Asphalt Materials, Inc. hosted a special event for Indiana County Highway Department employees on March 6, 2024. Several learning sessions at the event focused on road preservation and specialty products were presented and attendees were able to tour AMI facilities.
United for Service is an opportunity for you to volunteer side-by-side with fellow Heritage family from November 13-17. This experience is all about building a sense of community among the Heritage family while also giving back in a meaningful way to the communities we live and work in.
In 2014, the Fehsenfeld Family Council decided it was time to refocus their family retreats, family members wanted to become more involved surrounding their gatherings and wanted a way to connect and give back to the community. Together they decided learning and giving back as a group was the best way to move forward. The family established two models for their retreats, United for Learning and United for Service. The goal is to gather and learn something new and take on a community service project.
The family chose November 17 for its day of service because November 17 holds a special day for The Heritage Group – it is the day that the company was founded. In 1930, during the Great Depression, John E. Fehsenfeld met a need in his community, delivering home heating oil. From this beginning, the family business has grown to more than 30 operating companies, 5,000 employees, in 47 states and four countries.
Together through United for Service, we can all help meet another need – putting food on families’ tables. Because of our size and footprint, we have the power to make an impact within our communities.
The need for food is key to our existence, it is a part of our culture. But for some, putting food on the table is a struggle.
According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the U.S. are food insecure. Every community is home to families who face hunger, and this is even more true in rural communities where there are limited job opportunities and limited transportation options to reach grocery stores or pantries.
Thankfully, there are many community-based organizations that help address this issue. You can support those causes by volunteering with food pantries, soup kitchens, and meal providers during United for Service Week.
Sign up with your team
In our largest markets, members of the Social Impact Task Force are working to create impactful volunteer experiences to fit each location’s employee base, schedule, and space. There might be an on-site event as well as options that get you offsite to see what the fight against hunger looks like in the community. Whatever time you can give to this cause is appreciated. Check the volunteer sign-up for opportunities in your area.
To sign up for a volunteer shift, click here. You can search for volunteer opportunities within your area by typing in your location in the search criteria box.
Other locations/remote employees
The opportunities to amplify our impact are endless. Use our Remote Volunteer Guide to plan your own experience in your community or set up a food drive or a snack bag packing event.
Have a question to ask or a story/photo to share? Be sure to contact socialimpact@thgrp.com.
September 18-21 | Indianapolis, Indiana
This year, Asphalt Materials Inc. and Heritage Research group attended the National Pavement Preservation Conference (NPPC) hosted by the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP). Sessions were held to further knowledge, development, and research regarding the preservation of pavement. The poor condition of our roads results in $130 billion dollars added to vehicle repairs and operating costs per year (Alabama DOT). To avoid such situations, we must establish an effective preservation program and protect infrastructure investment.
On day one, we heard from several presenters that traveled near and far to share their advice, best practices and research. Below we highlight some of the speakers and key topics they discussed.
Mike Smith: Commissioner of Indiana (INDOT)
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has owned and maintained more than 5,700 bridges and has nearly 30,000 roadway lane miles. INDOT has created a long term, fully funded plan to improve Indiana’s roadways and bridges that consists of fixing what they currently have, finishing what they have started, planning for the future, and impacting the surrounding cities, towns and counties.
Mike shared that at the highest level it is important to invest in our infrastructure, keep roads in good condition longer, use taxpayer dollars wisely and be environmentally sensitive. Looking ahead, INDOT plans to focus on the quality of the pavement life including preservation techniques, economic development, resiliency, and sustainability.
George Connor: Deputy Director, Operations (Alabama DOT)
George Connor discussed the preservation challenge and how important it is that we create longer lasting pavements. It is a challenging undertaking because the road system has 4.2 million centerline miles. The nation’s infrastructure is valued at $8.3 trillion, and in 2019 federal state governments spent $3.6 billion on highways.
Pavement preservation is important because of the people and communities it impacts. Roadway networks connect about 7.9 million business establishments with customers, suppliers and workers. In 2018, roadway networks served about 327 million residents and 80 million international visitors. Transportation infrastructure has a major economic impact, so we must work together to share pavement preservation techniques that are working well.
On day two of the conference, several of our own were able to speak about advancements in asphalt emulsions, workforce development strategies, and cold recycled pavements.
Dan Swiertz: Asphalt Materials Inc. | Lab Manager
Latest Advancements in Emulsions
The use of asphalt emulsions is ubiquitous throughout the lifecycle of an asphalt pavement. From new construction to recycling and reclamation, emulsions are formulated to deliver performance across a range of climatic regions and construction variables. New and innovative advancements in emulsion technology have created valuable opportunities for contractors and road owners alike. This presentation examined several advancements including penetrating emulsion and micro surfacing that offer unique opportunities to extend the pavement lifecycle.
Kierstin Janik: Heritage Construction + Materials | Chief Talent Officer
Workforce Development Strategies
As construction companies face lower workforce participation and an ageing workforce. The U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law projects potentially creating 3.2 million new jobs across the non-residential construction value chain, and 300,000-600,000 new construction workers are needed to fill the gap with projected peak needs around 2027-2028. As a result, companies must develop holistic strategies to engage potential new employees and increase workforce development.
