Presentation by CalAPA Regional Director Bill Knopf, former Indiana Asphalt Pavement Association executive, on a successful asphalt industry workforce recruitment effort in Indiana in partnership with the Future Farmers of America. Presentation delivered at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference, held March 20-21, 2019 in Ontario, CA.

1. WFD – Rural Roots in Indiana
Bill Knopf

2. The Context
• In 2016, there were 10.2 million construction
workers in the U.S., down from 11.7 million in
2005 and down even from the post-housing crisis
level of 2010. The number of construction workers
aged 24 or younger is also down nearly 30 percent
over that period.
• July 31, 2018
• The Wall Street Journal

3. APAI and FFA – The Need
• In February of 2016, during the 3rd and final year of APAI’s Young
Leadership Program led by FMI, the highway worker shortage was
discussed at length. In May, our BoD then created our Workforce
Development Committee as a standing APAI committee.
• In the Fall of 2016, APAI conducted a needs assessment survey of its 19
producer members and documented 865 known ”baby boomer”
retirements between 2018-2025 across 18 white collar and blue collar job
classifications within our industry, or about 8.5% of our asphalt industry
workforce in the state of Indiana.
• In May of 2017, APAI assisted in the passage of a $30b INDOT funding bill
over 20 years (1.5B/yr.) via a $.10/gal. user fee increase and related
measures. The bill was biased ASPHALT, due to the percentage of funding
for LPAs secured by a key provision called Community Crossings.)
• Bottom line, we needed more more people. Behind pavers, in labs,
driving trucks and at desks. The need was urgent and critical.

4. About APAI
• The Asphalt Pavement Assn of Indiana was formed in
1959 and represents 19 producers, 6 laydown
contractors, and 85 associate members, including
binder suppliers, engineering firms, and colleges.
• APAI has a FT staff of two and outsources meeting
planning, accounting and public relations. Budget in
2019 is approximately $1m, based largely on tonnage
dues forecasted at 11.5 millions tons.
• Governed by a 19 member Board of Directors, with 9
standing committees.

5. Board Decisions re: WFD
• APAI’s contractor membership is 95% signatory. APAI is not involved in labor
negotiations with the Operators, Teamsters or Laborers. Our Board did not want
to rely on local union leadership to solve our workforce recruitment challenge for
several reasons; and it was decided that the issue was ours to own.
• In Feb. ‘16, APAI had a completed a three year “Emerging Leaders” training
program with FMI, a management consulting firm serving the industry. The 3rd
year focus was “Developing a Backlog of Talent” by FMI trainers Paige Kelly and
Tim Tokarczyk. One result was the creation by our Board of a new Workforce
Development Committee, populated by the 30 graduates of the program.
• The WFD Committee held its initial meeting in May 2016 and had multiple
meetings in 2017 as our challenge became clear with passage of the funding bill.
• The WFD Committee chair and the APAI Board met with several PR firms to reach
the youth market, but we were not impressed by vague social media marketing
proposals that all seemed to have a low ROI. Quotes often exceeded $200k.
• I suggested that we explore a partnership with the Indiana FFA. The Board
responded enthusiastically. The brother of one committee member worked for
Farm Bureau Insurance and served on the FFA Board. He arranged a meeting.

6. Future Farmers of America (now FFA)

7. Tell me more about Ag…
• Total U.S. farm profits are at their lowest level since 2006, which means
that for the people who grow our food, this may not be a great time to
engage in a trade war. Farm profits are projected to be less than $60
billion this year, down from $123 billion in 2006. Punitive tariffs will fall
heavily on Farm Belt states. 7/18/18 Bloomberg News
• In 2017, agriculture is led ALL domestic industries in one important
statistic: the number of adult suicides. Since 2013, net farm income for
US farmers has declined by 50%. 12/6/17, The Guardian (UK)
• Farmers feed us. Given today’s ag economics, and the growth of
corporate farming, farm families NEED our help. Our industry has high
paying, secure jobs to offer. And contractors NEED young people to
replace retiring boomers to maintain our nation’s infrastructure.
• Parents want options for their kids, and better lives, even if it means
leaving the family farm. Our industry offers an option. In two years of
interaction with FFA, I have received NO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK FROM
PARENTS OR EDUCATORS OR STAFF FOR “STEALING” FFA KIDS.

