In the mid-1950’s a group of businessmen that were engaged in liquid asphalt application formed an association to actively promote and improve the use of the products they were selling – Asphalt cements, cutbacks, emulsions and tars.
As a result, other companies in the business throughout the State of New York expressed interest in joining the organization and supporting its mission. This resulted in the formation of the New York Bituminous Distributors Association Inc. in 1956. Cy Allemeier of Allied Bitumens, Inc. in Buffalo was the association’s first president.
The association’s name was changed to the Liquid Asphalt Distributors Association of New York, Inc. (LADA) in 1983. In 2022, the Association changed the name to New York Pavement Preservation Association, Inc. (NYPPA)
Today our members are involved in working with the NYSDOT and OGS in upgrading specifications as well as investigating new and better uses for our products and manufacturing facilities.
A number of other changes have also occurred since the original formation of the association. The use of cutbacks has been drastically reduced and emulsion use has subsequently increased. Distributors have become larger and more sophisticated. Members have extended and expanded the methods in which liquid asphalts are used. A member company now will not only have asphalt distributors, but may also have pugmills and stabilization plants, transports, travel mix plants, conventional pavers, mechanical chip spreaders, slurry seal machines and in-place recycling machines in their fleet. Additionally, a number of member companies also operate their own asphalt emulsion.
Additionally, operations are a far cry from what they were when the founding group met in Troy over 60 years ago. In order to keep pace with future changes in the industry, members must continue to dedicate themselves active participation in the association so that NYPPA can lead the way towards industry advancement.