Paver Industry Father Passes
Bill Schneider and Martin Probst at the Port of Oakland
William (Bill) Schneider passed away on January 20, 2020 at Midwest Medical Center in Galena, Illinois. Bill is known for his significant contributions to the segmental concrete pavement industry and to the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI). Founding LPS Pavement Company in the Chicago area in 1976 after being convinced that concrete pavers were a better pavement solution. He left ready-mix concrete pavement contracting, instead selling many commercial paver projects in the early years of the industry.
With this experience, Bill Schneider became a charter member of ICPI when it formed in 1993 and was first to Chair the ICPI Construction Committee. He developed content for the Concrete Paver Installer Course and the Commercial Paver Specialist Course. He was the first instructor of the Concrete Paver Installer Course with over 30,000 participants since 1995. The program includes over 2,500 ICPI active certified installers today. Additionally, he served on ICPI’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and numerous standing and special committees.
Bill Schneider always maintained that educating contractors on industry best practices is paramount to their success. He demonstrated this by developing and instructing ICPI installer courses. He was known for telling engaging stories from his installation experiences to make his points in certification classes. In addition, he helped to found and instructed at the School for Advanced Segmental Paving. He was an inspiration to countless paver installation contractors across the country.
In 2014, Bill received the first ICPI Lifetime Achievement Award which recognizes significant contributions to the industry. The award emphasizes dedication to safety and well-being of employees, demonstrated leadership, and outstanding contribution to the industry via volunteer service.
Besides LPS Pavement Company, Bill’s pioneering included creating a company specializing in permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) design and specification called Advanced Pavement Technology in 2002. He also created a company specializing in PICP installation called Aqua-Paving Construction in 2010. His early PICP installations transformed the Chicago market, making it an early center for PICP sales. This effort was supported by several trademarks and patents on permeable paver shapes as well as design of the Bio-Aquifer Storm System (BASS) using open-graded aggregates for PICP installation that is the accepted method today. He promoted mechanical paver installation to lower project costs and increase efficiency.
Some groundbreaking projects he installed follow:
Morton Arboretum – Built in 2003 for the new visitor’s center, the 173,000 sf PICP parking lot in Lisle, Illinois, proved a viable solution as a best management practice for stormwater management. It was one of the first and largest PICP installations demonstrating that PICP performs in a cold climate.
The Williamsburg Village Project – Built in 1979 in suburban Chicago, this 130,000-sf interlocking concrete pavement project was one of the first street applications in North America. The project was built well before the interlocking concrete pavement industry formed an association, and well before association guide specifications directed designers and contractors on best practices for materials and installation. The 40-year old roadway is still in use and has not had any major maintenance, an impressive performance considering the constant delivery-vehicle traffic, harsh Chicago weather, and regular deicer use in the winter.
Port of Oakland, CA – At five million square feet, this is the largest interlocking concrete pavement project in the western hemisphere. Installed from 2002 to 2004 required over 22 million mechanically installed paving units. Bill’s leadership and participation with other ICPI member contractors resulted in specifications, construction methods, and inspection processes for port paving. The project accelerated use of mechanical paver placement to improve contractor efficiency and reduce installation costs.
Elmhurst College, IL – Another mechanical installation, a campus demonstrated that PICP systems could be used as an alternative to unattractive and space wasting detention ponds as well as decrease flows and volumes to city storm sewers working at capacity. The 2008 project was inspired by the success at Morton Arboretum five years earlier.
Hartz Mountain Industries – As one of the largest private real estate owners in the U.S., Hartz has more than 200 properties with over 38 million square feet of building space in the northern New Jersey/New York area. A New Jersey concrete paver manufacturer proposed using interlocking concrete pavers in 1990 but the developer wanted assurance that the pavement would be installed properly by a knowledgeable contractor. Bill Schneider provided that assurance to the developer which resulted in more than one million square feet of concrete pavers installed in various Hartz Mountain properties. This greatly increased the use of concrete pavers in this New Jersey – New York market.
We are saddened by his loss to the industry and ICPI. Yet, his contribution and inspiration to other contractors and beneficial imprint on ICPI continues. Bill is survived by his wife Ali, sons Derek (Kristina) and David (Denise), daughters Kristi (Scott) and Courtney, and 10 grandchildren.
Per his wishes, there will be no visitation or ceremony at this time. A celebration of his life will be held in the future once the weather warms for anyone who wants to get together to honor him. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ICPI Foundation for Education and Research to the Hospice of Dubuque (https://hospiceofdubuque.org/cms-view-page.php?page=donate) in his memory. If you have any stories, memories, anecdotes, photos, videos, etc. involving Bill you would like to share, please forward them to Derek Schneider (derek@advancedpavement.com) who would love to hear from you, and compile them for use at the celebration.