National Pavement Expo West - Schedule of Events

December 9, 2010
9:00 AM	W-1: Applying “Best Practices” to Your Paving Operation John S. Ball III Top Quality Paving NPEW Thursday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop A "best practices" program for successful paving contractors, their crews, and newcomers to the paving business, this session will take contractors step-by-step through the paving operation. You"ll learn how to get the most out of your crew and your equipment and how to complete high-quality paving jobs as efficiently as possible. By relying on his "patented" video discussion, nationally known paving jobsite specialist John Ball explains and is then able demonstrate through video the various paver operations, proper and improper techniques, best paving practices, problems and their solutions, as well as show tips and other insights into the paving process. You"ll learn: Paving, rolling, and handwork basics Paver, tractor, and screed operations Proven rolling techniques State-of-the-art joint construction The impact of teamwork and communication on job quality And more! You'll take home information to make sure your paving operation is operating as efficiently as possible while producing high-quality finished hot mix asphalt pavement. You can rely on this workshop to help you get your paving operation running to its full potential.
9:00 AM	W-2: Successful Sales for Pavement Maintenance Pros Jeff Stokes Next Level Contractor System NPEW Thursday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop Selling work is more than just showing up and saying you do "quality" work or hoping your "bid price" is close. Today's selling environment requires real selling skills that start with analyzing and understanding your customer's needs and end with relentless follow up. Successful salespeople understand that selling is a process, and in this new session Jeff Stokes will work you through that sales process so you can improve your sales efforts and results. From this session, you will be able to: Implement a proven 7 step selling process in your next client presentation Develop a more comprehensive proposal based on real client needs Improve sales closing ratios and profit margins Clearly know what changes in your sales process need to be improved How to differentiate yourself in your sales presentation You'll leave this session with the ability to clearly demonstrate your unique ability to meet your customer's needs better than any other contractor. If you want to increase sales and margin this session, developed specifically for National Pavement Expo West, is for you.
9:00 AM	W-3: Profitable Pavement Maintenance Job Costing for Contractors Guy Gruenberg Grow Consulting NPEW Thursday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop What is the most profitable service you perform? You might be surprised at the answer once you start working through real-time paving and pavement maintenance job costing scenarios. In this session you'll learn how to better cost the primary pavement maintenance services: Paving, sealcoating, striping, and repair. You'll learn: The essential elements to consider when determining job costs How to calculate costs for each aspect of the job Why the capacity of your equipment and your team is essential to accurate costing, bidding - and profit, and What type of team you will need to obtain efficient production Job difficulty will also be discussed. Starting with conceptual spreadsheet costs you will learn how to apply these basic techniques to your accounting package. QuickBooks Pro will be the example program and the session will work through direct cost to selling price. Included will be determining your overhead and sales budget. Job costing doesn't have to be difficult, but it does have to be done properly. This session, developed specifically for contractors, will show you how.
9:00 AM	W-4: Parking Lot Striping for Contractors Mick Vinckier Parking Lot Maintenance NPEW Thursday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop This popular three-hour session will teach you how to become a better striper if you're already in the business - and it will teach what you need to know to become a striper if you aren't one. Designed for the working level and intended as a classroom version of hands-on training, the course will take you through everything from equipment and materials to layout and material application, clean up, and disposal, including: Reading specs and plans Lot squaring Establishing angles You'll learn some real tricks of the trade, see some new ideas in tools that will improve the quality of your striping while improving your efficiency, and you'll leave with the sound understanding of parking lot layout and striping that contractors need to be successful. Heavy emphasis will be placed on what you need to know to set up and run a striping business and on the basics of laying out 90-degree and angle parking stalls. You'll take home recommendations that will make your job easier as well as tips that will help you improve your finished work. Videos of parking lot striping will be shown. A course for everyone - from crew members to foremen and owners - with a desire to work in or run a more profitable pavement marking business.
