During the luncheon at the 44th Annual Asphalt Paving Conference, John Crane, Executive Director of Asphalt Pavement Association presented the Asphalt Industry Stewardship Award.  Crane stated, “this award is meant for those who are good stewards, people who are diligent, hardworking and dedicated to the asphalt industry and for people who are willing to challenge the status quo and push the industry to advance down the road to better our industry.”  Crane presented the award to Mr. Bob Brookover.

Mr. Brookover has been in the industry for over 50 years, starting his career working during his summers as a sophomore in high school in 1973, eventually joining full-time in 1976 as a laborer with Black Rock Contracting, Inc. Brookover later joined Shelly and Sands, Inc. in 1982, and then West Virginia Paving in 1986, when WV Paving purchased Blackrock’s Camden plant which Brookover previously worked at. As Brookover’s career progressed he eventually worked up through the ranks becoming a paving operator, a foreman, and superintendent and by 2010 Mr. Brookover was named president of West Virginia’s largest paving contractor, West Virginia Paving, Inc. Brookover currently holds the position of Executive Vice President of CRH’s Appalachian Materials Region.
During Brookover’s time with the industry, he has been involved with the development of numerous specifications ensuring the industry is moving in the right direction and that the specifications are both fair and workable for both industry as well as the WVDOH. Crane said, “he (Brookover) is an innovator of our industry, constantly pushing the boundary of what is possible, challenging the industry to do better. He has been a champion for the use of higher RAP, obtaining better density, better joint construction, smoother pavements and much more.”
Throughout 2019 and 2020, Mr. Brookover served as Chairman of the Asphalt Pavement Association of West Virginia, during which he oversaw many items however the most significant was the expansion of the Industry’s Asphalt Technology Endowment, now called the Pat Parsons Faculty Endowment, at West Virginia University. In 2019, in order to attract a prominent candidate to fill the endowed position, the industry decided to raise the fund level to be considered an endowed Chair, raising the total donated funds to $1 Million dollars.
Crane concluded the lunch by saying, “Bob has been an outstanding voice of reason for the industry, he is dedicated, supportive, and constantly challenges us all to do better. Bob’s contagious and enthusiastic love of asphalt can only be rivaled by the love he has for his family.”