The Kansas Milestone | Winter 2022

As a family-owned business spanning three generations and more than 80 years, our family’s vision and values are woven through the fabric of Kansas’ history. We’ve grown that vision from one store to 15 locations serving 144 counties. While a lot has changed, Foley’s commitment to empowering the progress of our customers and the communities we serve has remained constant. FOLEYEQ.COM

OFFICERS

Scott Anderson, President Summit Materials

Chris Rech, Vice President A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc.

Chad Girard, Treasurer APAC Kansas, Inc. - Shears Division

Chris Spray, Immediate Past President Venture Corporation

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Trey Bowen, Director-at-Large Superior Bowen Asphalt Company, LLC

Shane Ham, Supplier/Service Division Foley Equipment Co., Inc.

Mike Hoffman, Grading & Railroads Division Alan’s Excavating, Inc.

Heather Jantz, Director-at-Large MJE, LLC

Kevin Koehler, Director-at-Large Dustrol Inc.

Travis Rose, Director-at-Large Bridges Inc.

Rocky Seybert, Flexible Paving Division Venture Corp.

Jeff Shaw, Utility Infrastructure Division APAC Kansas, Inc. - Shears Division

Steve Sloan, Supplier/Service Division Midwest Minerals

Josh Smith, Director-at-Large Klaver Construction Co.

Jeanne Waisner, Rigid Paving Division Koss Construction Co.

Michael White Executive Director mwhite@webuildkansas.com

Stephanie Mullholland Marketing & Membership Director stephanie@webuildkansas.com

Nancy Delgado Administrative Coordinator ndelgado@webuildkansas.com

CONVENTION SPONSORS

A century worth celebrating

BY SCOTT ANDERSON, SUMMIT MATERIALS KCA PRESIDENT

In one of his songs, Jameson Rodgers sings "I'm gonna spend a little more time chasing after things that matter."

In our industry, most of our companies started out small – a one or two man shop, or a husband and wife team – deciding to put their faith in hard work and chase after the things that mattered to them and to their family's future. Thanks to the path these men and women forged, our businesses and our profession remain strong and relevant to this day.

Going all out at convention

This coming year – KCA's 100th – is the year to celebrate where we've been and where we're going as an industry. So, we're going all out at the upcoming convention with a Thursday night celebration, complete with dinner and a live concert with Nashville star Jameson Rodgers. Read more about the celebration and the convention schedule on Pages 16-17.

I hope you'll plan to join us for this special convention. We've built a century of successes together and persevered through a century of challenges together. That is something worth celebrating!

Documenting our history and telling our story

Over the coming year, we'll also be celebrating our 100th anniversary by publishing a coffee table book. The book will commemorate not only the

first 100 years of KCA, but also the founding and history of some of our oldest member companies. If you have old photos or stories from KCA's history, please reach out to staff to share those for the book. Our plan is to complete production and printing by summer 2023 at which time we will distribute a copy to each member company.

Telling our story is so important – not only during milestone years like our 100th, but all the time. Our stories are part of the fabric of Kansas. We need to tell the story of how our businesses employ thousands of Kansas workers ... how infrastructure projects built by our companies have historically driven economic growth for the state ... how our founders and our company leaders have been the do'ers who get things done in our local communities and on the national front.

We have so many great stories to tell about why transportation matters. And, these are stories that are critical to our future as we help incoming legislators understand the economic advantages of our industry, and as we help young people recognize the advantages of a career in heavy construction.

I look forward to seeing you at the convention, and to continuing our work together as an association, chasing after the things that matter – like a pro-business climate, continued funding for transportation, and another 100 years of friendships and partnerships.

Democrats win Governor's seat, Republicans dominate down ballot

Though rural counties went red in the Governor's race, eight urban counties carried the day for Laura Kelly in her re-election campaign. Gov. Kelly received 49 percent of the vote overall, enough to win her a second term as Governor. Despite the Democratic win at the top of the ticket, all other statewide offices and a supermajority of Kansas House seats were claimed by Republicans.

One-fourth of the House will be new in 2023. The elections resulted in 32 freshmen, 25 of which were the result of open seats from retirements and seven which were the result of incumbents losing in either the Primary or the General.

