help drive traffic to the ASMA website (www.sealcoatmfg.org). ASMA now has 60 members, including eight contractors. Contractors were able to join only last year. Membership is $250 a year and includes two free ASMA-sponsored seminars at NPE West; exposure on the website; regular networking meetings; and literature. "The 'Why Sealcoat' brochure is one of ASMA's most-important efforts to develop the end-user segment of the market. And it's been very successful," Reed says. "Many contractors send the brochure along with their bids."

ASMA will host a golf outing at NPE West. Call 916-454-2560 for information.

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