A Letter from ISSA President Dave Welborn

Greetings to all!

Some of us are anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring.

The International Slurry Surfacing Association is the leading resource for promotion, training, education and best practices of our pavement preservation technologies.

That is the mission statement your Board has committed to, and it drives our decisions on how we spend energy and resources to bring value to you, our membership. I am personally grateful to all who have gone before me to build a fiscally sound association that allows us to build for the future. I thank Eric Reimschiissel, our long-standing Treasurer, and Doug Olsen and Jason Lampley who are retiring from the board for their contributions to our success. And Larry Tomkins, our Immediate Past President, who masterfully led the association through the uncertainty of the peak of the pandemic. I especially want to thank Chuck Ingram who allowed me to interject and “stir the pot” during his two years of presidency. It is truly an honor to serve you all in my role as president of the association.

It is customary to reflect on the annual meeting in this initial communication from your president. We did have a phenomenal meeting at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield last week. The turnout was great, with over 308 registered to attend. Nobody was encumbered with mask mandates, and it felt like we were getting back to normal. Everyone celebrated with the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association, our sister association, as they as they marked their 50^th anniversary and presented an interesting history on asphalt emulsions. In contrast, our keynote speaker talked about the future and the possible changes that may be coming our way. Leading our association toward the future possibilities will be my focus.

Every accomplishment starts with PEOPLE. Returning to the Board are Vice-President Brad Pearce, Secretary Jeff Roberts, Treasurer Chris Oakes, Past President Chuck Ingram, and directors Tim Harrawood, Justin Guiles, and Fabio Mendez. Bob Jerman continues to serve as Executive Technical Director. We are adding four new directors to the board this year: Jimmy Kendrick, Dave Kiser, Rolando Perez, and Stan Williams. This may be the biggest insurgence of new blood into the board since the first one, and I am excited about the new ideas and energy they will bring to the board and how they will challenge us all to be better. Future leaders are discovered largely through their involvement in committees. Our committees are getting fully staffed thanks to the efforts of the Leadership Development Team as they match needs with people’s interests and talents. And our committees have a lot going on: membership growth targets, unified marketing messaging, expanding our international footprint, and continued excellence in the slurry systems workshop to name a few.

Our technical committee has several opportunities to impact the future of our technologies. Efforts are underway to evaluate testing protocol for full gradation aggregates in slurry seal and micro surfacing mixtures rather than scalping out significant quantities of the larger aggregate fraction. Also, testing protocols are under evaluation for mixtures using softer binders which have shown good performance in northern climates. Finally, RAP is being used more and more in slurry seal / micro surfacing applications and in chip seal. Appropriate design criteria need to be established to enable successful applications of these materials going forward.

We continue to work on developing Product Category Rules (PCRs), Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), and ultimately Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for our treatments. Federal and state requirements are still being defined, but your association is staying on track to demonstrate the environmental benefits of the products we deliver.

Finally, if you are not active in our association, I encourage you to find a place to get involved. Your ideas and energy will make us stronger and move us toward a brighter future. I look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Dave Welborn

ISSA President