1:00 PM	A-1: Materials Selection: Higher Quality and Happier Customers, Part 1 Wayne Jones Asphalt Institute NPEW Thursday Seminars - Tired of customers holding up payment because the mix you just placed "looks too coarse"? What is Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) and will it change my operation? These are a just a couple of many material-related questions that will be answered in this new session developed specifically for the National Pavement Expo shows. Based on the Asphalt Institute's newest manual MS-16 Asphalt in Pavement Maintenance and Preservation, this interactive session will make you more knowledgeable about asphalt materials and mixtures helping your projects look better, sell easier, and be more profitable. There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and answers with Wayne, who has more than 35 years experience in the asphalt paving industry. Attendees will receive certificates granting 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).For more information about Asphalt Institute publications and seminars, visit www.asphaltinstitute.org.
1:00 PM	A-2: How Risk Reduction Can Lead to Lower Insurance Costs Thomas Zapalac NSM Insurance Group NPEW Thursday Seminars - Insurance policies are risk transfer contracts, but insurance is only one part of risk management. In this session you'll learn steps you should take to better control your risks, reduce the overall cost of your insurance, and improve your bottom line. You'll learn about internal programs to reduce losses and keep premiums under control, and you"ll see the impact housekeeping efforts, job site supervision, equipment maintenance, and more can have on your risk and costs. Plus, you'll learn what to do after a loss and why how your company responds after a loss is as important as what you did before the loss occurred. Applying this information will help you control insurance costs and will position your company to take advantage of the most favorable insurance products and pricing in the market. Bring your questions!
1:00 PM	A-3: Sealcoating Basics for Contractors Steve Jackson Western Emulsions/Guardtop NPEW Thursday Seminars - The more you know about sealcoating, the better job you'll do and the more profitable sealcoating business you'll have. This introductory and refresher course - one of the strongest and best-attended sessions presented each year - is designed to help sealcoating contractors improve the quality of their work-and their bottom line - by giving them a better understanding of sealcoating materials, equipment, mix design, and application techniques. You'll also learn the dos and don'ts of the business as well as tips on troubleshooting at the jobsite. New sealcoaters and those thinking of getting into the business shouldn't miss this session. Plus, it's a solid refresher course for crew members and even industry veterans. And it's all information you can take home and put to use on your next sealcoating job!
1:00 PM	A-4: Increasing Efficiency in the Field Guy Gruenberg Grow Consulting NPEW Thursday Seminars - Because your crews and equipment are out on every job, any improvement in field efficiency is multiplied over the number of jobs - and that can make a real impact on your business. In this session you'll learn tips and techniques that can help you save money every time your crew heads into the field. You'll learn how to do a better job tracking time, how to minimize equipment repairs, when it's better to rent vs. buy, how to develop measurable goals so you can offer incentives for improved field performance, and more!. Improving field efficiency in pavement maintenance, paving, and sweeping is a challenge - and this new session is up to the task!
1:30 PM	W-5: Getting the Most Out of Your QuickBooks! Pam Newman Realizing Profitable Potential through Change Inc. NPEW Thursday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop Most contractors rely on QuickBooks for office, accounting, and other financial functions, are you getting the most out of this versatile and easy-to-use software? This intermediate-level session, presented by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and contractor financials specialist, will take you beyond the basics, teaching you more of what QuickBooks can do to help your business. You'll start with a brief review of QuickBook's basic features, including invoicing, bill paying, and financial reports, but then you'll quickly move on to the next level, learning how to use QuickBooks to: Set up budgets, Implement and simplify job costing, Customize reports and forms to meet your specific needs, Troubleshoot to meet your specific needs. Plus, you'll take home tips and shortcuts that will enable you to use QuickBooks more efficiently every day. Designed for contractors and office managers who have some experience using QuickBooks, this session will take your QuickBooks use to the next level by helping you become more proficient in its use.
