NPE Seminars Help You Pave Your Way to Success

We're just one week away! Still have free time while you're at the National Pavement Expo in Nashville next week? These seminars can help you and your crew improve your pavement & pavement maintenance business.

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It's crunch time as the 2015 National Pavement Expo is just a week away. This year, we're featuring 53 conference sessions including 11 three-hour workshops and 42 90-minute seminars over four days (Jan 28th-31st). Conference manager Allan Heydorn says 37 of the 53 sessions are new (including four new paving sessions) and there will be 25 new presenters.

Conference sessions will cover a variety of topics including cracksealing, paving, repair, sealcoating, striping, sweeping and business management. Still looking for sessions to attend? Put these on your list to register for: 

C-20 – How to Make Third-Party Providers Work for Your Business 

Friday, Jan 30 2015 8:00AM - 9:30AM
Room: 101E
Topic: Management/Sweeping
Free to WSA!

Moderator: Ranger Kidwell-Ross, World Sweeping Association

Kevin Kroeger, DSS Sweeping Service
Rich Arlington, Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group
Michael Nawa, Custom Maintenance Services
Uri Ben-Yashar, East Coast Sweeping

Third-party providers have developed a reputation in the pavement maintenance industry for being difficult to work with -- but they’re not going away. Plus, they affect every aspect of the pavement & pavement maintenance industry. This new session brings together representatives experienced with both sides of the arrangement to clarify the concept, the process and to outline the advantages and potential difficulties of entering into contractual arrangements working for third-party providers. The session includes contractors who work for them as well as two third-party providers. You’ll learn when using a third-party provider can benefit your business, how to incorporate their sales efforts into your operation, and specific steps you need to take before signing that third-party agreement on the bottom line. Plus, you’ll take home tips to make sure the arrangement works for you and insights into how best to handle conflicts should they arise. While third-party providers made their initial inroads via the sweeping industry they have recently begun branching out into landscaping, sealcoating, striping and other facility maintenance services. That means this session is for all pavement maintenance contractors!

*NEW and FREE to WSA Members


A-2 - Adding Service - and Profits - to Your Striping Business:

Wednesday, Jan 28 2015 1:00PM - 2:30PM
Room: 101E
Topic: Sealcoating/Striping
Robert Liles, Robert Liles Parking Lot Service

Pavement marking, especially restriping of parking lots, is often commodity work that needs to be priced competitively. But striping contractors can generate more revenue from every parking lot or playground by offering additional problem-solving services to their customers. Designed specifically for NPE’s striping contractors, this session will teach you marketing and installation tips for adding wheel stops, signs, bollards, and even game court striping to the services you offer. You’ll learn the impact each of these services can have on your business, including the time each takes and the equipment you need, plus you’ll take home return-on-investment insights that can help you determine how to diversify your pavement marking business. A great opportunity to expand your striping business by adding simple, basic – and profitable -- services.

A-3 -  So You work at Night? How Helping Your Operators will Improve Productivity, Profitability & Safety:

Wednesday, Jan 28 2015 1:00PM - 2:30PM
Room: 101D
Topic: Management/Sweeping
Bill Davis, Circadian Technologies Inc.

Sweeping contractors who run night shifts constantly face issues of safety and liability, profitability, reduced performance, poor morale and high absenteeism -- but much of that can be improved through better shiftwork policies and practices. In this session you’ll learn how to save money, improve productivity, run a safer sweeping shift, and boost employee morale by altering the way you schedule your operators and by bringing your policies and training programs in line with new research. You’ll learn how to determine optimal staffing and shift schedules and how implementing effective Fatigue Risk Management Systems can result in dramatic reductions of fatigue and human error while improving operating efficiency. Last year’s session covered the “whys” of human fatigue in 24/7 and/or overnight operations; this year come learn what you can do to significantly overcome the debilitating effects of the inherent physical stress and fatigue in the 24-hour workplace. A session for owners, managers and equipment operators.

