September 25, 2025

By Lane Kimble

The asphalt paver surged forward a little faster than you’d expect from a skilled operator.

No worries – Congressman Tony Wied was just starting to get a hang of the machine.

“I was certainly concerned that I would make a mistake,” Wied admitted.  “It made it a lot better that I had a very good coach.”

Twenty minutes later and you could hardly get the Republican from Green Bay to climb down, smiling broadly as he helped Northeast Asphalt crews repave the BelGiosioso Cheese Plant parking lot Wednesday morning near De Pere.

“There is a lot that goes into driving that equipment and there’s so many people that have to work together as a team, but that’s what I liked the most, seeing the great teamwork,” Wied said.

Indeed, the Congressman marveled at some of the handwork going on nearby and a skillful skid steer driver, who Wied learned had cut her teeth while growing up on a farm.

“I think he understands it and enjoys it,” NEA Plant Manager Brandon Navin said of Wied’s appreciation for the construction industry.  “He spent some time up on the paver, it seems like he could do that job more often if he really wanted to.”

Navin and the NEA team gave Wied a crash course in all things asphalt during a two-hour tour.  They started at the Glenmore asphalt plant, going over aggregate and ingredient mixtures, testing, material recycling, safety, and even transportation funding.

The group–which included the Walbec Group’s Brandon Strand, WAPA’s Deb Schwerman, and NAPA’s Mitch Baldwin–then took Wied to the nearby Rockland Quarry to offer some perspective on the foundations of the roads we all rely on.

“We did throw a lot of information at him and it was good stuff, but it’s also important to show how many people we affect on a daily basis,” Navin said.  “He’s representing the people that are out here working.”

That’s important information Wied plans to carry with him when he returns to Washington, D.C.  The Congressman sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is tackling the immense challenge of reauthorizing the five-year surface transportation bill.

“Seeing it from start to finish, from the quarry to all the way seeing it being applied, I don’t feel like I learned every single thing (about asphalt paving) but I learned quite a bit,” Wied said.

The first-term U.S. Representative eventually had to hand the wheel back to the paving crew – his time was up and they had a job to finish.  But the joy was apparent as Wied climbed back down.

“For me, it’s all about building a good partnership, a good relationship long-term,” Wied added.  “This was definitely a top tour for me.”