3:00 PM	A-5: Pavement Evaluation and Repairs: Higher Quality and Happier Customers, Part 2 Wayne Jones Asphalt Institute NPEW Thursday Seminars - In the second part of the Asphalt Institute's specially developed NPE West session you'll learn practical "troubleshooting" guidelines for pavement repair including examples of what causes pavements to fall apart. After learning how to evaluate an asphalt pavement you'll tackle "best practices" for repairing asphalt pavements and get tips on how to "up sell" your operations to solve long-term problems for your customers. Based on the new edition of AI's best-selling manual MS-16 Asphalt in Pavement Maintenance and Preservation, this session will provide suggestion on ways to attract repeat customers and how to improve your projects without additional cost. There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and answers with Wayne, who has more than 35 years experience in the asphalt paving industry. Attendance in Part 1 on materials is not a pre-requisite to attending this session. Attendees will receive certificates granting 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).For more information about Asphalt Institute publications and seminars, visit www.asphaltinstitute.org.
3:00 PM	A-6: Managing and Motivating the "Mosaic Generation" Workforce Jeff Stokes Next Level Contactor System NPEW Thursday Seminars - Not only are there fewer workers available for tomorrow's jobs, but the "Mosaic" workers come with a whole new set of rules and values (including the need for real conversation). In this session you'll discover "generalizations" about this new generation of workers and you'll learn how they compare and contrast with "Boomers" and "Builders." You'll learn detailed action steps that will enable supervisors to engage the hearts and minds of today's workers as you seek to keep them motivated, including: Understanding the forms of communication that are desired and accepted by this generation; learning the key steps in attracting, retaining and motivating these workers; and incorporating new ideas into daily practice to build trust and respect with these workers. Your workforce is the key to your success, and this session will help you get the best out of this new generation of workers.
3:00 PM	A-7: Striping Distribution Centers, Factory Floors, and Other Indoor Work Robert Liles Robert Liles Parking Lot Service NPEW Thursday Seminars - Striping pros can keep crews and equipment productive and keep cash flowing by providing indoor striping services to distribution centers, factories, and other facilities that need indoor marking. In this new session, presented by a striper experienced in both indoor and parking lot work, you'll learn everything you need to know to take your striping business indoors when the weather gets wet or too cold to stripe. You'll learn how the equipment you already own can be used, and what equipment you need to add. You'll learn about the different marking materials and processes required indoors (including removal of floor sealer), and you'll learn safety guidelines that apply to your indoor work. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about a striping niche that can expand your business.
3:00 PM	A-8: How Infrared, Recyclers & Hot Box Reclaimers Improve Repairs and Your Bottom Line Kurt Schwartz KM International NPEW Thursday Seminars - Nowadays there's a lot more to pavement repair than cold mix and a shovel, and in this new session you'll learn how you can integrate three technologies - infrared repair, asphalt recycling, and hot box reclaimers - into your pavement repair and rehabilitation operations. You'll learn about the flexibility of infrared equipment, what you need to consider before adding a portable recycler to your fleet (and how that will benefit your business), and why hot box reclaimers are the most inexpensive piece of equipment you can't do without. Plus, job case scenarios will show you how quickly you can repay your investment in this equipment. You'll leave this session knowing how these technologies will help you improve your pavement repairs while making a significant impact on your bottom line.
December 10, 2010
8:00 AM	B-09: Gotcha! Attitude is Everything in Sales Guy Gruenberg Grow Consulting NPEW Friday Seminars - Come catch the motivation from this high-energy seminar that will get you focused on how Attitude is Everything(R) and then show you how to apply this Attitude Is Everything(R) concept to the 12 steps of Sales Genius. Innovative in its own right, this updated seminar incorporates fresh motivational concepts from everyday life and sales applications. Plus, you'll learn how you can create concise one-page sales and marketing action plans to help keep you on track. Packed with new ideas and reminders to help ensure your sales success for 2011. Don't miss it!