New leadership elected. On December 5, the House returned to Topeka to elect their next leadership team. Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) was elected Speaker of the House. Republicans also elected Chris Croft (R-Overland Park) as Majority Leader, Blake Carpenter (R-Wichita) as Speaker Pro Tem, Les Mason (R-McPherson) as Assistant Majority Leader, Susan Estes (R-Wichita) as

Whip, and Kristey Williams (R-Wichita)

Governor Laura Kelly (Democrat)

General Kris Kobach (Republican)

Governor Laura Kelly met with the KCA board of directors prior to the November election. Kelly won re-election in November with 49% of the vote, while Republicans retained a supermajority in the Kansas House. Republicans also hold a supermajority in the Kansas Senate, which is not up for re-election until 2024.

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Democrats elected Vic Miller (D-Topeka) as Minority Leader, Valdenia Winn (D-Kansas City) as Assistant Majority Leader, Stephanie Clayton (D-Overland Park) as Minority Whip and Barbara Ballard (D-Lawrence) as Caucus Chair.

What's Next? On January 9, legislators will return to Topeka for the start of the 2023 session.

REPUBLICANS

IN THE HOUSE

DEMOCRATS

IN THE HOUSE NEW HOUSE MEMBERS

85 40 32

Republicans lost one net seat, going from 86 to 85 but still retained a supermajority

Democrats gained one net seat, going from 39 to 40 members in the House

32 freshmen will be sworn into the House, 25 due to retirements and 7 due to election upsets

Speaker of the House

Dan Hawkins

House Minority Leader

Vic Miller

As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage

BY: ELAINE S. POVICH | STATELINE | THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS

The increasing popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles is shrinking revenue from gas taxes, prompting more states to consider charging fees based on miles driven to help pay for roads and bridges.

This year at least eight states — Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington — considered bills that would modify existing programs or set up new pilot programs to tax drivers of electric vehicles (typically all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles) based on the miles they drive, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

States’ revenue from fuel taxes has been dropping in recent years because drivers of vehicles with better fuel efficiency pay less in per-gallon gas and diesel taxes. The growth in sales of electric and hybrid vehicles has accelerated the trend.

Under some of the current programs, the state installs devices in vehicles to measure the miles driven. Other programs rely on drivers to report the miles they’ve driven, or track miles through yearover-year odometer readings when drivers renew their registrations. Under all states’ existing laws, vehicle owners voluntarily sign up.

In the Virginia and Utah programs, drivers can end up paying less under the miles-driven fee than fixed fees the states otherwise charge on electric vehicles. Utah this year revised its law, setting its mileage tax at a penny per mile beginning in 2023, then raising it to 1.25 cents a mile in 2026

and 1.5 cents in 2032. Beginning in 2024, state tax authorities will be able to adjust the rate for inflation.

To assuage privacy concerns, Virginia enacted a law this year stating that any data collected under that state’s pilot fee-per-mile program may not be sold, accessed through a public records request, or used for any purpose other than to collect unpaid fees. The law also gives residents the option to participate without location tracking.

Legislation pending in Massachusetts would set up voluntary pilot programs to test how a permile charge might work. Bills that would have set up a permanent per-mile tax in Hawaii failed this year, but supporters say they plan to revive the legislation. Bills in Minnesota and Vermont that would have required all owners of electric vehicles to pay a mileage fee also died. And Tennessee failed to pass a bill to set up a task force on road use fees.

Some environmentalists argue that if the goal is to get drivers into electric or hybrid vehicles, imposing taxes on them is a disincentive.

And right-leaning opponents worry that rather than substitute for the fuel tax, governments might impose a road use tax on top of gasoline or diesel taxes, though none of the state pilot programs has yet done so.

Without a change in tax formulas, the current federal and state gasoline taxes will fail to meet the nation’s infrastructure needs. The Congressional

Budget Office last year projected that if the 18.4cent per gallon federal tax remains the same, and infrastructure spending increases at the average projected rate of inflation, the federal Highway Trust Fund will come up about $140 billion short by 2031. The federal gas tax hasn’t been raised since 1993.

“States recognize that this is an issue, and they need to deal with it sooner rather than later,” said Douglas Shinkle, NCSL’s transportation program director. “Implementation of a user fee is going to need public buy-in and political buy-in.”

Shinkle predicted that within the next several years, states will begin to take “a more aggressive approach” to mileage taxes. “Lawmakers generally recognize that a user fee makes sense from an equity perspective,” he said.

