Paving Conference & Safety Symposium

Paving Conference & Safety Symposium
Salem Convention Center

The Oregon Asphalt Pavement Conference is the result of a partnership between APAO and the Oregon Department of Transportation, and a commitment to continuous improvement and education. The Conference brings nationally recognized experts and cutting-edge technology to Oregon to ensure that industry and agency personnel have the tools, technologies, and best practices to design and construct the best roadway infrastructure possible.
Come for the Conference and stay for the next day for free!
The Oregon Safety Symposium is at the Convention Center, and will feature speakers, vendors, and education on roadway work zone safety. The Conference and the Symposium is the perfect pairing of technical and practical subjects and will also be a great networking opportunity.

Paving Conference Pictures

Program

Paving Conference  Review:

APAO’s Work-Based Learning project is helping high school students develop transferable skills by preparing a proposal for a project on the Oregon coast for paving and placing the concrete and asphalt for a complex parking lot and road reconstruction.
Sean Devine of XBE asked us to change how we perceive errors. To be effective in a world with artificial intelligence, we need to shift our focus from only “run time” and embrace “ritual time” where we reflect on mistakes.
Buzz Powell from the Asphalt Alliance talked about innovations in pavement preservation from real life test sections. He covered the problems with slippage failures, patches, crack sealing, Thinlays, and explained how to use Hey NAPA effectively.
Jeff Shambaugh and Chris Duman from the Oregon Department of Transportation informed us about some of the challenges within ODOT and also talked about some of the positive policy developments in how ODOT is planning for the future and looking to improve specifications and simplify how some projects can be completed.
Bryce Wouri from Pavewise told us about the challenges he experienced in getting his company to be a “quality company” rather than a “production company.” Bryce provided guidance on how to set company culture and avoid the mistakes caused by poor communication. Want to get better? Set a goal to get 1 percent better at communicating every job!
Johnny Habbouche from the Asphalt Institute commented on how the refinery market is changing due to environmental regulations, but the asphalt supply market has been largely unaffected. Johnny also provided details about the HiMod asphalt being used in Utah to get improved performance in heavy loading and extreme temperature applications.

Safety Symposium Pictures

Program

Safety Symposium  Review:

The Safety & Mobility Policy Advisory Committee’s billboard design contest engages hundreds of high school students every semester on the issue of roadway work zone safety – the students become the advocates and are helping us deliver important messages to new drivers.
Justin Ganschow of Caterpillar Safety Services delivered a fantastic keynote about how leaders can actually create a safety culture. How many companies ask different levels of the organization for feedback on the other levels when it comes to safety? How many leaders focus on what people are doing right – and even if they notice what people are doing correctly, how many leaders say something about it? Trust is built over time when people see you perform under pressure, and leaders must recognize how they can build trust when it comes to safety by doing what is right when it matters.
Representatives from ODOT, the design community, and the construction industry told us about three projects where small things made big differences in making roadway work zones safer. On every project highlighted, the project participants worked together to improve safety even in situations where the changes risked being unpopular! The session was possibly the most important session of the Symposium because the projects showed how to apply what was being discussed in the other sessions.
Mark Gibson from the Oregon Trucking Association presented great information on the challenges for the trucking industry – and he also showed how trucking companies are leveraging technology to make what they do safer. Seeing examples of how video can be used helped everyone understand that it can be effective protection and used to help train drivers (and hopefully other road users).
Detective Kasey Marsland from the Tempe Police Department showed us the most memorable (and scary) video of the Symposium when he blacked out the screen every time the autonomous vehicle operator looked down. Distraction resulted in a fatal tragedy. Det. Marsland also made the point that autonomous vehicles can misinterpret their surroundings. We will be working with Det. Marsland to develop driver education materials on how crucial it is to pay attention.
Kyle Miller and Tony Leingang from WSDOT provided great – and timely – information on using speed safety cameras to enforce speed limits in roadway work zones in Washington. We are actively working to change Oregon law to allow enforcement through speed safety cameras and will be using the information to create an effective program in Oregon with the goal of changing the current culture where work zone speed limits are ignored unless police are present.
Cal Beyer from SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) helped us understand the prevalence of opioid addiction. Cal touched on mental health’s connection to safety in the context of just about everyone having experienced a loss due to overdose or suicide. We hope every company in the industry will stock naloxone/Narcan at workplaces – it’s not expensive and could save a life!
Alden Strealy (AGC), Andy Rohner (SAIF), and Brian Sornson (SAIF) gave us great information about the safety services available to Oregon companies (and ODOT). The consultants who work for each organization look for ways to help keep workers safe and also help get employees back to work after an incident. The Employer-at-Injury Program (EAIP) is available to help accommodate injured employees because getting employees back to work often helps employees recover.

Who Attends
Asphalt paving contractors, superintendents, and other construction personnel
State highway engineers, engineering technicians, inspectors, and maintenance personnel
County and municipal engineers
Public works managers and supervisors
Consulting engineers
Asphalt paving and highway construction equipment vendors
Material suppliers
State, county, and city transportation officials

There is no better local forum for field crews, inspectors, engineers, and managers to learn about what is happening in the asphalt pavement industry!

2026 Safety Symposium Sponsors