8:00 AM	B-10: You've Earned It, Here's How to Keep It! Robert M. Pitkin Levy and Craig NPEW Friday Seminars - Doing the job right is only part of a contractor's business; getting paid for the work is just as important. An attorney specializing in construction and collections law will discuss what you can do to collect what you are owed more quickly and at less cost. You'll learn key provisions every contract should contain, payment remedies you can use and how each works, and you'll learn how you as a contractor can actually lose the right to collect what you are owed. You'll also learn how to navigate thru bankruptcy court and protect your rights when bankruptcy is filed by the owner/developer, general contractor or a supplier. Not a seminar filled with "legalese," but a down-to-earth explanation of your legal rights, responsibilities - and tips to help you keep what you've earned.
8:00 AM	B-11: Better Estimating on Sealcoating Jobs Jeff Stokes Next Level Contractor System NPEW Friday Seminars - Knowing how to bid competitively - while still being able to increase your profits - is one of the secrets of running a successful sealcoating business. And this highly successful session will do more than reveal the secret - it will show you how to better calculate the actual cost of each sealcoating job. You will learn bidding techniques that - based on the actual job cost - will ensure you a reasonable job profit, and you'll also work through a step-by-step example of a sealcoating job, learning all the factors that must go into costing and bidding each type of work. Don't miss this chance to increase your profits by improving your estimating and bidding. What you learn in this session can reap profits on your very next bid!
8:00 AM	B-12: Improve Your Overlay Work Jim Scherocman, P.E., Consulting Engineer NPEW Friday Seminars - Overlay work is a mainstay of most paving contractors and this session will help you improve every parking lot and roadway overlay you do. First you'll learn why preparation of the pavement surface is essential to a long-lasting, quality overlay. Then you'll learn surface preparation "best practices" including the most-effective techniques for patching, cracksealing, and cleaning the pavement surface. Next you"ll work, step by step, through the construction process, from tack coat application to hot mix asphalt placement and compaction. What you learn in this session will improve your overlays on your very next job!
8:00 AM	W-6: Understanding Pavement Defects & Repair Options James Curtis Chec Management Systems, Inc. NPEW Friday Seminars - 3 Hour Workshop Get more work, earn more money, and do a better job for your clients by making sure your pavement repairs treat the cause and not the symptom. An expansion and update of the popular "Understanding Pavement Defects" seminar, this new approach combines the principles of pavement design with a solutions-oriented approach to pavement defects to help you increase your success rate on pavement patches and repairs. You'll learn the causes and cure options for all types of pavement defects, you'll take home an understanding of how the pavement surface can give you insights into what's going on beneath the pavement, plus you'll learn the basics of pavement design so you can make the best-possible repair decision for your client. Take home put-to-work information you can use on every pavement repair or patching job!
10:00 AM	B-13: Parking Lot Layout & Striping Basics Robert Liles Robert Liles Parking Lot Service NPEW Friday Seminars - Laying out parking lots for striping follows a series of steps that need to be taken in the right order, and this new session by a veteran striping contractor lays it all out for you - starting from the beginning. You'll learn how to read specs and blueprints, what it means to "square up" a lot, the importance of a base line and how to find or establish one, how to create a perpendicular line and what you can do with it, how to create the various types of angled spaces - and more! Paint and equipment basics will also be covered, plus you'll learn what every striper needs to have in his truck to get every job done. If you want the basics of parking lot layout- for yourself or your crew members - this is the place. Striping veterans attend at your own risk!
10:00 AM	B-14: Setting Strategy to Build Your Business Jeff Stokes Next Level Contractor System NPEW Friday Seminars - Studies show that just 4% of all owners have a written plan for their business -- but this 4% makes 10 times more than the others. Building a business that has significant value requires more than hard work and luck. It requires the focused attention of all personnel toward planned strategies to achieve goals. In this session, you will learn how to develop a simple yet effective process of strategy formulation that will grow your business and keep you focused for the upcoming year. You'll learn the value of vision, mission, and strategy in daily activities; why trust is critical to development of strategy; how your past efforts impact your future plans. Plus, learn how to align resources to a strategic plan, and the value of planning on motivation and profits. An essential session for growing contractors.
