My first national pavement event was in Charlotte, NC, in 2023. There are a lot of things that I learned from that experience that have carried through all the way to now. The biggest things, by far, are the relationships that I established and that continue to grow.
One of those was with ARM Pavement Services, Rodd Moore and his sons who operate out of Detroit. They were the first contractor who's story I had the privilege to share with readers of the magazine. That conversation was something that set the tone for how I was going to structure my articles about contractors going forward.
Obviously, another big meeting was with Kenny Roy and the team behind Royal Pavement Solutions. They've continued to be a huge source of camaraderie and experience in the field, as I've spent more time out on the jobsite with these guys from Long Island than anywhere else. Somehow, during Mardi Gras and PAVE/X we found the time to go at devour a 10+ pound cajun seafood boil. That's something I will never forget #RoyalBoil.
Ethan Peters
But another important thread from 2023 found an inflection point in New Orleans this past week. We have an amazing team of business owners, retired pavement pros, sweepers, pavers, and everything in-between, who make up our Pavement Advisory Board. I met them all for the first time at a luncheon in Charlotte, and I was nervous as all hell.
I needed these guys to like me, and I was nervous that they wouldn't. If they didn't accept me, how was I going to be able to function in this role? The good news is that they were the best, but the bad news was that after that luncheon, I kind of dropped the ball.
You see, every year when we do the Pavement Awards, the winners are voted on by this advisory board. That's one of the biggest parts they play in making the selection as fair and unbiased as possible. Not only that, but their expertise ensures that the winning jobs are of actual consequence, and not something that an editor just thinks is cool. But this isn't supposed to be their only job.
Before my time, they were much more engaged with the content creation for the magazine, as well as, supporting the editorial team. However, if there's one thing I've not really handled the best -- it's been this facet of the job. Consequently, the first two years of PAVE/X, I failed to even meet with the board. It kept falling out of my priority list. But this year I got my act together.
I want to thank them (you can find their names listed in the front matter of every issue), but especially call attention to Nick Howell, who also contributes the Owner's Desk column. He really made it a point to reach out to me, offering his support in any way he could, and was key in getting the ball rolling.
Going forward he is going to function as the Director of the Pavement Advisory Board, and we have a much bigger role planned for the board. I still need their support and help to make this magazine a success, and I'm grateful to them all. This is the real benefit of shows like IGNITE and PAVE/X, because the relationships you build are irreplaceable. You just don't know what you're missing until you take the plunge.
See you on the road!
