by Jon M. Young
Highlights of 2025!
A new approach to the HDOT Specification Section 401 – Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Pavements was started in 2025. We worked collaboratively with HDOT to update Section 401. The approach was “Inch by Inch, Life’s a Cinch,” Following this philosophy, the specifications were reviewed in small increments to make steady progress. Everyone had the opportunity to contribute during the monthly panel discussion sessions hosted by Kristi Grilho (HDOT) and Jon Young (HAPI).
We welcomed seven companies as new members: One Sustaining Member, Sunrise Asphalt Services LLC, and six Associate members, Actalent, Ammann America, Certerra Nothwest LLC, dba Earth Engineers, D&H Equipment, LTD, Fukumoto Engineering, Inc., and Oceanit.
On-going Activities
We continued our HAPI Training Program.
Our HAPI Shorts sessions featured guest speakers and several new topics:
– (new) Crack Sealing ands Mastic Best Practices (Rob Manriquez, Crafco)
– (new) Asphalt Pavement Inspector’s Briefcase (Todd Mansell, Caterpillar)
– (new) Determining In Place Density (Brandon Lima, HAPI)
– (new) AI In Pavements: Revolution or Risk? (Jhony Habbouche, Asphalt Institute)
– Social Security Workshop (Owen Yamamura, Pacific Capital Investments)
– Seven Things You Should Understand About Quality Assurance (Danny Gierhart, Asphalt Institute)
– (new) Design Considerations for Parking Lots (Nathan Roberts, Scotty’s Contracting and Stone)
We also conducted our Annual Virtual Paving Conference, but unfortunately we were not able to offer our Best Practices for Asphalt Pavements in 2025 because LTAP sponsorships were suspended due to federal funding freezes.
We conducted two in-person lunch meetings for our members and invited guests. At the January meeting, we inducted the late Richard Gribbin into our HAPI Hall of fame. We also met our 2026 scholarship recipients Kaylee Noguchi, Romel Gaspar, and Saroj Pathak, In July, we were honored to have Roger Chen, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa provide an updated of Hawaii LTAP activities over the past two years.
We continued to spread the word about HAPI and our asphalt paving industry. Our monthly newsletter is distributed to about 2,900 people. While many of the recipients are from Hawaii, there are people in about every state that get this monthly publication. Our circulation also includes people from foreign countries such as Canada, Japan, and Serbia.
The Hawaii Branch of the Women of Asphalt keeps moving forward. In July we elected new officers for the fiscal year: Chairwoman Lisa Miyahara (Bowers + Kubota) and Vice Chairwoman Jennifer Gallego-Nakamoto (Road Builders Corporation). On October 10th, the rich aroma of freshly ground espresso filled the HAPI office as women from across Hawaii’s asphalt industry gathered for our “Now Percolating” coffee hour.
HAPI continued to spread the word to college and high school students. We had a table at the University of Hawaii, College of Engineering Career Fair in February and September. This is our opportunity to let engineering students know about our industry and job opportunities.
In October, we participated in the annual Hawaii Construction Career Days (HCCD) on Maui, which provide high school students grade 7-12 with an insight into career opportunities available in the multi-faceted construction industry. We also participated in high school career day events at Aiea, Castle, Leilehua, and Mililani.
Transitions
In 2025, the Association experienced a notable transition: Brandon Lima resigned as Executive Director in November after beginning the role in August, necessitating a new Executive Director search.
Let us take a look forward to what 2026 will bring us!
New Executive Director: HAPI is searching for a new Executive Director. Jon Young will be staying on as our interim Executive Director until a new person is in place and their transition is complete.
Aside from finding a new Executive Director, we anticipate that things will be just about the same in 2026 as it has been in past years. Follows are several of the things planned for 2026:
HDOT Specification Section 401 – Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Pavements: The review of the specifications was on hiatus during the second half of 2025. It will be restarting in February.
Our Virtual Paving Conference will be conducted on April 29.
Our annual training workshops: Best Practices for Asphalt Pavements, Use of Geosynthetics ,and Understanding a JMF Submittal will be back
We will also be continuing our HAPI Shorts program. In 2026, we plan to have one or two sessions a month. Government agencies and HAPI member companies can request any session presented by our executive director to be scheduled at their convenience.
We look forward to 2026 and hope that you will join us on our journey to improve our asphalt industry . . . one lane at a time.
