S10EP1. 100 Episodes Strong: 2026 Chair Jay Lemon on the Past and Future of NAPA [LIVE EPISODE]

R: We are excited that you are all with us today live from our Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are here to celebrate a couple of things today. Right now, we are recording our 100th episode of Pave It Black. We are also celebrating NAPA, what it has been doing in the past, and what we are looking forward to doing in the future. The good thing about being live is I can completely go off-script, and Brett has no clue it is coming. Before we jump into Jay, I would like to ask Brett a question because this was his brainchild a few years ago. He came to my office one day and said, "Richard, I think we should do a podcast." I told him we aren't podcasters and know nothing about what we're doing, but I promised him we would try a few seasons. Hitting 100 episodes today and seeing the progress we’ve made and the conversations we’ve had, how does that make you feel? What is one of your fondest memories?

B: It has been a journey. I would say we have made a lot of progress. Having Kate on the team has really eased the process, and that has been great. There are a ton of conversations, so it's hard to pick one, but there have been a couple of times we had very memorable discussions with members that I really enjoyed. It has been a great experience. We probably still have a lot to learn about podcasting, but we continue to try to raise that bar. I appreciate you having the willingness to let us try and keep this going.

R: We are at our NAPA Annual Meeting, and many of the people listening today may have experienced this, while others may have no clue who NAPA is or what they do. I think it is good that we dive into it a little bit.

B: Today, one of the things I'm really excited to learn more about is the experience in volunteer leadership in NAPA, as well as the asphalt industry, from someone who has truly lived it.

R: To help us with that conversation today, we've invited Jay Lemon, our new Chair of the Board and someone whose family has been involved in NAPA for many years. Welcome to the podcast, Jay. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for those listeners who may not know you?

JL: Thank you very much. Our family business is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. My grandparents founded the company in 1948. My grandmother ran the office, my grandfather ran the field, and they had one other employee, so it was a team of three. After a couple of years of struggling, they had a very successful job that led them on their path forward.

About seven years later, National Asphalt formed this entity. They were invited to participate and decided they needed to go learn from the best and brightest. They have been active ever since. Haskell and Irene were our first generation. My father, Larry Lemon, was very active in the association for many years as our second-generation leadership. I'm third generation, and we currently have our fourth generation working in the business. It is a real honor and a great legacy they set up for us.

B: Jay, you've shared that experience of coming to NAPA events and being involved. I'm curious if you think back to the first areas where you really got involved in NAPA's efforts. What do you remember about that, and what drew you into taking an active role in the organization?

JL: Whoever ran NAPA for the previous 70-plus years picked cool spots in January and February to visit. As a kid, I enjoyed tagging along with my parents every time they invited us. We would have a vacation while Dad did business. I went through college and started attending as an employee of the company. They started expecting me to attend meetings, learn things, and bring back information to run the business.

It was intimidating and scary, even though our family was well-loved by people around this industry. I wondered where to put my fingerprints on this industry and how to get involved. For four or five years, we would attend the meetings and get good information, but we didn't have deep relationships. We mostly hung out with my parents' friends. After coming for a few years and creating relationships, it really clicked. You got good information, but you also had friends. When you leave this meeting, you can call people around the country to ask questions or bond. Our problems are not unique to Oklahoma. I could call someone who has already solved a problem and learn from them. Those relationships, along with the technical information, are what it's all about for us.

R: As you mentioned, you've been coming to Annual Meetings for a while. There are workshops where we look at where the industry is and where we should be going. There are committee meetings where you get into the nitty-gritty of what is going on in the industry at the moment. Then we have general sessions where we bring in people to discuss what is happening in D.C. or to inspire you as a business leader. Looking back over your time with NAPA, what is your one standout memory?

JL: We've had some phenomenal keynote speakers over the years. I remember one session where General Norman Schwarzkopf addressed us. The moment he opened the door and walked in, you felt he commanded so much respect, and he had a wonderful message. This was following the Desert Storm leadership. He was retired and traveling, but he talked about being a young up-and-comer working in the Pentagon.

He would go office to office and floor to floor, and everyone would have questions, but nobody was making decisions. It drove him crazy. He finally figured out in his career that if you make a decision—whether it is right or wrong—and get in motion, the team will correct you if you are headed down the wrong path. He made his career by saying, "Let’s get the best facts, but let’s make a decision and go forward." That applied well. We've been blessed to be around good people who have corrected the bad decisions we've made, but they at least got the team moving. I'll never forget Schwarzkopf among many other great folks who have been here.

B: You're just a couple of days into your chairmanship. I'm curious if you could share something you are most looking forward to during your chairmanship with NAPA.

JL: We have a lot of good things going on in NAPA right now. I'm really excited. I think NAPA and the state pavement associations have a good respect for each other at the moment and are really complementing each other. Part of my expectation is to travel and be an ambassador with you to these pavement associations to see the problems and what we can celebrate in Washington, Florida, Virginia, or wherever. To the best of my knowledge, in two days, we haven't screwed it up yet.

R: The big elephant in the room for the industry this year is the Highway Bill. This bill is a big thing for the industry, not just because it's about funding, but because it's an opportunity to course-correct something we haven't addressed in a long time. We think about the gas tax and the last time it was raised. What are you most excited about related to the potential for this highway bill, and what brings the most trepidation?

JL: I do think our voice in Washington, D.C. is louder and being respected more today than in previous times when the debate for the next highway bill was going on. That is exciting to me. We've always had friends in key places, but I think we have deeper relationships now. They're calling and asking for input that might make a project or a permitting process easier.