10:00 AM	B-15: Sweeper Safety and Operating Techniques that Protect Operators - And Your Business Jim Green Alamo Group NPEW Friday Seminars - Every contract sweeper wants safer, more effective operators and this session by a certified training specialist will help you make that happen. You'll gain insights into how people learn new safety behaviors, how to use those insights to teach safety behaviors to your operators so they "get it," and how to train your operators in safety "Best Practices" of day-to-day sweeper operations - including operating techniques. You'll leave this session able to evaluate your sweeper operators' safety awareness knowledge, and able demonstrate the "best practices" of sweeper operator safety and operating techniques. Plus you'll take home a sample training workbook and a sweeper operator pre-operation sample checklist. A session every contract sweeper should attend!
10:00 AM	B-16: Effective Compaction of Hot Mix Asphalt Jim Scherocman, P.E., Consulting Engineer NPEW Friday Seminars - Compaction is the single most important factor in the ultimate performance of a hot mix asphalt pavement. Achieving the proper air void content in the compacted mix makes the difference between a long-lasting asphalt overlay and one that fails prematurely, causing trouble and frustration for you (and your customer). This top-ranked session, by a highly-rated speaker, will help paving crews understand the basic elements of compaction and the use of various types of rollers, including static steel wheel, pneumatic tire, and vibratory steel wheel rollers. Effective compaction of both stiff and tender hot mix asphalt mixtures will be covered.
2:00 PM	B-17: Executing Your Everyday Business Strategy Every Day Guy Gruenberg Grow Consulting NPEW Friday Seminars - Don't just predict your future -- take control of it! Executing an average strategic plan is far better than not having one or than having a brilliant strategy that never gets acted upon. In this new session you'll learn the essential steps to make sure your strategic plan is carried out. You'll learn how to create a vision, how to create a brand that makes customers want to buy and prospective employees want to work for you, and how to take information from your "SWOT" analysis to create meaningful action plans to accomplish BIG GOALS! Plus, learn why in-depth market segmentation is so important, and how a competitive analysis helps you understand your niche markets. A unique part of this strategy session is identifying your Critical Success Factors. Business strategies are only effective if they are executed; this session will show you how to act on them.
December 11, 2010
8:00 AM	C-18: Improve Employee Management to Improve Your Bottom Line Jared Everett CPFM Everett Professional Services, LLC NPEW Saturday Seminars - Your employees ultimately determine the success of your company and how you manage them can be a key to your success. In this session owners, managers, and supervisors will learn how to improve your company's bottom line through more-effective management of human resources. You'll learn how to improve productivity and profitability by developing effective training programs that add to and improve skills while minimizing turnover, how to use employee evaluations to develop and motivate your employees, and "best practices" to implement to effectively handle employee discipline and terminations. Don't miss out on this opportunity to improve your bottom line by fine-tuning your human resources operation.
8:00 AM	C-19: How to Stripe the Tough Jobs Mick Vinckier Miktom Parking Lot Maintenance NPEW Saturday Seminars - Here's a session with no easy angles! Now that you know striping basics, you need to learn how to handle the tough layout and striping jobs - and this session by one of the pavement marking industry's most innovative contractors will show you how. Learn to stripe both straight-in 90-degree and 60-degree angled stalls on both inside and outside curves using simple homemade tools - and no math; learn radius development and how to stripe curved lines; plus take home shortcuts that will make your daily layout work easier. For contractors who have mastered restriping and basic layout, experienced stripers who want a fresh take on parking lot layout, and any pavement marking contractors who want to move up to the next level.
8:00 AM	C-20: How Pavement Management Programs Lead To Long-term Client Relationships James Curtis Chec Management Systems, Inc. NPEW Saturday Seminars - Contractors looking to establish long-term relationships with their commercial clients - and improve their own cash flow - need to incorporate pavement management programs into their marketing strategy. A pavement management program gives the property owner the tools to better budget and schedule routine short- and long-term pavement repairs, helps extend the life of the pavement, and helps contractors by strengthening client ties and enabling you to schedule work years ahead. After being introduced to the pavement management program concept, you'll learn how to set up this marketing tool in your company, how to sell it to your client, and you'll work through a demonstration to see the impact a pavement management program can have on your company's cash flow. A "can't-miss" session for contractors doing commercial work.