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers’ 2021 State Expenditure Report, motor fuel taxes make up nearly 40% of state transportation funding sources. State officials expect that percentage to decline steadily in the next decade.

“States are concerned that in the long term, the current structure of state and federal fuel tax revenue will not be able to meet transportation needs as most gas taxes are set at fixed rates and do not rise with inflation,” the association wrote in its report. “New vehicle fuel economy continues to increase, and the growth in vehicle miles traveled has leveled off.”

A West Virginia Department of Transportation plan last year predicted that the state’s fuel tax revenues would fall between 11% and 20% by the end of this decade. The Washington State Transportation Commission predicted that the state’s current 49.4 cents-pergallon gas tax would need to be increased by 1.7 cents per gallon every year through 2040 to generate the current level of revenue.

And Joel Skelley, director of policy for the Kansas Department of Transportation, showed that Kansas fuel taxes, which made up 19% of transportation funding in 2021, will account for only 11% of the necessary funds by 2045.

The federal $1.2 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that President Biden signed late last year will fund multiple pilot programs to test road use fees.

Despite the projections and increased interest in electric vehicles, Carl Davis, research director at the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said replacing or supplementing the fuel taxes with a mileage tax is “still a ways off.”

An easier fix, Davis said, would be to index the gas tax rate to keep up with inflation. Twenty-two states already have indexed or variable-rate gas taxes.

Read the full story here

You can't fix everything with duct tape.

"MAN THERAPY" AIMED AT REDUCING THE STIGMA OF ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH AMONG MEN

BY CAL BEYER AND NATE WIDMAN

Introducing Man Therapy

Mental health and suicide prevention are serious topics. Nationally, men account for almost 80% of all suicides. Yet, reaching men with public health information and getting men to seek and accept help continues to be challenging.

Man Therapy (www.ManTherapy.org) is a pioneering behavioral health program created in 2011. Man Therapy is an innovative approach developed by a marketing and advertising agency in Denver named Cactus. The Colorado Public Health Department provided funding from a grant to reduce suicide risk in working aged men.

The purpose of Man Therapy is to break-down barriers to men seeking care for mental health challenges. Research identified three goals for the Man Therapy campaign:

1. Seeking help cannot be viewed as weak and unmanly

2. Men want access to tools to let them fix it in their own way

3. Help seeking needs to move upstream so men will reach out for help before a crisis

Using

Humor to Break Down Stigma

Man Therapy has a colorful website with short, humorous videos to lure men and the women who care about the men in their lives (spouses, partners, girlfriends, siblings, and mothers) to dig deeper on the website for resources.

The tagline for Man Therapy is “therapy how a man does it.” The Man Therapy website features a fictional therapist known as Dr. Rich Mahogany. He is described as a combination of “part-football coach, part-drinking buddy and 100 percent action hero.” Dr. Mahogany is a caricature of a “shrink” trying to be cool using “man-nerisms” and “dude speak” to explain why it is ok to have feelings.

Research shows humor is effective at breaking down the stigma associated with mental health and suicide prevention. Humor can effectively penetrate the hard outer shells of men who were frequently seen as hesitant, if not outrightly resistant, to talking about mental health.

The Head Inspection Check

This self-service tool is a 5 minute “mental health check-up from the neck up." This is an 18-question assessment that allows visitors to the Man Therapy website to complete a mental health screening with privacy. There are two additional questions that apply to either Veterans or First Responders. The results are shown immediately in a written summary. The results are accompanied by one of three video responses unique to the responses: low, medium, and high risk.

Man Therapy Works

The campaign has been extremely successful connecting with hard-to-reach males. Research has been conducted demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach. A four-year, $1.2 million-dollar, CDC-sponsored clinical study in Michigan demonstrated Man Therapy helps reduce suicide among working-age men. In short, Man Therapy has been proven to reduce stigma and provide a pathway for men and those in their support network to seek and accept help.

Examples of Most Popular Man Therapy

Videos of Manly Mental Health Tips

The links to the videos below are provided to help you or your organization get a jumpstart using Man Therapy.

