After nearly 40 years as a pavement engineering consultant, researcher, and educator, David Peshkin will retire on December 31, 2024. David was one of the three founders of Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. (APTech), and during his APTech career he provided expertise in pavement design, construction, and preservation to individuals and agencies responsible for managing airport and highway pavements worldwide. Many of David’s clients became lifelong friends, which exemplifies his commitment to building relationships that make work enjoyable.

David followed a winding road before becoming a pavement engineer. He graduated from Swarthmore College with a BA degree in history, then leveraged this experience into a position as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Central African Republic, followed by work with the Peace Corps in Morocco. After 6 years in Africa he returned home and earned BS and MS degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. His Master’s advisor was Professor Moreland Herrin, who had a lasting impact on David’s career choices. Following graduation, he joined a local consulting firm where he worked until co-founding APTech in 1994.

David served on the Board of Directors and the APTech leadership team as a Principal and Vice President and during those formative years contributed to key technical, managerial, and administrative underpinnings that established the cornerstone for APTech’s success. “David was instrumental in building APTech as a leading specialty firm through his belief in hiring the best people, treating them well, and enabling them to build rewarding careers,” said Katie Zimmerman, APTech’s founder and President for the company’s first 23 years. Along the way, David assumed the role of Chief Engineer at APTech because of his knowledge and experience working on pavements in both the highway and airfield environments, and he held Professional Engineer licenses in more than 20 states.

Technically, David emerged as one of the country’s leading experts in the pavement preservation field. His work is regularly referenced by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and has been used to improve pavement performance by state Departments of Transportation and local agencies across the country. David has also served as an Instructor for the National Highway Institute (the training arm of FHWA) since 1988 and an NHI Certified Instructor. He has developed and taught more than 200 workshops on a range of pavement-related topics, both in the United States and abroad.  

In addition to his work on the highway side, David also provided his expertise to many of the world’s major airports, including O’Hare International Airport, Midway International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angleles International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Denver International Airport, and Burlington International Airport. David has also been at the forefront of airport pavement research for the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF), the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), the Airfield Concrete Pavement Technology Program (ACPTP), and the Airfield Asphalt Pavement Technology Program (AAPTP), and has worked on projects involving the accelerated construction of portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements, the evaluation of PCC pavements with materials-related distress (MRD), and the investigation of the use of small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for airfield pavement condition surveys.

Perhaps David’s favorite part of his career was the opportunity it provided for travel. David never turned down an opportunity to board a plane to teach a course, make a technical presentation, or assist a client, whether that client lived in the U.S. or abroad. As a result, David has worked in every state within the U.S. as well as in Malaysia, India, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. One year, David spent 162 nights in hotels on business, which amounted to 62 percent of his work weeks traveling. In another year, he made over 50 trips and flew more than 200,000 miles to 22 states and 5 other countries. In total, David has accumulated about 6 million frequent flyer miles in service to APTech, and more than a few pieces of worn luggage.

During retirement, David and his wife, Janet, are expected to continue to travel the world, undoubtedly visiting many of the close friends he made over his career. Fortunately for APTech, David has agreed to continue working as a consultant on a part-time basis. “The company would not be where it is today without David’s tremendous commitment and leadership. We look forward to continuing to benefit from his leadership, his expertise, and his friendship while he enjoys the opportunity to spend more time enjoying his various hobbies,” said Monty Wade, APTech’s President.

Please join us in congratulating David on his amazing career and wishing him well in his retirement.