Nobody is going to ask us what funding amount we want because there is never enough, and there is never going to be a funding mechanism that is going to pay for everything that everyone wants. The dollars and the politics will be dictated by someone else. However, the technical pieces inside the bill are where we get to put our fingerprints on it. We are positioned as well as we ever have been to lend advice and expertise there.

B: For season 10, we are starting something new called Quickfire. It is a way to get to know our guests with one-word or short answers. First, early mornings or late nights?

JL: Early mornings.

R: Favorite NAPA meeting?

JL: Hawaii.

B: Tonight we have "cowboy chic." Cowboy boots or a cowboy hat?

JL: Cowboy boots. Cowboy hats don't work well on this head.

R: Business strategy or paving projects?

JL: Paving projects.

B: Advocacy on the Hill or networking with other contractors?

JL: Advocacy on the Hill, then networking.

R: A NAPA event not to miss in 2026?

JL: The Hill Days in September.

B: One word to describe your career?

JL: Fast.

R: I'm going to add one more. Who was the biggest mentor in your life?

JL: My grandfather, Haskell. He grew up poor with an alcoholic father and three siblings. As the oldest, he needed to get a job at age six to help the family survive. He worked delivering milk, eggs, and cheese from a local dairy on foot. The benefit of that job was that it paid a little, but he got all the milk, eggs, and cheese he could take home, which helped fill the cupboards. At age six, he went out and got it done. He raised enough money to buy a bicycle and move into the paperboy world, which really set him off. My grandfather was always looking out for the family and left us a great deal.

B: Do you have a story or a surprising memory from your career?

JL: I've been blessed to have a great career, but an easy one in the sense that I stepped into a business that already had a solid foundation and reputation. We got the chance to make it better, but we didn't have to risk everything. I never mortgaged my house for my career. We've had some really neat opportunities. We once built a project at our state capitol. Along with paving around the capitol, we replaced all the granite steps and monuments. It was unique and fun. There was a time capsule in that project. We were to unearth the time capsule, store it in a secure location, redo all our work, and then rebury the time capsule to be opened in 2051. I found out after our project was done that some of our supervisors added some Haskell Lemon swag to the time capsule. I've told our kids that in 2051, they ought to go and see this.

R: We're going to open up for questions from the audience. Does anyone have a burning question for Jay?

SD: Thank you so much. I'm curious to know if there have been any influential books you've read that have impacted your career.

JL: I'm a slow reader, so I don't read many books, but everyone I have read is phenomenal. A few years ago, we had the opportunity to hear the author of the book Good to Great at NAPA. I had the privilege of getting some advanced notice that I would meet him, so I read his book and it was wonderful. It gave great examples of things to do and simplified business decisions. It is one of the things I go back to often.

R: Any other questions?

Q: Many people looking at NAPA may find it overwhelming. What would you recommend to someone coming into NAPA to try to find their place?

JL: It is very overwhelming to sit in a room with 200 folks when you may only know two. Don't be afraid to raise your hand and add something you know. Firstly, it will get you recognized. Second, there are a lot of people in the room who don't have your experience and know what you know. The IMPACT leadership group is a great place for newer members to meet and network. You find those friends and opportunities. Maybe you belong in the legislative meeting, the technical pieces, or the research side of things. I have seen a lot of people emerge from the IMPACT meetings and group.

Q: Jay, it's great that you're the third generation running the business and that you have the fourth generation on board. Did you have to convince the fourth generation, or was it bound to happen?

JL: We were actually trying to motivate our children to think broadly. I told them there would always be a job for them in the construction company if they wished, but not to limit their thinking to that. It has been great for our family, but if they wanted to be a veterinarian, lawyer, plumber, or teacher, they shouldn't limit themselves. My son went through school and got interested in commercial real estate. He worked in that world for three or four years and was doing quite well. He fell in love and proposed to a young lady, then came to me and said he needed to find a way to make more money. I told him I could promise a raise in earnings, but it comes with many more hours. He decided to come back to the construction company, and he is doing great. Our daughter is a seventh-grade science teacher in Oklahoma. Her husband is working for us now while working on his MBA. In time, he will decide whether he wants to stay in the construction company or pursue other opportunities.

Q: Regarding the generational handoff, what are the key things that need to happen for a successful transition?

JL: We've studied that all our lives to figure out how not to mess it up. There have been many successful transitions and some messy ones. One thing instilled in us is that in our family, you have an opportunity to be a part-owner of the business as long as you are working and moving into management. If you want to pursue another trade, that's great, but you will never have the opportunity to own the business. This prevents the friction of divergent directions among owners. Also, there was no shortage of expectations regarding being at work early and staying late. I have no regrets about that; it has been really good.

R: We heard from Sam Dema this morning as part of the general session. If you had the chance to ask him one question, what would it be?

JL: I enjoyed the session this morning. I know he speaks to audiences of all ages, but the younger generation seems more in tune with him. My question would be: where do you think you make the greatest impact?

B: Do you have a question for Richard?

JL: It's an honor to be with you guys in this association. The people across the country in this business are great. I feel like we all have roots as farmers who got up early, worked hard, and fixed things when they broke.

Now we are seeing family businesses sell to public entities, which is an interesting dynamic in the consolidation of our industry. It is a fantastic phase, and getting to learn from both the big corporations and the three-person operations is something I am proud to be part of.

R: Jay, we really appreciate you being here for the 100th episode. We wish you the best of luck during your chairmanship this year.

JL: Thank you. It was a treat.