Paving, sealcoating, striping, sweeping, crack repair, and snow removal all add up to hard work performed by dedicated people. There are a lot of projects to go around, but owners and managers can be competitive, and even protective, of their trade secrets. Attendees at the recently-concluded National Pavement Exposition (NPE) in Charlotte, N.C., occasionally experienced that competitiveness while jockeying for accounts in their specific region. At NPE, however, much of that goes away in a spirit of cooperation.
“We meet people at NPE who are in the trenches, just like us, and we can freely talk about our successes and failures,” said Alex Sarandinaki, from Eosso Brothers, of Farmingdale, N.J. “People are here from all over the country, so you’re usually not speaking with direct competitors.”
“Even if you do happen to come upon a director competitor,” added Marco Menna, from All Out Paving, in Broomall, Penn., “there is a spirit of sharing, because the people here value education.”
Educational sessions and networking events such as the NASCAR Hall of Fame Party on Jan. 26 amounted to a fun time for attendees, and in the coming months, these events may foster connections that directly lead to business expansion. Todd Eichholz, owner and CEO of A&A Paving, in Roselle, Ill., is one of those repeat attendees who credits NPE networking with greatly expanding his business and its overall financial success.
“One of the coolest things about this industry is that everyone is open and honest,” said Eichholz, who also serves on the educational advisory board for NPE. “At NPE, you could have a guy who has two employees and a striping machine sitting next to a $50 million contractor at a round table and everyone is sharing and helping each other.”
Rodney Hilton, of Xpress Asphalt Solutions, in Lorraine, Ohio, agreed, remarking that, “the best part about NPE is the chance to network and bounce ideas off of people. You always learn something new at NPE.”
Frigid weather slows or even stops work in many parts of North America, so NPE’s January timeframe is just right for attendees who are looking to load up on knowledge for the busier months.
“Our season is dark right now, so it’s great to see what other people have been doing,” said Mac McLean, of Alaska Road Striping, in Fairbanks, Alaska. “We spent nine hours on a plane to get here, and I’m glad we made the trip.”
Trade shows are three-pronged operations with networking, education and products on display. Some attendees look for all three, while others hone in on one aspect. For Alaska-based McLean, the education/equipment mission was eventually accomplished.
“In addition to the education, we’re here to look at machinery, particularly Graco,” Mclean said. “We want to see what’s new and exciting, and the show is delivering.”
“The classes and all the information here at NPE is valuable,” added attendee Troy Wilkes, of Tustins Asphalt Sealing, in Plainwell, Mich. “Neal Glatt and Brad Humphrey both had excellent educational sessions and we are learning different sales tactics for sealcoating and crack filling. On the show floor we had good conversations with a company that makes crack-filling equipment. We brought four people this year from our company, and I told the owner that we must come back next year when the show is in Tampa.”
Eichholz believes that seeing equipment in-person on the tradeshow floor also has real value, particularly when pondering the considerable cost of relevant units. “With the equipment, everyone needs to see it, touch it, feel it,” Eichholz explained. “In our industry, nothing is inexpensive. To be able to see it and its competitive counterparts is super important. It's also great to speak with somebody who owns it and uses it. That's the best part.”
For exhibitors, NPE is a chance to see of lot of existing clients under one roof, with the added benefit of cultivating new relationships. On Day One, attendees got a two-hour window to check out the show floor during Preview Night. The majority of exhibitors used the night to jump-start a packed Day Two.
“Preview Night was awesome,” said exhibitors Don Wincek and Kevin Coleman of Titan Tool, Plymouth, Minn. “The camaraderie in talking with contractors and helping them with their business is rewarding. I don’t know what it was about that opening night, but we were slammed. We had five people talking to customers all the time. We’ve never seen that on an opening night.”
Exhibitors appreciated the serious nature of NPE attendees, frequently commenting that the show attracted the right audience.
“We’ve had serious inquiries and a lot of great conversations and strong interest,” enthused Josh Bond, of Curb Roller Manufacturing, in Fairview, Kan. “Overall, it’s been a really good show for us and we’re looking forward to next year in Tampa, where we may be seeing a whole other group of attendees.”
“NPE has been awesome and it feels like we’ve recovered from COVID,” added Brett Fairbourg, from Crew Tracks, in Layton, Utah. “If we don’t close a handful of sales, I’ll be shocked. We got a ton of leads.”
“In addition to hosting leading and emerging brands from the paving and pavement maintenance industry, NPE delivers more than 50 conference sessions over a 3.5-day span,” said Morgan Wilson, show director. “Whether attendees want to increase industry knowledge, sharpen skills, improve efficiency or learn about the latest and greatest products, they can do it at NPE.
“The program design of the conference allows ample opportunity to meet and network with leading contractors in the paving industry,” he continued. “Next year, the show will head south to Tampa, Fla. Show dates are Jan. 23-25, 2024. We look forward to bringing the industry together once again in the Sunshine State.”
