S9EP2. Setting the tone: leading an industry of leaders with Audrey Copeland

That led me to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with a fellowship with them, which led me to work a few years with them, which really helped me take on a national presence. It afforded me opportunities to be part of national groups and changing specifications with State Departments of Transportation and really just improving the way our roads are designed and built. So NAPA saw that and recruited me over to lead the Engineering Team and then I came into the President and CEO role. It's been a fantastic opportunity for me and I never thought that this would be the role I'm in. I don't even know that trade association executives are even talked about in schools or college, but, again, I feel very fortunate, to be where I am and have this unique role.

When you joined Napa, you started as the Vice President of the Engineering Research and Technology and then made that transition to CEO and President. Could share some of the differences in leadership styles or responsibilities, and what you learned during that transition?

So back when I was in Engineering, I would say it was really about being able to lead more project specific things or task-oriented things where you're wanting to have a specific outcome. For example, helping lead the partnership with the State Asphalt Pavement Associations, where we had distinct projects that were promoting the benefits of asphalt pavements, as well as, ensuring the competitiveness of asphalt and improving it and things like that. Another thing was working on advancing pavement performance when Kevin Kelly was Chairman. You have this focus area where you're looking at really improving performance.

When I transitioned into the President and CEO role, I'll admit, at first you have this vision, thinking, ‘I'm just going to get to think about the future of asphalt all day’ and, getting to think about this bigger picture of asphalt, and there's a little bit of naivety there. You do think about that, obviously, but really, your time is spent managing people or leading people, and getting them to effectively work as teams and work in an organizational environment effectively. Ensuring that organization is running well, and that can be a variety of things in terms of strategy, setting the tone of the organization, performance management, of course, financials, revenue expenses, all of that type of stuff. 

Your scope really does broaden when you come into the executive role. There's a shift in terms of what's most important and really what's most important is the people and the organization and the industry itself. It boils down to things that are relevant in both positions like, who needs to know this who do I communicate with? So again, the communication skills are important. 

The second thing I would say is decisiveness, and it doesn't always have to be like immediate decisiveness, but you have to be able to make a decision, and a lot of times you've got to be able to make it in a reasonable amount of time. The staff is looking to you for guidance. I like to gather from other people before I make my decision, so I do think that's an important component. But at the end of the day, you have to make the decision to keep things going and in motion. So, I think decisiveness is key as well.

The final thing, beyond humbleness, I already said it, but communication. Knowing who needs to know what. Pausing, and this is something that I still sometimes struggle with, is just taking that time and pause to think through. Who needs to know this? What's going to help me make this decision? Politically, if I make this decision, is it going to impact this person? So, thinking down the road, thinking down that chain of what's going to happen when you make a decision or playing out the different scenarios. Taking that time to have that thought process, is a great skill as well.

So we've touched on your role and how you're working with leaders in our industry on a regular basis. Could you share some of the common trends or qualities in leaders in our industry?

We have a amazing industry, in every state, every size company from small one plant companies all the way up to large international publicly traded companies, and also, family-owned, employee-owned companies. I feel very fortunate to have that breadth of leadership observations. For me, observing how they realize their place so they know that they are setting the tone for the organization. They are making high level decisions, broad decisions that are looking at the health of the organization and the longevity of the organization, and they're not micromanaging, right? So they know their place and they surround themselves with the best people who can run the company or, carry out the operations or, get the projects, bidding, and estimating. So knowing your place and knowing what level you need to be at.

Then the other thing I would say is again, being able to talk through the scenarios. I really use our Board members when I have an issue. I will call on our Officers and I will talk through stuff with them and it always is very helpful. They'll think of something that had not thought of, so being able to quickly think through the different scenarios or consequences or how it might impact something.

I think another thing that's also really interesting to me, especially, with the family-owned companies, is how they think about their succession planning and the longevity of their industry, how they diversify, and how they move into other areas of revenue streams or markets. I guess really what that means for me is realizing when you should get help. You don't have to know everything, don't be afraid to use third parties, right? Don't be afraid to use a consultant to help you with something. There are consultants that help these companies with, succession planning. If they're weak in an area, they'll use a third party to come in and help them. That's really helped us at NAPA because we're a small staff.

Then the final thing I would say too is peer groups. There are peer groups within our industry, kind of medium-sized companies that come together to learn from each other, and thankfully, our members value that so much that they allow me to be part of peer groups for trade associations, and that has been immensely helpful. So looking to others, not being scared of getting help, looking at the long term, and then also staying at this higher level and then surrounding yourself with the best people.

I think as a leader, having things outside of your job that challenge you and that push you, help you with your job, and especially adapting to change. Being able, outside of your job, to have challenges, you know whether you're going to hike a mountain you've never hiked, or you're running a race, or you’re reading a book or writing a book. Setting goals for yourself that kind bring you out of your comfort zone help you adapt to change as a leader.

