The sixth annual spring seminar and equipment show of the Maine Asphalt Pavement Association (MAPA) was an opportunity for Maine paving professionals, engineers, architects, state and public works employees to refresh their skills and learn about the latest industry trends and regulations.

Milton CAT was a Silver Sponsor of the event, which drew hundreds of visitors as well as representatives from top paving equipment manufacturers who gathered in “Pavers’ Alley” to show the best in industry innovations and new technology.

The mission of the Maine Asphalt Pavement Association is to encourage and promote the safe and environmentally sound use of bituminous asphalt product applications throughout the state of Maine. According to MAPA executive director, Charles Banks, MAPA is the advocate for a unified industry voice and provides a forum for advancing teamwork and the educational process within the asphalt industry, its clients and the driving public; through that proactive process, MAPA’s objective is to provide the best, most economical, enhancements of Maine’s transportation infrastructure.

Banks is enthusiastic about MAPA’s latest achievements — “We have accomplished a lot lately; a good example of the paving industry and the Department of Transportation working on the same team with an open mind, respect and mutual trust is a joint visit to asphalt plants, planned for October.”

Keynote speakers Joyce Taylor from the Maine DOT and John Melrose, president of Maine Tomorrow, as well as presenter Terry Humphrey, highlighted the association’s teamwork vision.

A retired training manager for Caterpillar Paving Products, Humphrey combined a global view of the key role the road infrastructure plays in a nation’s economic development, with practical information and easy-to-follow advice. His knowledge is based on a great foundation — years of round-the-globe traveling and down-to-earth consulting experience — and his training style, which calls for lots of listeners’ participation, proved a good way to retain interest from a busy audience.

Humphrey has been a speaker at MAPA events before, and according to Banks, his performance impressed the Maine DOT and he was hired to put on special courses for their employees.

“It’s exciting to see the DOT recognizing the importance of training the next generation of inspectors and getting everyone, manufacturers, pavers and government, reading from the same page,” Banks said.

A guest at the event was Jim McReynolds, president of Caterpillar’s Paving Products Division. Milton CAT Paving Products Sales Specialist Mike Courchaine introduced McReynolds to many of the event’s attendees including MAPA’s President Mike Cloutier.

“To be able to speak face-to-face with top staff from a global manufacturing company is an invaluable opportunity. To have Jim here really showed CAT’s commitment to us, and to our industry,” said Cloutier.

“It’s great to have captains of the industry meet with owners, bringing all of us together so we are a unified force with a single voice, and we can use that bond to get our collective objectives met,” Banks added.

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