THE J-BAND STORY

A discovery designed to preserve.

Discovered and developed with state transportation agencies, J-Band represents a breakthrough in preserving pavement. A product of the industry experts at Asphalt Materials, Inc., J-Band is created in the leading-edge laboratories of Heritage Research Group. It represents decades of work that resulted in a proven, innovative solution.

A team with true vision.

Developing a product like J-Band required a team that excelled in every area: leadership, industry experience, respect and trustworthiness. By combining strengths in areas ranging from engineering to sales, J-Band was truly a product born from exceptional teamwork.

J-BAND IS AN INNOVATION OF HERITAGE RESEARCH LABS.

Since 1980, Heritage Research Group, our in-house R&D laboratory, has helped The Heritage Group companies, customers, and partners evolve and adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. Today, Heritage Research Group provides innovative products, processes, and training that constantly improve the way our companies serve their clients and delivers solutions to address the myriad of challenges our clients face. It also creates new technologies that fuel further business opportunities for The Heritage Group.

David Henderson

Vice President of Specialty Products

Dave directs the team that develops and commercializes specialty construction materials (like J-Band). His role requires him to be a pro at a little bit of everything- including infrastructure networks, transportation funding and legislation, industry trends, manufacturing, commercialization, and more. His top priority is ensuring infrastructure network value for everyone who plays a role in building and maintaining our roads. Whether it be the agencies that oversee them, the contractors that build them, or the companies that manufacture the asphalt, Dave is committed to making sure everyone gets the most value out of our roads. 

Before joining AMI in 2016, Dave accrued over 25 years of executive experience with companies such as Koch Materials, SemMaterials, Road Science, and InVia Pavement Technologies. He has led the commercialization of products and the development of distribution networks in pavement technology throughout the United States, Asia, and South America.  

Dave earned his undergraduate degree in Finance from Fort Hays State University and his MBA from the University of Denver.

Dave lives in Zionsville, IN with his wife, Dani and their three children. They are avid explorers and their passports include stamps from Italy, France, England, Thailand, and China.

Vince Venturella

Specialty Products Area Manager

With over 30 years of sales and sales management experience including over 20 years of service in the highway safety and pavement preservation markets, Vince is our in-house sales expert.

Prior to joining JBand, he accrued experience working for companies such as Azko Nobel, Evonik Industries, Koch Pavement Solutions, 3M, and Road Science. Vince has extensive knowledge in thermoplastics, pavement maintenance and preservation, construction project development, asphalt emulsions, and more. He has also been successful in developing new pavement treatment businesses with specialized materials and methods.

In his current role as a member of the J-Band team, Vince is responsible for leading and supporting the growth of specialty products (like J-Band) in Ohio and Michigan. In 2016, Vince held a seat on a Transportation Research Bureau Standing Committee and is currently active in numerous industry related associations where he often represents JBand.

Vince is a proud Indiana University graduate and loves to make it back to visit and attend sporting events when he can. He and his wife Cindra reside in Carmel, Indiana and take trips to Chicago and New York to visit their three daughters as much as possible.

Tim Zahrn

Specialty Products Area Manager

With over 30 years of experience working in state and county government, Tim is our in-house transportation guru. He worked for the Illinois DOT for 21 years and served as a county engineer for 12 years in Sangamon County, IL. In these roles, he designed, inspected, and oversaw the maintenance of the Illinois transportation network. To this day he is heavily involved in transportation organizations like ARTBA and NACE.

Tim leads and supports the growth of specialty products (like J-Band) in Illinois and Indiana. He has also worked to expand the reach of recycling technologies and engineered emulsions in this market. Tim developed a passion for recycling and emulsion tech while working in agency roles and has been a champion for their use since joining AMI in 2017.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Illinois Springfield.

This Illinois native moved to Brownsburg, IN to be closer to his granddaughters, whom he adores, yet Tim remains an avid fan of the Fighting Illini. He also enjoys travelling with family and sharing a good glass of wine with friends.

Jim Cunningham

Field Support Engineer

Since he first got started in asphalt back in 1980, Jim has worked as a laborer, foreman, job superintendent, project manager, and estimator. He brings the insight of a contractor to our team, helping us understand what the people who interact with J-Band need every day. He helps us balance agency and contractor priorities to create the best experience possible.

As head of field support, Jim is responsible for both providing field support and managing the other field support engineers.  Our field support engineers are on the ground at almost every single J-Band job site. They know everything there is to know about J-Band, and they’re onsite to make sure the installation of J-Band goes smoothly. 

Jim holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.He and his wife Marylou live in Greensburg, PA. They enjoy playing with their grandchildren, listening to old music, playing Crazy 8’s and rooting for the Pittsburgh sports teams

Todd Thomas

Technical Director-Specialty Products

Todd earned his Master’s in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. He first cut his teeth in the asphalt industry working as a mix design engineer at Elf Asphalt and then a product development engineer at Koch Materials. After thirteen years working in the lab, he transitioned into product commercialization, first at SemMaterials and then at Road Science, LLC.

In 2011 he then transitioned again, this time into field support. Because of the various roles he has occupied, Todd’s experience is extremely broad – he has managed laboratories, worked on mix designs and cold-in-place recycling, scaled up new products for commercialization, served as a liaison for customers, conducted experiments in the field, and much more. 

Todd supports the J-Band field team as well as other specialty products that are produced or being developed by AMI. He is also working on sustainability initiatives in the company. 

Todd and his wife live in central Indiana and are empty nesters. They like to travel and visit their sons. He likes reading, working on projects around the house, and helping at his church. 

Andrew Eicher

Research Engineer

Andrew first joined the Heritage Group in 2014 as a lab intern, where he worked on the creation and testing of emulsions, including RPE. After graduating from Purdue University’s Chemical Engineering program in 2016, Andrew came back to HRG- this time as a full-time research engineer. He started out working at the J-Band plant and assisted  Andy Horton with quantifying the commercial production of J-Band.

Today, Andrew manages quality control testing at the Indianapolis plant. To ensure consistent and high-quality delivery of J-Band, he tests and certifies every batch of J-Band before it is sold and shipped. If something isn’t up to spec, he works with the other engineers at the plant to troubleshoot and fix the problem. He has also continued working on the development and certification of RPE.

Andrew lives in Carmel, IN. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf, brewing beer, officiating lacrosse, and cheering on Purdue during football and basketball season.

Marvin Exline

Product Development Engineer

With decades of experience in product development, it’s easy to see what makes Marvin an asset to the J-Band team. His resume includes companies such as Koch Materials, Road Science LLC, and SemMaterials. He has worked on emulsions, polymer-modified asphalt formulation, product development, upscaling production for commercialization, and much more. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and is even the author of several papers.

But there is another thing that makes Marvin an asset to our customers: he understands what it’s like to work out in the field.

As Marvin puts it, “My brother was 12 years older than me. He started working at 21 in asphalt marketing. I grew up around asphalt talk and worked in the lab for two summers while in college. I’ve always been in the technical group, but it took years for me to realize that most technical people has limited exposure to the marketing side. I think it helped give me a unique perspective around customer focus and recognizing customer needs. The marketing exposure helped me to focus on realistic solutions to customer needs and issues” Along with lab evaluations and field data, he is able to leverage this understanding in his work as a product development engineer. All these things come together to help him optimize J-Band. 

When he’s not in the lab, Marvin enjoys classic cars (including his 1970 Mach 1 Mustang from college) and competitive marksmanship. 

Raise the bar on the road ahead.

Contact us to learn more about J-Band

Innovating Starts Here