Intro to Man Therapy & Dr. Rich Mahogany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhH7SjbxsgU

Head Inspection Checklist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LWr5miZR7k

Feelings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rueaskjq4i0

Breathing: https://www.mantherapy.org/tips-and-testimonials/ breathing Cooking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3cH_ SCNkWwa3b6-aa71aa7dbfb1

Cal Beyer, CWP, SCTPP is Vice President of Workforce Risk & Worker Wellbeing for Holmes Murphy. He’s been dedicated to construction risk and safety management since 1996. He was director of risk management and safety for a paving contractor in the Pacific Northwest from 2014-2020. He serves on the Executive Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Cal helped to launch the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Contact Beyer at cbeyer@holmesmurphy.com or 651/307-7883.

Nate Widman is a Property and Casualty Account Executive at Holmes Murphy with a focus on the construction and manufacturing industries. Nate has over 7 years of insurance experience and has a passion for helping business owners simplify complex risk management issues. Nate played Division One and professional hockey. While in college he served as a member of the Mental Health Awareness for Athletes Program at his college and has been a strong advocate for Men’s Mental Health for the past several years. Reach Widman at nwidman@ holmesmurphy.com or 816/857-7890.

LEGISLATORS TOUR MONARCH CEMENT PLANT

We joined legislators in September for a behind the scenes tour of The Monarch Cement Company plant in Humboldt with Curt Kitson. They learned about plant operations, Monarch's 100-year Kansas history, and the economic infusion that the plant brings to the region. Legislators included Rep. Avery Anderson (R-Newton), Rep. Fred Gardner (R-Garnett), Rep. Carrie Barth (R-Baldwin City) and Rep. Dan Goddard (R-Parsons).

Hamm Foundation hosts Industry Day for high school students

We joined Hamm Inc. and the Hamm Foundation for their first "Day in the Industry," which is a chance for Kansas high school students to spend a day in the life of heavy

construction. Students learned how drones are used, saw an active sand plant and quarry, watched a live blasting, and operated the truck driving simulator.

YOU PREPARED FOR WORKPLACE VIOLENCE?

Building the right response plan

BY AARON PARIS, CSP, ASP | DIRECTOR, SAFETY THE MILLER GROUP

You see a lot of news coverage about shootings and violent acts, especially when such events happen at churches and schools. Yet businesses are at a significantly higher risk for active violence. In fact, workplace violence is in the top four leading causes of workplace deaths according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2020 alone, there were 20,050 injuries and 392 fatalities attributed to workplace violence.

You always hope such an event will never happen at your business, and some may believe the

chances are slim. Yet it is vital to remain proactive and create a safety plan should an incident take place. Here are elements to consider as you craft your company’s response program.

Be Proactive

Know the Types of Workplace Violence

There are four types of workplace violence that businesses should consider when building their response program. Knowing these can help guide you as you create your response plan.

1. Criminal Intent: No business relationship and enters to commit a criminal act

2. Customer/Client: Current or former client of the business

3. Co-Worker: Has an employment relationship with the business, current or former

4. Personal Relationship: Does not work at the business but has a relationship with an employee

Create Policies

Businesses should have a standing policy and procedure for workplace violence. Make sure that your policy details the following:

• Zero tolerance toward threats or acts of violence

• A confidential reporting procedure for perceived threats of violence

• Means to promptly investigate all such threats or violent acts

• Firm discipline for violations of policy

• Run, Hide, Fight protocols (Department of Homeland Security)

Plan for Continuity

If an incident occurs, it is highly likely your business operations will be interrupted. Planning for such disruptions provides you with a clearer path when everything feels uncertain. For example, can you lease equipment if it was damaged in the incident? Where can you acquire alternative options?

Identify contingencies for:

• Business processes

• Assets such as heavy equipment and tools

• Human resources

• Business partners

Responding to an Event

When the unthinkable happens, it’s vital to have a response plan ready and at your fingertips.

Employees and leadership need to know and understand what their roles are or else everyone can quickly get lost in the chaos.

Run, Hide, Fight

Employees should respond to violence by using the “Run, Hide, Fight” method. In addition to these options, make sure they are also educated on where emergency exit routes are located.

Run –

• If the ability to leave the area presents itself, LEAVE.

• Do not worry about taking personal items.

• Get out!

Hide –

• Find a location that can be secured.

• Barricade the room to prevent entry.

• Stack chairs, desks, filing cabinets, etc. at doors.

Fight –

• The last resort is to be ready to fight the assailant.

• Be resourceful and find objects to assist defending yourself.