Having a sounding board, having someone that you can talk to because even though you do need to reframe things and look for the opportunities, there are times when you just need to vent, you know, you just need to have someone that you just like, 'Gosh, I'm struggling with this' and then just get it off your chest. Then that way you're letting it go. You're having that release.

One of the things that really helped me in 2024 was I read a David Coggins book called Can't Hurt Me. He's a former Navy SEAL, an extreme, athlete, marathoner, and essentially what his book boiled down to was: it's always going to be hard, especially if you're operating at a high level. If you've made it to the level of a CEO, or even an Executive, a VP, Director, you have made it to this level for a reason. You can do hard things, and, there's always going to be hard things. It's always going to be hard so, get comfortable with that. That's the reason you're at that level. And I don't mean hard, like it's bad, I just mean you're at this level because you can do challenging things because you are a problem solver because you're a leader and accept that and get comfortable with it. Then that kind of frees you instead of struggling against it. It frees you to go to that next level.

When you look at leadership, do you see it as evolutionary? What are some of the things you see are changing?  

I would say it is a little bit of both. I would say, the fundamental things that make folks good leaders are probably not changing a lot in terms of the people skills and strategy skills. I think what is changing is just the broadening of things that you have to think through in our world in terms of information. Technology advancement is moving so rapidly, it continues to speed up, through my lifetime, and I don't even know what's going to happen through my daughter's lifetime, right? Things are just continuing to rapidly develop and I think with that comes this broadening. So you've got the technical side of things, you've also got the social side of things. With us being able to record everything now, you have to be able to quickly assess how you are going to handle this? How are you going to address this? You need to be prepared as a leader for any type of, I don't know if PR crisis is too strong of a word, but it's the reality, right? You just don't know what could happen,

In 2024, one of the major efforts that NAPAREF led was developing was the Road Scholars Program at Auburn University and the National Center for Asphalt Technology. Why do you think it's important to be a part of Programs like this which support and help develop future leaders for the industry?

I think it's very important. First of all, let me just say this industry is phenomenal. Within a year we raised 3 million to endow this scholarship that will benefit graduate students in the asphalt industry. What I would say, and really it's just from my own personal experience, I am embedded in this industry because of scholarships. I received an Eisenhower Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration. I had already done some asphalt work in my Master's, but at that point I didn't get enough exposure to where I was committed so I wanted to move away from it. I thought, 'Oh, I want to go back to structural engineering'. And it wasn't until I got the Eisenhower Fellowship, and I moved up here to Washington, D. C. to their labs, that, I really became embedded in the industry. It brought me out of the comfort zone of Nashville, Tennessee and it introduced me to all these national experts in this area.

Then second, I received an Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists Scholarship. What really impressed me about that was I was just getting into the industry. Those folks didn't really know me except for my application. I can't remember what it was at the time, but they told me, you can spend it how you want, whether you need living expenses or books, travel, whatever. And the fact that they put that trust in me, it was huge for me. It gave me the opportunity to go to their meeting and get exposure to more experts in the industry.

It is such goodwill, these scholarships, and it can truly have a meaningful impact on students. I think that scholarships are the key as to why I'm in this industry and I have flourished in this industry. because not only did it help me financially, but it's a vote of confidence. It's a vote of, ‘Hey, we believe in you and we value you.’ 

The Women of Asphalt organization has really grown and taken off in recent years. Could you share a little bit about the process of setting up that organization as well as some of what Women of Asphalt is doing to help or support women in the industry?

That organization really started as an idea, and it is great to have an idea and see it come to fruition and success. It goes back to Amy Miller, who is now the Executive Director of the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, and she saw a need to raise the profile of women in the industry, but also create an opportunity where women know that they have a home in this industry.

I'll admit, I know I've said this numerous times, when she first brought it up, I was like 'Oh, I don't know' but we took it to the NAPA Board and they were really excited. That's what I'll say again, this industry never ceases to surprise me. Just when you think that they might push back on something, they embrace it, and they were all for it. So with that, Amy got to work finding other, key women in the industry that she knew could help lead this and make it a success. She tapped into the Asphalt Institute. She tapped into some of our members who had fantastic women on their staff, whether they were in sales or leading organizations. Then we started deciding what is this going to be? How are we going to have members? And so, it just grew from there.

Looking at your career and the work that you're doing, is there a certain legacy that you hope to leave as a leader?

If I had to boil it down in terms of what I care about as well and how much I care about this industry, and the people I work with. I think it can be boiled down to she cared. She truly cared. She had to make some difficult decisions at times, and she may had to do some things or make decisions that not everybody liked, but at the end of the day, I know she weighed the options available to her, and I know she cared, and I know she did her best to look at it from everyone's perspective.