Kierstin discussed some approaches HC+M has taken recently including highlighting its employer brand through social media and emphasizing the industry’s meaningful work, safety, support and good wages. She also shared more about HC+M’s talent acquisition strategy that prioritizes investing in the future though programs with middle schools, high schools and universities.
Megan Yount: Heritage Research Group | Pvmt. Mat Engineering Manager
Characterizing Cold Recycled Pavements from Field-Sampled Cores
Replicating field-placed Cold In-place Recycled (CIR) and Cold Central Plant Recycled (CCPR) pavements with lab-produced mixtures may not accurately capture field conditions during construction, exact material proportions, or compaction effort. These factors often influence the resulting mixture properties, causing uncertainty that lab-produced mixtures reflect that of the in-situ pavement mixture. Examples from two State DOT projects were reviewed, followed by a discussion of results from tests including Dynamic Modulus, Marshall Stability, and Indirect Tensile Strength Testing.
On day three, conference attendees visited the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where they could see INDOT evaluation equipment and research posters, static displays, and field demonstrations. Several contractors showcased their equipment including a diamond grinder, greens broom scrubber, pavement evaluation van and more.
The live demonstrations listed below followed the static displays.
| Treatment | Contractor |
| Hot in Place Recycling | Gallagher Asphalt |
| Rapid Set Concrete Patch | CTS/Rapid Set |
| Concrete Patch Materials | FPT Infrastructure |
| RMV Robotic Crack Sealer | RMV/Sealmaster Robotic Crack Sealer |
| Treatment | Contractor |
| Mastic and Crack Seal | CRAFCO |
| Pavement Retexturing | Skidabrader |
| Maltene Based Rejuvenator | Pavement Technology Inc. |
| Microsurface | Pavement Solutions |
| Scrub Seal | Pavement Maintenance Systems/Etnyre |
Asphalt Materials Inc. and Heritage Research Group had an amazing time attending NPPC and learning pavement preservation best practices from agencies and industry thought leaders. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and for sharing your ideas about how to take care of our infrastructure!
Over the years, asphalt has become the most popular choice when it comes to selecting environmentally friendly pavements. To take it one step further, cold mix pavement layers have been developed to create even more sustainable products for road construction. Cold recycling techniques are methods that not only avoid the application of heat but reuse aged asphalt pavements already within the current infrastructure. This technique used helps treat raveling, potholes, skid resistance, rutting, block cracking, and so much more.
Cold recycling includes two subcategories, cold in place recycling (CIR) and cold central plant recycling (CCPR). In this article we will highlight a successful CIR project in Jefferson County, Indiana.
At Asphalt Materials Inc., our safety is our culture. Our purpose is to build a safer, more enriching, and sustainable world by harnessing the power of family. We not only want our workers to go home safely, but we also want them to create a healthy environment that focuses on communication, accountability, and preparation. As a family business, it is our job to look out for one another and prioritize our wellbeing.
Donating blood is an incredibly important and life-saving act of kindness. It can help save the lives of those in need. Blood donations help to replenish the blood supply, and may help those who are critically ill, an accident victim, someone having surgery, or receiving a transplant. Our very own Sara Pieroni was a transplant recipient in 2022 and therefore has firsthand knowledge of how important blood donations can be.
I will say this is what helped me when I had my transplant. I was getting blood infusions weekly for a month or so, and sometimes 3-5 times a day. This is awesome! Thanks for sharing how important it is to give blood if you can, you never know whose life you are saving and helping. I am SO very blessed to have a company that supports this and makes it easy for people to contribute. I never realized how important and HOW MANY people depend on blood from the banks. My whole entire family — aunts, uncles, and cousins — are all regular donors now.
Thank you, TEAM AMI!
#AMIThankful
– Sara Pieroni
Our team partners with Versiti Blood Centers for our quarterly blood drives in 2023, and the first was held on March 21, 2023. The AMI blood drives have positively affected our community. In 2022 we saved over 1,000 lives and since the start of the AMI Blood Drive in 2020, we have saved over 3,000 lives. Our goal this year is to save 1,500 lives.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit: www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/
In August of 2022, a project took place in Martinsville, IN with our Cold-In-Place Recycling (CIR) technology.
CIR is a cost-effective and sustainable method of constructing a recycled asphalt-bound layer that reduces trucking and construction time and saves natural resources. CIR is part of our AMICYCLE™ product portfolio, which also includes FDR (Full Depth Reclamation) and CCPR (Cold Central Plant Recycling).
AMI Robbins Road Building
I will be supporting the operations team with compliance, training, best practice and improvement. I will help plant operators figure out how to streamline items and issues. As well as helping with onboarding new employees or bringing on new facilities. I’m excited about being able to work with all facilities in this new role.
At The Heritage Group, our purpose is to build a safer, more enriching, and more sustainable world by harnessing the power of family. Part of being able to contribute to a more enriching world is our ability to give back to the communities we work and live.
When you think to yourself, “What is the most recycled material in America?”, I bet glass, paper, aluminum, and plastic probably comes to mind. All of these are true! However, according to studies done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) asphalt pavement is also considered one of America’s #1 recycled products.
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