2023 Slurry Systems Workshop Hit It Out of the Park

With more than 400 registered attendees, the International Slurry Surfacing Association’s (ISSA) 2023 Slurry Systems Workshop, January 16-19, in Las Vegas, Nevada was one to remember. Contractors, suppliers, and government agencies all came out to start their spring training early and get ready for the season to start.

Led by Committee Chair, Jimmy Kendrick, Bergkamp Inc, and co-chair Jamie Wing, Ingevity, the Workshop brought out all the key players this year. The Workshop Team put in countless hours to make sure this was one to not forget.

Warming up at the Workshop, 50 attendees participated in the Hands-On Day on January 16^th. Attendees had the opportunity to get their hands dirty by being a member of a micro crew for the day. Representatives from ISSA Members Bergkamp Inc, Rayner Equipment Systems, and VSS Macropaver, discussed and demonstrated calibration, how to configure the paver to meet the mix design requirements and the systems behind the covers that make it all work. They also reviewed the basics of proper set up on a micro surfacing spreader box. Finally, they hit the field and were part of Team Micro for the afternoon.

Getting the team pumped for Spring Training was Keynote Speaker Jim Sundberg. As a Texas Ranger Hall or Famer, Sundberg was the perfect addition to the Workshop. He spoke to attendees on the importance of team work and getting them motivated for a successful season. Following Sundberg, attendees heard from Dr. Andrew Barham, University of Arkansas, who provided an overview of pavement preservation. Paul Neiswonger and Charles Swann, City of Bend, discussed their pavement preservation plan in Bend, Oregon, and Matt Ferguson, VSS International, shared their 2022 ISSA President’s Award-winning project for Yosemite National Park.

Sharing the mound on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, were the breakout sessions. Attendees had the opportunity to attend these different sessions to learn more about ISSA treatments. Tim Harrawood, Vance Brothers, and Dave Kiser, Strawser Construction, presented on micro surfacing and slurry seal; Larry Tomkins, and Jason Lampley, One Way Trigeer LLC, presented on chip seal and fog seal; and Bryan Darling and Brandi Julian both of Crafco Inc, presented on crack fill treatments.

The Advance Track Session included presentations by: Rex Eberly, Eberly Unlimited, on combination treatments; Brad Pearce, Viking Construction, on aggregate & cement types in pavement preservation; Doug Ford, Pavement Coatings Co, on advancements in pavement preservation; and lastly a contractors panel that included Doug Ford, Fabio Mendez, MPI, Rusty Price, Intermountain Slurry Seal, and Tim Herbst, Slurry Pavers.

The Inspection Breakout included Ryan Olson, Southwest Slurry Seal, for micro and slurry, Doug Olsen, Western Emulsions, for chip seal, and Nicole Maxwell, Maxwell Products, for crack fill treatments. The Technical Breakout included presentations by: Debbie Deep, Ingevity, and Bob Jerman, ISSA Technical Director on the new updates of ISSA’s technical specs and multi lab studies; Aaron Walker, Ingevity, on emulsions in pavement preservations; Arlis Kadrmas, BASF Corporation, on polymers in pavement preservation; Chris Oaks, Pavement Solutions, on the importance of crack sealing; and Mo Rahman, Ergon, on chip seal best practices.

Attendees also heard from Art Baker, indus, and Peter Wroblewski, Howard Stein Hudson, on how Roadresource.org can help.

For the seventh inning stretch, attendees filled the stands for the Contractor Showcase and Demo. ISSA members Bergkamp Inc, Crafco Inc, Etnyre International, Rayner Equipment Systems, and VSS Macropaver showcased some of their leading equipment in the industry. Crafco Inc completed the crack fill demonstration. ISSA Member Sierra Nevada Construction completed the chip seal demonstration. Lastly, Bergkamp Inc along with ViaSun Corp demonstrated micro surfacing.

The final inning on Thursday included presentations from industry partners including Tony Nieves, FHWA, Todd Shields, NCPP, and Travis Walbeck, NCAT. Attendees also selected from four group sessions that included Rex Eberly, ViaSun Corp, presenting on slurry & micro calibration and record keeping; Brian Horner, Etnyre, on distributor & chip spreader operation and calibration; and Pat Denney, Arkema on materials and mix design process and Rick Wenthe and Tim O’Connell, Ingevity on troubleshooting for slurry and micro mix design. Additionally, the mix tables included Ty Hughes, Paragon Technical Services, for slurry seal, Ben Yadon, Ingevity and Melanie Robles, Heritage Research Group, for micro surfacing, Ron Arredondo and Vince Vopat, Bergkamp Inc, for laboratory equipment, Jeff Dunn and Chris Hollenback, Heritage Research Group for chip seal, and James Clark, Crafco Inc for crack seals.

The 2023 Slurry Systems Workshop could not be made possible without the sponsors. Thank you to the following sponsors:

• American Pavement Preservation
• Arkema Road Science
• BASF
• Bergkamp Inc
• Crafo Co Inc
• Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions
• Etnyre International
• FORTA
• Geneva Rock
• GreensBroom
• Ingevity
• Intermountain Slurry Seal
• Maxwell Products
• McAsphalt
• Nouryon
• One Way Trigger LLC
• Paragon Technical Services
• Secmair
• Slurry Pavers Inc
• StreetSaver
• Southwest Slurry Seal
• Talis Construction
• Tymco
• UltraPave
• ViaSun Corporation
• Vance Brothers
• Viking Construction
• VSS International
• VSS Macropaver
• Western Emulsions

ISSA is currently planning the 2024 Slurry Systems Workshop. More information will be available in the coming months so keep a look out in your inbox for the Save the Date!