The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has named as its 2013 Chairman Frank D. Surianello, P.E., CEO and President of Surianello General Concrete Contractors, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.
In accepting the role of Chairman of the ACPA Board of Directors, Surianello leads the Association on the cusp of its 50th anniversary, and in so doing, he called for a new era in inventiveness.
“I come before you tonight to begin celebration of a milestone and with a challenge for the future,” he says, adding, “The challenge is to inspire innovation and inventiveness so that together we propel the ACPA and the concrete pavement industry for the next half of a century.”
He called on members, staff, and affiliates “to challenge yourself, to help the association create more opportunities, and to be an ambassador for our industry, just as those before us did."
“Inventiveness has always driven our industry,” he says, adding, “ACPA was incorporated in 1963, when a group of individuals sensed a need of community coordination that supported their passion for concrete pavements.
“Our passion for inventiveness was first displayed when the first concrete pavement was placed in 1891 in Bellefontaine, Ohio, 17 years before the Model T first appeared,” he says, noting that this was one of scores of innovations that have become the stock and trade of the association.
He cited challenges, including state departments of transportation facing budgetary constraints, but encouraged all stakeholders to consider future opportunities.
“We must keep an eye on the future. If we are to thrive, we must maintain an inspired agenda that will motivate us to innovate and invent. Our agenda must be a simple one, provide our customers with the absolute best product.
“The future of our industry could be found in answers that are well within our reach, and we may soon see today's innovations become tomorrow's mainstay best practices,” he says, citing thin concrete overlays, materials enhancements, sustainable practices (including the use of carbon dioxide absorbing mixes; and emerging technologies as examples.
Encouraging stakeholders to get involved and remain involved, he says, “Great leaders recognize that a collaboration of resources leads to outstanding outcomes. In 2013, ACPA is celebrating fifty years, and it is very clear that great leadership has led us to this point and great leadership is needed to continue our vision for another fifty years.
Surianello was named chairman during the recent ACPA annual meeting, and will serve as chairman through 2013. Joe Bush, President of McCarthy Improvement Co., Inc., served as 2012 chairman.