8:00 AM	C-21: Troubleshooting HMA Joint Construction John S. Ball III Top Quality Paving NPEW Saturday Seminars - The difference between a good HMA joint and a poorly constructed joint can mean the difference between a long-lasting, quality paving job and a job that looks bad and performs worse. A paving industry how-to specialist will emphasize proper construction techniques of butt and tapered transverse joints and standard and wedge longitudinal joints, and you'll take home practical tips on joint construction hand work. You'll also learn why construction of the first lane of paving is important in joint success, how the screed can improve joint construction, and you'll get an update of the latest research and "best practices" tips. You'll take home insights on joint compaction, including rolling from both the hot and cold side, as well as joint compaction Dos and Don'ts.
10:00 AM	C-22: How Your Financial Information Can Make You More Profitable Pam Newman Realizing Profitable Potential through Change Inc. NPEW Saturday Seminars - Financial knowledge is financial power! In this new session Pam Newman-Carter, author of Out of the Red, will show you how you can power-up your business using your company's financials. You'll learn what financial information you need to be collecting, the best and easiest ways to go about collecting it, and - most importantly - what to do with it once you've got it. You'll leave this session with a solid understanding of basic financial terminology, including how to read and understand a financial statement, and you'll learn what those financial statements are really telling you about your business. A great session for new owners, those thinking about owning a business and upper-level managers who need to deal with financials. Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your business using your financial information.
10:00 AM	C-23: How to Construct and Pave a Driveway Don Rooney Pioneer Paving NPEW Saturday Seminars - Constructing and paving asphalt driveways requires a solid understanding of paving basics, and in this new session you'll learn how to pave a driveway from measuring, job costing, and bidding through subbase work, base construction, asphalt placement, and compaction. In addition to effective job planning and crew management you'll learn how to order and schedule hot mix asphalt delivery to get the best results during laydown and compaction, and you'll take home tips you need to successfully pave in locations bordered by patios, garages, houses and flowerbeds. Work using mix dumped and spread by hand will be covered along with paving using an asphalt paver. A great session for driveway paving crews and for owners and supervisors considering adding driveway paving to their services.
10:00 AM	C-24: Strengthen Your Sales & Customer Service Skills Jared Everett CPFM Everett Professional Services LLC NPEW Saturday Seminars - Customer service and sales go hand in hand, and this session will help you improve both. Jared combines his experience in sales for a paving and pavement maintenance contractor with his experience in purchasing pavement maintenance services for large public institutions to create an effective sales approach considering both sides of the sales proposition. You'll learn the "best practices" for customer service specifically for the pavement maintenance industry, basic tips that will enhance the personal skills of your sales force so they can deliver better results, and review easy-to-use technology solutions to improve sales, service and communication. Plus, you'll learn how to avoid the Top 10 mistakes bidders make when responding to requests for proposals, and you'll learn how to include the Top 10 items public buyers of pavement maintenance services look for in proposals. Take home insights that will help you improve your customer service, give your sales efforts more impact, and help buyers make a commitment to your company.
10:00 AM	C-25: Improving Asphalt Mat Quality John S. Ball III Top Quality Paving NPEW Saturday Seminars - If you're looking to improve the quality of your hot mix asphalt mat, this highly rated "must attend" session is back! Segregation of hot mix asphalt will result in long-term pavement distresses, will affect your job-quality bonus, and could result in the job failing to pass inspection. In this session you'll learn what segregation is, the different ways it can occur, which mixes are more susceptible to segregation, what problems segregation can cause, how to identify segregation before it reaches your paver, and how to identify segregation in the mat. You'll learn the steps you can take all along the way - from the plant through delivery and installation - to reduce mix segregation. And, you'll learn the steps you should take once you realize segregation is evident behind the paver screed.