*NEW and FREE to NAPSA Members

AC-8 – Warm Mix and Its Impact on Your Paving Operation :

Saturday, Jan 31 2015 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Room: 102AB
Topic: Paving
Don Rooney, Pioneer Paving & Grading

One of the most innovative paving technologies to come along in recent years is warm mix asphalt and in this new session you’ll learn all about this material and how to put it down. You’ll learn the basics -- including why warm mix asphalt is becoming increasingly important in the paving industry -- from a consultant who specs the jobs and manages the projects, then you’ll get the on-the-job perspective from a contractor who’s used it in the field, including paving a test section of a parking lot. You’ll learn how warm mix is similar to traditional hot mix asphalt, how it acts differently, and what you need to know when bidding and constructing pavements involving this cutting-edge technology. You’ll take home a greater understanding of the impact warm mix asphalt is likely to have on your in-the-field paving operation, your bidding process, and your paving business

B-11 – Improving Your Infrared Pavement Repair Operation:

Thursday, Jan 29 2015 8:00AM - 9:30AM
Room: 101D
Topic: Paving/Repair
Tom Eosso, Eosso Brothers Paving

Learn how to integrate infrared repair equipment into your pavement maintenance operation in this contractor-focused session presented by a veteran infrared repair contractor. You’ll learn about the infrared process and how to perform the work, including a step-by-step explanation of a basic infrared repair. Plus you’ll “work through” examples — complete with photos and on-the-job video — of the unusual variety of jobs that can be completed successfully using infrared technology. And, you’ll take home specific infrared techniques and approaches you and your crew can rely on in the field to make infrared pavement repair an efficient and profitable addition to your services. For any contractor doing — or considering — infrared repair.

B-15 – Surface Preparation:“Best Practices” to Improve Your Bottom Line:

Thursday, Jan 29 2015 10:00AM - 11:30AM

Room: 101D
Topic: Striping
Steven Smith, SMITH Manufacturing

This new session will help both the novice and experienced striping contractor prepare their concrete or asphalt surfaces and remove pavement markings in a manner that both satisfies the engineer AND your bottom line. An insider with loads of experience as a former striper, thermoplastic producer and current removal equipment manufacturer, Steven will demystify the removal process to help you avoid the pitfalls of the removal process even before your work is bid. If you want your stripes to bond in any season and outlast your guarantee, If you thought you knew everything about removal but were afraid to ask, this is one program you and your removal crews must attend. Advanced registrants will be eligible for a free Removal Analysis and attendees will receive an experts guide for surface preparation and removal. 

D-27 – Market Research 101: How to Learn What You Need to Know Before You Start Marketing:

Saturday, Jan 31 2015 8:00AM - 9:30AM
Room: 101A
Topic: Management
Colby Humphrey, The Center for Construction Innovation & Development
Brad Humphrey, Pinnacle Development Group

Every company needs to market itself, but before marketing comes market research. In this new “marketing essentials” session you’ll learn why successful companies do market research (and what contractors can learn from the research), what market research contractors can start implementing on their own, and how to make market research a part of your company’s growth strategy. You’ll take home the tools you’ll need to start utilizing market research practices in your operation and you’ll learn how and where to obtain more sophisticated marketing efforts should you need them. Plus you’ll take home 7 tips you can put to use as soon as you get back to the office. What you learn here will make all your marketing efforts more effective!

C-24 – How to Manage Your Company’s Growth: Cautionary Tales from the Front:

Friday, Jan 30 2015 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Room: 101E
Topic: Management
Vinny Engongoro, Roccie’s Asphalt Paving
Nick Howell, T & N Asphalt Services
Michael Nawa, Custom Maintenance Services

Every contractor regardless of size or service faces growth issues that can be either a boon to your business or can take you down – and out. In this new session three veteran pavement maintenance contractors will share their growing pains, letting you in on the growth they pursued, the problems and potential damage they faced, and the solutions they eventually came up with. You’ll learn how rapid growth can fast become uncontrolled, how to avoid “drowning in opportunity” while pursuing new customers, and how growth through acquisition can be a great idea that can push your company to the brink depending on timing and management. You’ll leave this session with insights on how to manage your own growth and you’ll take home tips on pitfalls you can avoid. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from others who have been there. Growth is good, and this session will help you control and manage yours. The “must see” session for growing contractors!

D-32 - How Decorative Sealcoating Adds Value to Your Sealcoating Business:

Saturday, Jan 31 2015 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Room: 101B
Topic: Sealcoating
Mario Flores, Ethos Enterprises

Sealcoating asphalt pavement doesn’t have to be a commodity service that’s sold and provided at the lowest price. In this new session you’ll learn how to sell and install decorative sealcoating to enhance your clients’ pavement and improve your sealcoating bottom line. You’ll learn the difference between “decorative sealcoating” and “decorative asphalt coating,” how to identify asphalt that is a sound candidate for a decorative solution, how best to educate customers regarding options for asphalt surface treatments, and the benefits of decorative asphalt coatings including durability, cure times, LEED credits and design versatility. Differentiate yourself from your competition and improve your sealcoating profit margin by offering decorative sealcoating.

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