The asphalt vs. concrete debate?

When you get all of the emotion out of it, then it’s clear it’s not all that competitive. Today 80 to 90 percent of asphalt is going into the top 2 inches of roads, and concrete can’t compete there. But asphalt can’t compete in the buildings and nonroad markets. So really the only head-to-head competition is for new roads, and that’s only 10 to 20 percent of the total market for both of them . . . We all work for the traveling taxpayer and we should build them the best-quality roads we can. If the agencies choose concrete, we need to make it as good as we can.

You have a number of companies, and you are very decentralized in management. They work almost independently of central direction. Why?

You get a very narrow product focus, and you get pride of ownership and authorship.