🎙️ The Edge — Episode 3

Guest: Jay Winford, P.E., Ph.D.
Host: Tristan Wilson
📍 President & Co-Owner, Prairie Contractors
 📍 Former Chair of NAPA | Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Asphalt) | Board Member, Astec Industries

🧵 About the Episode

In this rich, wide-ranging, and unforgettable episode of The Edge, I sit down with one of the asphalt industry’s most respected and beloved leaders: Jay Winford. Jay takes us on a journey - from his family’s gravel business in Louisiana to the forefront of industry innovation and leadership. Along the way, he shares stories of wisdom, grit, humor, and humanity.

You’ll hear about:

• The mentor who “made work fun”
  

• Why low-bid procurement is broken
  

• How privatization could reshape infrastructure
  

• The emotional toll of field work (and what to do about it)
  

• The power of AI in construction

• What will a 21st century department of transportation look like? Hint: It may not be what you think
  

• And what “a decent profit, decently” really means
  

🧠 Who is Jay Winford?

Jay is the president and co-owner of Prairie Contractors, a leading asphalt paving producer and contractor in Louisiana. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Asphalt Pavements) from Auburn, served as Chair of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), and sits on the Board of Directors at Astec Industries.

He’s a fierce advocate for mental health, industry reform, and people development — and one of the most engaging, wise, and generous voices in construction today. Jay makes things happen, learns, and has fun along the way.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown

✨ Key Takeaways

• Mentorship multiplies: Jay’s story is a tribute to the impact a single mentor can have on a life and an industry.
  

• Systems are broken: Procurement, incentives, and specs often work against progress. Jay offers real-world alternatives. You’ll want to hear this if you work for agencies with incentives that are misaligned with the public and contractors.
  

• Culture matters more than strategy: From radios that call you “000” to biscuits in the breakroom, Prairie built a place people wanted to stay.
  

• AI is coming: Jay’s open mind to technology, from bid modeling to real-time lab testing.

• Talent & Funding: The industry’s two greatest risks.
  

• Profit isn’t greedy - it’s vital: "A decent profit, made decently" powers reinvestment in people, training, safety, and communities.
  

• Mental health is a crisis: The suicide rate in construction is alarming - and it’s on us to care for the folks in the field.
  

📚 Jay’s Reading Recs

• The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel — Douglas Brunt
  

• Biography of John Moses Browning — Nathan Gorenstein
  

• The Demon of Unrest — Erik Larson
  

• The Code Breaker — Walter Isaacson
  

📌 Resources + Mentions

• NAPA (National Asphalt Pavement Association)
  

• NCAT at Auburn University
  

• Women of Asphalt
  

• Vince Hafeli – Mental Health Advocate
  

• Astec Industries
  

• Lattie James’ legacy (via Prairie Contractors)
  

• ChatGPT — Jay’s co-author on a love letter 💌

• LaDOTD 2024 Assessment - By Boston Consulting Group
  

💬 Favorite Quotes

“He made work fun. That’s the greatest compliment I can give a man.”
– Jay Winford on mentor Lattie James

“The man who ceases to learn is doomed to failure.”
– A favorite saying from Jay’s father

“Make a decent profit, decently.”
– From Harvard YPO week — a mantra for life and business

“Asphalt contractors are joiners. We join everything. And we support everything.”
– Jay Winford, on the spirit of the industry

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

Check it out on YouTube for the full video conversation or find it on Spotify using the links below:

Would love to hear your thoughts on the episode! What resonated most with you?

Leave us a rating and comment below!

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About the Author

Tristan Wilson is the CEO and Founder of Edgevanta. We make software that helps contractors win more work at the right price. He is a 4th Generation Contractor, construction enthusiast, ultra runner, and bidding nerd. He worked his way up the ladder at Allan Myers in the Mid-Atlantic and his family’s former business Barriere Construction before starting Edgevanta in Nashville, where the company is based. Reach out to him at [email protected]