8. FFA at a Glance - 1
• FFA is a national, not for profit youth service association based in
Indianapolis. Currently FFA serves approximately 670,000
individual members age 13-18 throughout the USA, PR and the
Virgin Islands and 12,800 in Indiana. Members are organized
into 8,600 chapters nationally with an average of 76 members in
each. 56% of FFA chapters are based in rural areas and 87% are
affiliated with publicly funded high schools.
• KEY POINT: FFA has enjoyed close ties with educators at the
local/state level for 100+ years. FFA is aligned with over 13,000
guidance counselors and high school educators nationally. FFA
already has credibility and access in schools no business can
achieve.
• FFA additionally counts over 450,000 “alumni” members who
support the organization.

9. FFA at a Glance - 2
• Nationally, FFA membership is 54% male, 46% female. One half of FFA
members attend college, while half go directly into the workforce
following high school. FFA membership is 69% white, 14% Hispanic, 4%
Black, 8% undisclosed and 5% other.
• Farm kids often grow up in rural areas surrounded by heavy diesel
equipment, work long hours outside, often in bad weather. Since only
one member of a typical farm family inherits the farm, many siblings are
interested in exploring alternative careers, particularly those that may
allow them to work outside, reside in rural areas close to family and
friends and earn a good living, WITH OR WITHOUT COLLEGE.
• FFA mentoring during high school revolves around developing leadership
skills, raising communications abilities, encouraging community service,
instilling teamwork and stressing achievement and academic success.
What qualities do you recruit for in new employees at your company?
• Some of the largest state FFA chapters by core members: TX (115k), CA
(84k), GA (41k), OR (28k), OK (27k), MO (26k), FL (18k) and IL (18k).

10. Did you know?
• The Federal Department of Agriculture identifies two career paths for
young farmers. 1.) Farming. 2.) Ranching. That’s it.
• FFA National’s careers handbook identifies 216 separate career paths for
its members in agriculture. Some require college, many do not. Many of
these career paths use skills our asphalt producers and laydown members
hire for. Truck drivers. Diesel mechanics. Equipment operators. Safety
manager. The FFA careers list goes on and on, with extensive overlap.
• Not one young FFA member we have met (who did not have a relative in
the industry) had previously considered a career in the road construction
industry. And, no organization, on either the vertical or horizontal side of
the industry, has previously approached this population of young people.
Until now. Asphalt was first. FFA understands “Farm to Market” roads.
• APAI knew if we could convince just 7% of the Indiana’s 12,800 FFA
members to enter our industry in some fashion (after HS or college), our
WFD challenge would be solved. So we met with Lisa Chaudion, FFA
executive director for the state of Indiana to explore a partnership.

11. APAI Launches #Ag2Asphalt 2018
• On the day prior to our state convention in December, 2017,
seven elected state FFA officers, all 19 years old, stood before an
assembly of 50 of our WFD Committee members and APAI Board
members, and when asked: “What types of companies appealed
most to people your age?” replied:
• #1: Companies that gave back to their communities.
• #2: Companies that had a family friendly corporate culture.
• #3: Companies that offered real opportunities for advancement.
• #4: Companies where feedback was constructive, immediate
and direct.
• #5: Companies where compensation was attractive and benefits
were good.

12. #Ag2Asphalt 2018
• After the WFD Committee meeting, we talked more with Lisa Chaudion. For
12,800 FFA members, their “community” was not their hometowns, but the 150
acre, 50 year old FFA Leadership Center in rural Southern Indiana where all these
teens spend part of their summers participating in proficiency testing, life-skills
training and just having fun like any kid at summer camp does. They go there
each year for 2 weeks. Chapter leaders go back each fall for leadership training.
That was the community we decided to give back to, the best way we knew how.
• Lisa mentioned FFA had a large parking lot that hadn’t been paved in 20 years, as
she had no funds in the budget to fix it. A community service project was
undertaken and held on 5/2/18. The charity paving project morphed into
#Ag2Asphalt Day, a career awareness event hosted by FFA and APAI for 180
students/educators along with 70 volunteers from APAI, plus five Indiana
universities where we award $50k+ a year in civil engineering and construction
management scholarships. We hired a FFA student to film it and post it on
YouTube. The Indy television media showed up. As did Carter Ross from the
National Asphalt Pavement Association. We even made it into Farming Today.