Contacting First Responders

It’s critical that employees who call 911 provide as much information as possible. This allows emergency responders to provide an appropriate response. Those who call 911 should provide all they know about the situation. The “who, what, when, where and how” model works best in giving the most concise and important information.

Assembly Area (Rally Point)

Unlike fires and other emergencies, meeting at the front of the building may not be advisable. Having a designated location that’s close but offsite may be a better solution.

Choose a Company Representative

Consider designating a company representative to coordinate with law enforcement and EMS onsite. You’ll want to choose someone who can remain calm under extreme stress.

Family Assistance Center

A family assistance center provides a location for families of those affected in the event to get answers to their questions. There should be a separate area for the families of anyone who has passed away. A separate space allows them to grieve in privacy and serve as a shield from media.

Information and resources you can share include:

• The hospitals that victims have been transported to and assembly areas.

• The process and location for reunification of family and friends.

• Temporary housing and meals.

• Perform a needs assessment to uncover additional resources employees want.

Provide Support Moving Forward

Your work doesn’t end when the media leave and the chaos calms down. Employees will need a steady stream of support, potentially for an extended period of time. Remember that traumatic events impact different people in different ways.

Supporting Employees

• Promote your Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

• Help employees access the EAP.

• Assist employees with work and personalrelated problems.

• Provide grief counseling.

• Provide appropriate leave time for recuperation from injuries and disabilities caused by the incident.

Reopening Your Facility

• Most facilities will reopen relatively soon after an event if there are no significant

physical damages the building.

• Most individuals can return to normal routines.

• Some individuals may need more time or may be unable to return.

• Help employees recognize the need to pace themselves, depending on the event’s severity.

The effect of workplace violence can have a lasting impact on your business and its financial operations. In the next issue of The Milestone, we’ll take a look at what you can do to protect your business and cover the cost of crisis management.

Aaron Paris, CSP, ASP is the Director of Safety at The Miller Group. His background includes five years of experience in workplace safety and 12 years of law enforcement, including SWAT, accident investigations, narcotics detective and street crimes. At The Miller Group, Aaron consults with clients on a wide variety of safety precautions and procedures, including workplace violence and active shooter readiness. Aaron is also authorized to teach OSHA 10- and 30-hour courses. You can reach Aaron at aaronp@millercares.com

Scholarships now available for students in construction programs

Through our Construction Education Foundation, we are now accepting scholarship applications from students interested in the construction industry. Scholarships range from $500 to $2,500. They are made available each year to Kansas high school and college students who are enrolled in, or intend to enroll in, an eligible program at an accredited Kansas university, community college or technical college. Eligible programs include construction management, construction science, construction engineering technology or related field. Scholarship recipients may also request to be placed in an internship with a Kansas contractor. Interns are awarded an additional $1,000 on top of their scholarship award. For more information, or to download the scholarship application, visit WeBuildKansas.com/scholarships. The application deadline is January 31, 2023.

Kansas Construction Education Foundation

BRECKENRIDGE

PREVIEW OF ACTION AUCTION ITEMS

Our featured convention guests include Governor Laura Kelly (invited), Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins (invited), Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs Mitch Holthus, Jake Thompson, Nashville star Jameson Rodgers and Cal Beyer.

KCA to host 100th convention

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

3 to 4:30 p.m.

Supplier/Service Division Meeting

5 to 7 p.m.

Opening Night Reception

Help us kick off KCA’s 100th annual convention with an open bar, food stations and networking.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26

7:30 to 9 a.m.

Waterin’ Hole Breakfast

Sponsored by:

8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Compete Every Day

JAKE THOMPSON

Build a game-changing mentality within your team by learning how to improve focus, own the day, and hit your biggest goals. What could

Convention Break Stations sponsored by:

your company achieve if every one of your employees was reaching their goals and well on their way to full potential? By competing against themselves, individuals enable others. This is the spirit of competing everyday – encouraging and equipping teams to fuel your company with forward momentum.

10 to 10:30 a.m.

Remarks by the Governor GOV. LAURA KELLY

Gov. Laura Kelly has been invited to help kick off the day with welcome remarks.

