NAPA Honors Asphalt Industry Leaders and Quality Jobs with 2020 Awards

NAPA announced 2020 award winners during the virtual 66th annual meeting.

Gerken Paving Inc. of Napoleon, OH recipient of the 2020 Ray Brown Award for North Bass Island Airfield
Gerken Paving Inc. of Napoleon, OH recipient of the 2020 Ray Brown Award for North Bass Island Airfield
National Asphalt Pavement Association

Annually, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) awards companies who strive for excellence, demonstrate environmental stewardship, complete quality jobs, innovative safety practices and community outreach.

Top National Award for Quality in Asphalt Paving

The Sheldon G. Hayes award is for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement. The award, bestowed annually since 1971, recognizes the country’s highest quality highway pavements. 

Lindy Paving Inc. and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation – District 11 were named the winner of the 2020 Sheldon G. Hayes Award. Lindy Paving Inc. won for its work on SR 279 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Finalists for the award were Pittman Construction Co. and the Georgia Department of Transportation for work on SR 15 in Jackson County; and The Shelly Co., A CRH Co., and The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission for Ohio Turnpike in Portage and Trumbull Counties.

The Sheldon G. Hayes Award winner and finalists are determined through a two-year evaluation process. All highway pavement projects using more than 50,000 tons of asphalt are eligible for consideration. Initially, the project must win a Quality in Construction (QIC) Award, which is determined by numerical scores given by an independent pavement engineer based on how well the contractor met specifications and achieved density on the finished pavement. All the pavements that meet a benchmark figure earn the QIC Award.

The year after a project wins a QIC Award, it is eligible for consideration for the Sheldon G. Hayes Award. The top-ranked projects from each year are tested for smoothness, and then visually inspected by an independent pavement consultant with many years of experience in the industry. This year, the evaluator praised all the candidates for their high-quality construction practices, which resulted in smooth, safe, and durable pavements.   

“The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building quality pavements that deliver high performance and drivability to the public,” said James Winford, NAPA 2020-21 Chairman.

The award is named for Sheldon G. Hayes, a founder of NAPA and the association’s first chairman. Hayes spent his entire career striving for better construction techniques and improvements in the quality of asphalt pavements.   

Highest Quality Airport Pavement

Gerken Materials Inc. of Napoleon, OH was awarded the 2020 Ray Brown Asphalt Pavement Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement.

“The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building high-quality projects that deliver superior performance to the traveling public. All contractors’ projects earning a Quality in Construction award are measured against best practices designed to live up to that commitment,” said 2020-21 NAPA Chairman James Winford. “Earning the Ray Brown Pavement Award demonstrates that Gerken Materials Inc. has met or exceeded these rigorous standards.”    

Gerken Materials Inc. won the award for the resurfacing of Runway 1-19 and adjoining east apron at the North Bass Island Airfield in Ohio. The award is named after Ray Brown, the Director of the National Center for Asphalt Technology from 1991-2007. Under Ray’s guidance and tenure, the center became renowned for its asphalt pavement research. The award is presented to the highest scoring Quality in Construction - Airport Pavement project.   

Gerken Materials placed two, 2-inch lifts of asphalt on the runway. The company used a ferry to transport 3,500 tons of asphalt to this remote island 10 miles offshore. Once on the island, the asphalt-hauling trucks had to travel down fields and roadside rights-of-way to avoid damaging the roads. The last paving shift worked 20 hours to place the pavement before inclement weather. The result was a quality asphalt runway.    

Larry H. Lemon Awards

This award recognizes  excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement utilizing less than 50,000 tons of asphalt.

The award is named after Larry Lemon of Haskell Lemon Construction in Oklahoma City. Lemon served faithfully on the NAPA Awards Committee for 18 years, before serving as Chairman of the association’s Board of Directors in 2010 prior to his retirement.