13. So what did we actually DO?
• Safety Talk by Safety Committee Chair upon arrival
• Three rotations (divide the big group into three)
• One group starts by going to paving operation to
watch; accompanied by paving hosts (1:6 ratio)
• One group goes to the APAI Career Fair (18 career
booths, 2 equipment simulators and 5 colleges)
• One group goes to the HR Directors Forum (5
speakers; all representing our largest producers)
• Each rotation changes places after 45 minutes

14. So what did we actually DO? (Next)
• Joint Lunch Brought Entire Group Together to network
with APAI Member Volunteers (all 70 from industry)
• Keynote Address by the President of Member
Company doing the Paving Outside (Milestone)
• Young Member Panel (to relate better to FFA member
attendees; our panel also included key DOT staff)
• Watched Safety Video to reinforce key Workzone
Safety Messaging (i.e., Don’t Text and Drive!)
• As some buses had to leave, rotations were repeated
after lunch allowing for guests to self-select location

15. Not a Hiring Event, but Several FFA
Members Joined the Industry Last Year
• We encouraged member donations of $500 per plant and
raised $40k. APAI funded the collateral materials. One
member donated 200 safety vests imprinted with the APAI
logo. The final bill from the producer with the nearest plant
came in at just under $38k. The universities were thrilled
with the exposure. FFA was thrilled with the paving.
• Lisa also had earlier indicated she also had access roads that
needed repair, and that has now been scheduled as “phase
two” and approved by our BoD for September, 2019. Based
on the positive feedback from educators on the May ‘18
event, FFA is expecting 250 young people for #Ag2Asphalt2.

16. Other Partnership/Outreach Activities
• APAI was a major sponsor of the FFA Indiana state
convention this past June, attended by 3,000 teenagers, and
met with many students and teachers at our trade show
booth. Our orange “safety barrels” stress relievers were the
hit of the convention. Due to the value of our charity
paving project, APAI was featured as a “Platinum Sponsor”
of the convention, alongside several Fortune 500 firms.
• APAI has published a full color, six page Careers in Asphalt
brochure for these FFA outreach efforts which emphasizes
how we “Give Back” to our communities, our corporate
culture, and points out the positive, enduring impact any
young person can make by building his or her communities’
transportation infrastructure.

17. FFA State Convention Gold Sponsor

18. FFA State Convention - 3,000 Attendees

19. FFA State Convention – 12 Exhibitors

20. FFA State Convention Sponsorship and
Trade Show Booth – a $10,500 Value!

21. 2019 FFA State Convention Plans
• In addition to the Sponsorship of the 3rd General
Session (and 2 minute video welcome) and the
APAI booth in the Exhibit Hall (1 of 12) at Purdue
in June 2019, we have additionally arranged FFA
educational bus tours of two local asphalt plants.
• Normally, ag firms pay $10,500 for this level of
sponsorship, but APAI is comped due to the value
of our paving work performed as a charity project.
• Over 3,000 Indiana students expected to attend.

22. More Partnership/Outreach
• FFA Indiana officers have attended the APAI State
Convention the past two years and met with our
members; promoting FFA and our partnership.
• APAI staff has met with NAPA’s Associate Member
Council and briefed NAPA staff on our partnership
which led to NAPA having a booth at the National
FFA convention in Indy in October, 2018. 67,000
FFA members attended this meeting, and over
2,200 stopped by the NAPA-APAI exhibit booth.

23. Outreach to Other States
• APAI staff made a presentation to the State
Asphalt Pavement Executives Meeting in STL in
August, 2018 describing the steps that led toward
#Ag2Asphalt as vehicle to attract young people to
consider a career in the asphalt industry. Twelve
other state asphalt associations expressed interest
in linking with the Executive Directors of the FFA
Chapters in their states. Lisa Chaudion has put
her contacts in FFA in touch with these SAPA execs.

24. FFA Day at World of Asphalt
• February 14, 2019 – 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the
Indianapolis Convention Center
• In partnership with NAPA, AEM and FFA Indiana, APAI
members will host 125 students and 25 educators
from a 75 mile radius around Indy for an educational
program and tour of the show floor and simulators at
WoA. We will use member volunteers to serve as
“tour guides” and Walsh & Kelly has provided an X-
Box One as the grand prize of the Scavenger Hunt that
the students will compete for by visiting booths. The
APAI BoD agreed to provide our young guests with bus
transportation and a complimentary lunch/snack.

25. The Battle for Talent
• It has been a pleasure working with both our state FFA
chapter these past two years along with national FFA.
• The FFA tag line is: “We Grow Leaders” - and this rings true
after getting to know these fine young men and women.
Everyone in this room would hire these kids if they could.
• I would like to see what we accomplished in Indiana be
copied in each of the 37 states where there is an asphalt
pavement association. It is clearly a WIN-WIN-WIN. Our
industry needs an influx of good workers, FFA state chapters
benefit from new partners, and nearly 700k farm kids can
explore rewarding careers. CA is home to FFA’s second
largest chapter with over 83,000 teenagers as members.