It was an emotional moment for construction veteran Regan Cox at the Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council’s (OAPC) recent fall seminar.
The president of the family-owned Cox Construction Ltd. of Guelph, and a former Ontario Road Builders’ Association president, he was named the recipient of the OAPC’s Bleeds Black Award. It recognizes industry members who demonstrate extraordinary passion and commitment towards promoting asphalt paving.
“I would like to thank my dad for getting me into this business, my wife, and my team,” said Cox.
In presenting the award, OAPC chair Peter Hamstra cited Cox’s professional excellence and leadership, his commitment to the industry, and his volunteer participation on a number of committees.
There were also video tributes from OAPC council director and Canadian Asphalt Industries sales director Bruce Armstrong, plant and paving committee chair Mike Deckert, and Corfinium Solutions Inc. principal Donn Bernal.
In accepting the award, Cox urged the attendees to become more involved in the OAPC’s volunteer activities.
“You will get more out of it (volunteering) than you put into it.”
The award was presented about the mid-point of the day-long seminar.
Titled Advancing with the Times, People and Processes, it featured a number of sessions ranging from recaps of ongoing programs to an examination of the asphalt industry’s personnel needs.
In keeping with the title, Imperial Oil’s Americas Asphalt Group and Technical Lead delivered a somewhat sombre message on how increased energy global demands will affect asphalt production.
“I don’t have a crystal ball and the predictions are not set in stone,” said Chris Campbell, in highlighting the findings of ExxonMobil’s Energy Transformation and Asphalt Production Trends.
It’s a long range view of energy supply and demand based on trends in population, economic development, government policies, technology and consumer preferences.
Some of, if not its main conclusion, is that nearly every net-zero scenario will require oil investment to meet the world’s energy demand and that oil remains critical to modernize economies.
“Developing countries are driving the demand of global energy growth. They want housing, jobs, clean water,” said Campbell, touching on just some points of the report.
There will also be a strong demand for materials such as plastic, cement and steel.
In bringing the report into sharp focus, Campbell said demand combined with a range of economic, social, government policies and other factors will impact oil refining and that, in turn, will impact the asphalt business.
Large refineries will have to compete on a trans-regional basis while responding to population growth and CO2 emission reduction targets. The economy will drive how refiners serve those diverse markets, he said.
Later in the day, but in a different role, Campbell provided a summary of this year’s Asphalt Technical Symposium (ATS) which he co-chairs. Sponsored by the OAPC, the symposium is an annual event where a broad cross-section of representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, OAPC, academia, suppliers, road contractors, researchers, refineries and other industry players discuss issues affecting the industry.
Held at the MTO Centre for Excellence in Transportation Infrastructure in Toronto, the symposium attracted a diverse group of speakers and generated a great deal of participation and audience engagement, he said.
In another session, a speaker put the spotlight on the problems that affect every sector: the need to attract new workers and retain existing ones.
Those challenges include an aging workforce, skilled labour shortage, high turnover rates, perceptions of the industry and “changing work values.”
That was the term used by CRH Canada Group Inc. talent acquisition manager Tara Champagne to delineate the values of the different workforce generation segments: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millenials and Generation Z.
Some of her suggestions for retaining workers include training programs, competitive compensation and benefits, and a pilot four-day work week.
A reoccurring subject at previous fall seminars has been the potential uses of Recycled (or Reclaimed) Asphalt Pavement and this year’s event adhered to that theme.
In a session titled Effective Asphalt Rejuvenation, Sripath Technologies LLC president Krishna Srinivasan presented a number of case studies of successful RAP projects in Chicago, India, Brisbane Australia and New York City.
RAP use is on the rise, both in Canada and the United States. But measures to increase it should and can be taken.
“There is a lot of room to grow in Ontario and Canada wide,” said Srinivasan, noting many Canadian municipalities still don’t allow its use and a high percentage goes to landfill sites.
Other speakers included Ministry of Transportation bituminous section head Gelu Vasiliu and Selena Lavorato, the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association’s Ontario director. The performance of asphalt mixes when modified with aramid fibres was the subject of Vasiliu’s talk, while Lavorato provided insight into the CTAA’s role.
As multi-discipline body whose mission is to discuss issues and share knowledge, it was founded in 1955 and will be celebrating its 70th anniversary conference in Toronto in 2025, she said.
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