10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

Straight Talk: What Construction Leaders Need to Know About Workplace Mental Health

CAL BEYER

Addressing worker wellbeing is an imperative in the pressure-packed construction industry. Deteriorating mental wellbeing in the workforce poses risks and adverse consequences for your company, including productivity, quality, schedule, insurance, legal liability, stakeholder satisfaction, and reputation. Cal Beyer with Holmes Murphy will lead this session on the 3 Vs of leaders for

workplace mental health and wellbeing and first dose prevention strategies to reduce opioid risk; plus hear how leading companies are tackling these challenges head-on.

Noon to 1:15 p.m

Lunch with The Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs

MITCH HOLTHUS

Join the Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs for a lively lunch. As the longest tenured and most decorated play-by-play “voice” in franchise history, Mitch was on the call of Super Bowl LIV when the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl championship. A native of Smith Center and a graduate of K-State, Mitch has won four Emmys and he’s been featured on both the ESPN family of networks and FOX Sports.

1:15 p.m.

Ice Cream Social Sponsored by:

1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Division Meetings

3 to 4:30 p.m.

Casino Gambling

Try your hand at craps, blackjack, poker and roulette. Initial stake and open bar provided. Bid on prizes with your vouchers (only one voucher per person). All casino proceeds benefit the KCA Political Action Committee.

Sponsored by:

4:45 to 7 p.m.

Action Auction

Bid on auction items, plus a chance to win three cash prizes or the grand prize of $10,000 in cash!

Doors open at 4:45 p.m. with the silent auction. Live auction bidding begins at 5:45 p.m.

Auction sponsored by:

7 to 9:30 p.m.

Celebration of a Century: Dinner & Live Concert

Nashville star Jameson Rodgers will kick off his 2023 Tour at the KCA convention with a private concert celebration. Jameson has collaborated with country artists like Luke Combs and was a featured artist on Combs’ 2022 nationwide Farm Tour. He is best known for his debut hits, “Some Girls” and “Cold Beer Calling My Name.” Join us for the Celebration of a Century – dinner, open bars, birthday cake and a spectacular evening of live music.

Sponsored by:

FRIDAY, JAN. 27

8 to 9:30 a.m.

KCA Awards Breakfast SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE DAN HAWKINS

Join us for the annual KCA Awards Breakfast with special guest Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins.

Sponsored by: 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.

KDOT Update & KCA Annual Business Meeting

Kansas Department of Transportation leaders will provide us with an update on the latest news from KDOT. Our business meeting and election of officers, chaired by President Scott Anderson, will follow.

Get more info online at WeBuildKansas.com/convention

IN MEMORY OF CORKY BEACHNER

Longtime KCA member Eugene "Corky" Beachner passed away August 25. He co-founded Beachner Construction Co. in 1969 in St. Paul, and joined the KCA that same year.

Beachner served for many years on the KCA board between 1994 and 2013. He was president of the KCA in 2006 and an executive officer from 2003 to 2007. He served as legislative committee chairman from 1998 to 2005, and was instrumental in the passage of three state highway plans.

PEARSON CONSTRUCTION ACQUIRES PAVING, CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

FROM CORNEJO

Pearson Construction recently announced its purchase of Cornejo & Sons' construction, asphalt production, asphalt paving and recycling divisions in Wichita. Cornejo & Sons is a subsidiary of Summit Materials.

“This acquisition made sense for Pearson Construction because of the people,” said Kurt Cornejo, president of Pearson Construction. “We are very excited to grow our company with more than 130 additional employees, all with multiple years of construction and paving experience.” Cornejo & Sons construction and paving division brings more than 70 years of construction experience in heavy, highway pavement construction, commercial pavement preservation projects, asphalt paving, concrete patching and recycling.

RECH, GIRARD APPEAR ON ACEC PANEL OF EXPERTS

Chris Rech, vice president of A.M. Cohron & Son, and Chad Girard, president of APAC Shears, were featured panelists during the ACEC-KDOT Partnering Conference Oct. 20 in Topeka. Rech is Vice President on the KCA board of directors and Girard is Treasurer. The panel addressed economic issues impacting the construction and transportation industry.

NEW KDOT ENGINEERS

Brent Terstriep has been named District Two Engineer, which covers 16 counties in north central Kansas. Terstriep began with KDOT in 1999 as an Engineering Associate I in Wichita and became District Five Engineer in Hutchinson in 2017. He succeeds Randy West, who retired in October.

Nick Squires has been named District Five Engineer, which encompasses 18 counties in south central Kansas. Squires started at KDOT as a college intern before being hired in 2003 in the Pratt construction office. He was promoted to Pratt Area Construction Engineer in 2004, then to District Five Construction and Materials Engineer in 2018.

