West Division manager earns impressive honor

Erin Kunkel, West Division environmental services manager, named the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association’s (CAPA) 2024 Member of the Year.

“Honestly, it’s probably one of the coolest professional things that has ever happened to me.”

That was the sentiment that Erin Kunkel, West Division environmental services manager, had after learning she had been named the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association’s (CAPA) 2024 Member of the Year.

Along with the other awards Martin Marietta earned, this individual award recognizes Kunkel’s long-standing contributions to CAPA’s success.

As co-chair of the association’s Environmental & Sustainability Committee, Kunkel has taken a lead role in growing the association’s environmental program and has been instrumental in guiding numerous industry environmental initiatives.

“We are very proud of Erin and so greatly appreciate her involvement and leadership,” says CAPA Executive Director Tom Peterson. “The CAPA focus on environmental and sustainability issues continues to grow in response to agency requirements and regulations. The guidance and direction provided by Erin has been extremely valuable.”

An active CAPA member for nearly three years, Kunkel says her most important work with the association has involved standardizing asphalt environmental data reporting while forging stronger relationships between industry professionals and state and federal regulators.

In recent months, she and her CAPA colleagues have begun forming a new committee dedicated to monitoring regulatory policy proposals and advocating for rules that protect the environment while allowing asphalt companies to successfully operate in a responsible manner.

“This is really about making sure our voices are heard,” she says. “The asphalt industry in Colorado is made up of many smaller companies that are unable to have an impact on their own. By coming together, we can strengthen the industry, which is good for all of us.”

Kunkel received her degree from the Colorado School of Mines and interned with Martin Marietta before landing a permanent position as an environmental engineer. In the 12 years since, she has held multiple positions of increasing responsibility while earning the respect of her colleagues.

Rocky Mountain Asphalt & Paving District Vice President-General Manager Ryan Yoch, who nominated Kunkel for the CAPA award, says she consistently goes above and beyond while building meaningful and lasting professional relationships.

“Her competitive spirit is matched by her dedication to inspire others,” Yoch says. “Full of heart and pride in her work, she approaches every challenge with an innovative spirit and an eagerness to learn. We are truly fortunate to have her on our team.”

For her part, Kunkel says receiving the Member of the Year award has been a tremendous honor.

“The environmental aspect of any industry doesn’t always receive the attention it deserves, so to be nominated by one of Martin Marietta’s operational leaders and then earn this award from an industry association is incredible,” she says.

While acknowledging the immense support Martin Marietta has shown for her work with CAPA, Kunkel says she sees ample opportunity to further her partnership with the industry association.

“As a company, we do a great deal of advocacy work in industries like aggregates and ready mix, but historically, we haven’t been as involved on the asphalt side,” she says. “There is so much potential here. CAPA is a fun and worthwhile organization that works for the good of the industry and, in the long run, that is a huge benefit to everyone at Martin Marietta.”