The Larry H. Lemon Quality in Construction Award recognizes the 10 highest-scoring projects submitted for a Quality in Construction Award in the General Paving (less than 50,000 tons) category. For 2020, due to a tie, NAPA is recognizing 11 projects.

"The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building high-quality projects that deliver superior performance to the traveling public. All contractors’ projects earning a Quality in Construction award are measured against best practices designed to live up to that commitment,” said 2020-21 NAPA Chairman James Winford.    

  • APAC-Mississippi, A CRH Co., of Jackson, MS, for its work on Hwy. 278 in Monroe County
  • Apex Paving Cos., Delta Cos. Inc. of Cape Girardeau, MO, for work on Route E in Ripley County
  • Apex Paving Cos., Delta Cos. Inc. of Cape Girardeau, MO, for the Route F in Stoddard County project
  • Barrett Paving Materials Inc., of Middletown, OH, won an award for US 40 in Vandalia, OH
  • Gerken Paving Inc., of Napoleon, OH, won an award for work on Round Lake Highway
  • Louisville Paving & Construction Co. of Louisville, KY, for Old Cardinal Stadium Parking Lot
  • Payne & Dolan Inc., a Walbec Group Co., of Gladstone, MI, for M-28 in Sault Ste. Marie, MI
  • Poe Asphalt Paving Inc. of Post Falls, ID, for work on North Kootenai Road
  • Shelly & Sands Inc., of Zanesville, OH, for its work on SR 555 in Morgan County
  • The Shelly Co., A CRH Co., of Thornville, OH, for Fair Avenue in Lancaster, OH
  • Wiregrass Construction Co. Inc., a Construction Partners Inc. Co., of Montgomery, AL, for I-65 in Lowndes County    

Top Asphalt Plants 

The Environmental Leadership award recognizes plants that demonstrate environmental stewardship, strong community relations and possess an aesthetically pleasing site. Earning the award is a two-year process that begins with a company applying for and earning the Diamond Achievement Sustainable Commendation. In the second year, companies are invited to submit additional information regarding environmental and beautification upgrades to the facility, and community and employee activities.

“Members of the asphalt industry strive to be good neighbors in their communities by conducting outreach activities, enacting operational upgrades that reduce environmental impact, and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing plant site. The selection process for this prestigious award is rigorous, and in winning this award, the companies have demonstrated their commitment to their community, and to excellence in their plant operations,” said NAPA 2020-21 Chairman James Winford.    

  • Brox Industries Inc. of Dracut, MA for the Dracut Gencor Drum 2 facility
  • Rogers Group Inc. of Knoxville, TN for Candora Asphalt Plant
  • Tilcon Connecticut Inc., A CRH Co., of New Britain, CT for the New Britain Drum Plant

Celebrating Safety Innovations and Community Involvement

“NAPA members strive for excellence beyond constructing high-quality asphalt pavements. The two categories of the Operational Excellence Awards — Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation and Community Involvement — recognize a company’s commitment to operations that make them good contractors, good industry ambassadors, and good neighbors,” stated NAPA Chairman James Winford.

The 2020 Asphalt Industry Leaders for Operational Excellence include:

 Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award Winner:

  • Kokosing Construction Co. Inc. of Fredericktown, OH, for Lone Worker Solution

Community Involvement Award Winners:

  • Callanan Cares at Callanan Industries Inc., A CRH Co., of Albany, NY

Community Involvement Award Finalists:

  • Ajax Paving’s Community Involvement Program at Ajax Paving Industries of Florida LLC, of Venice, FL
  • Rogers’ Northern Middle Tennessee Region at Rogers Group Inc. of Gallatin, TN
  • Silver Star Community Team at Silver Star Construction Co. Inc. of Moore, OK   

The NAPA Awards Program recognizes and encourages continuous improvement in all aspects of paving and asphalt operations. For more information about the NAPA Awards program, or to nominate a project or company for an award, visit www.AsphaltPavement.org/programs/napa-programs/awards.    

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