BOB BERGKAMP CONSTRUCTION FEATURED IN MIDWEST CONTRACTOR

Bob Bergkamp Construction of Wichita was recently featured in Midwest Contractor magazine for the $83 million, 15-mile new alignment project they are doing on Highway K-14 north of Wichita. It is the company's largest project to date.

"More than six decades ago, U.S. Navy World War II veteran Bob Bergkamp purchased a used Caterpillar D7 Dozer from Foley Equipment of Wichita, and formed Bob Bergkamp Construction Co., working primarily on soil conservation projects," reads the article. "He set off to become the best civil contractor in the area."

Today, Scott Bergkamp, Bob's son, serves as president. Chris Snook, Bob's grandson and Scott’s nephew, serves as CEO. Bergkamp has worked in the family business for more than 40 years. He started running a dozer in seventh grade and a scraper in eighth grade. Snook began working at the company in the shop at age 10 and worked in the field during high school.

Dondlinger Construction of Wichita and King Construction of Hesston are handling the bridge work on the project, and APAC Shears of Hutchinson is doing the asphalt. Read the full story

MID-STATES MATERIALS EARNS NATIONAL AWARD

Mid-States Materials, a division of Bettis Companies, recently earned the 2022 Outstanding Mined Land Reclamation Award (Non-Coal) from the National Association of State Land Reclamationists (NASLR) for conservation efforts at Plummer Creek Quarry in Scranton.

Nick Jackson and Buck Crumley were the lead on Mid-States' Plummer Creek Quarry reclamation efforts. The work included erosion control, gradual grading of slopes, and final vegetation to turn the 100-acre piece of the quarry into a productive agricultural asset. NASLR gave special commendation to the construction of the wetland that intercepts the agricultural runoff from adjacent fields.

KDOT SECRETARY, DEPUTY SECRETARY TO DEPART

Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz has announced she will leave the department at the end of the year to return to the private sector. Lorenz took the helm of KDOT in 2019. She also worked for KDOT from 2003 to 2011 as public affairs director. She was instrumental in helping to pass two transportation plans. Deputy Secretary and State Transportation Engineer Burt Morey also announced his departure and retirement.

Calvin Reed, director of KDOT's division of engineering and design, will serve as interim KDOT Secretary until the Governor appoints a successor. Greg Scheiber, director of project delivery, will serve as interim State Engineer.

Make new friends, but keep the old

BY MICHAEL WHITE KCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

There's a popular children's song that goes something like, "make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold."

With our 100th anniversary coming up, we've started reminiscing a lot about the friendships made through the KCA over the past century. Friendships that have spanned generations and sparked productive business relationships for many KCA members.

Smoky Hill Construction out of Salina may have put it best in telling the history of their company: "One of the first business decisions we made was to join the Kansas Contractors Association. That decision connected us to continued sources of information, introduction to the trade, and publicity and research opportunities. For a start-up company with little financing, it was a noticeable expense, but a necessary one."

Through the years, the KCA has been the conduit for connections and friendships that continue to make a difference for our families and for the profitability of our businesses. That's the value of keeping old friends and holding them close.

As we continually work to grow our association and grow our industry, we also recognize the value of making new friends. That goes beyond the obvious of working to reach potential new members.

It's also about getting to know new legislators, developing friendships with them and connecting them with local leaders in the transportation industry. The recent legislative tour we did of the Monarch Cement plant in Humboldt (see page 11) is one example of how we aim to give lawmakers an inside look at the economic, community and personal impact of our industry on Kansans' lives. As the 2023 legislative session gears up, we'll be busy creating more opportunities like this, both in Topeka and in their local districts.

We also aim to form new connections and friendships that will lead to more young people joining our workforce. Hamm recently hosted an Industry Day to give high school kids a hands-on chance to see what a career in heavy construction is really like (see page 11). We are also in the midst of promoting the $25,000+ in scholarships that our ConEd Foundation makes available to Kansas high school and college students interested in a construction program. We're taking that outreach farther this year by connecting with every Kansas high school guidance counselor to make sure they are aware of the scholarships, but also aware of the immediate job openings for high school graduates who may not be college-bound.

With old friends and new friends, I know our industry will continue to thrive for another 100 years.