As of August 1st, 2023, the Lime Association of Texas has a new Executive Director: Dale Rand! Kelvin Reinhardt has served the Lime Association of Texas faithfully for over 15 years and is now stepping out of this position and into retirement. Dale brings fresh perspective and a wealth of knowledge, specifically about hot mix asphalt, to the table. His passion for quality materials and pavements runs deep. He is excited to be here and we are honored to have him!
Dale has been involved with the Lime Association of Texas since the early 90s. He met Charlie Baxter, our Executive Director at the time, at the Transportation Short Course in 1993. Since then, he has been in the right place at the right time, advocating for the Lime Association, and even recommending Larry Pierce for this very position in the early 2000s. It was clear to Dale early on that people in the lime industry really wanted to be there. They were passionate, knowledgeable, and frankly, not young. He would see people well into their golden years opting to keep working instead of retiring. Dale recalls jokingly asking himself, “Do you have the be 70 to start in the lime industry?”. With big shoes to fill as the successor to Kelvin Reinhardt, stepping into this role is a full-circle moment for him.
Having worked for TXDOT for over 25 years, as well as the Texas Hot Mix Asphalt Association, and most recently Atlas Technical Consultants for the past decade, Dale has seen his fair share of what lime can do. Dale’s peers know him as the hot mix asphalt expert, which is well-deserved accolade considering that he has helped design over 300 mixtures in his day.
He first saw the impressive benefits of lime when he was involved with testing of lime in asphalt, early in his career. He utilized lime in subgrade base stabilization, as an anti-strip agent, and as a mix performance enhancer for hot mix. The consistent trend was that hot mix asphalt that contained lime was out-performing the hot mix that didn’t. When the Hamburg Wheel Test was popularized around the turn of the century, it was indisputable: lime was the answer to better mixtures, stabilized soil, and highways that would last 15-20 years. Lime meant that we no longer had to be at the mercy of the expansive clays in the subgrade. He has also seen the flipside: when lime isn’t used, which can lead to multi-million dollar failures. Since the results and effectiveness are so clear, Dale has been quoted as saying:
He has a vested interest in everybody getting to reap the benefits of this reality, exclaiming that everybody wins when you do it right: lime distributors, construction companies, and taxpayers who drive their vehicles on Texas highways. After all…
When it comes to Dale’s vision for the future of the Lime Association of Texas, it can be summarized in three words: proactive, elevated and helpful. His mindset is that of a lifelong learner. Dale believes whole-heartedly in sharing knowledge and learning from other’s mistakes, which is why he wants the Lime Association of Texas to be a resource for the industry. He hopes that we can speed up the learning curve for people new to the industry, especially as more and more fresh college graduates enter it. He wants them to know that it’s okay if you don’t have all the answers, because you can ask someone who knows more than you. As Executive Director, he will leverage his network and continue to build on the 35+ years of professional relationships he has cultivated.
In his free time, Dale helps take care of his daughter’s many animals, golfs, goes fishing, and plays poker. He also enjoys traveling.
You can expect to see Dale around proudly representing the Lime Association of Texas.
