Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> August 20, 2001

Richard Bethea – Astec Industries Inc (aste)

RICHARD W. BETHEA is Executive Vice President and Secretary of Astec Industries, Inc. in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Astec, a publicly traded company, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialized equipment for asphalt road construction, aggregate processing and mining, pipeline and utility excavation, underground auger boring and directional drilling. Mr. Bethea received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and his Law degree from the University of Georgia. Before joining Astec in February 1997, Mr. Bethea was in private practice for 19 years specializing in product liability defense and complex business litigation. He served as National Litigation Counsel for a number of companies and was Head of the Litigation Department of Stophel & Stophel, P.C. in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prior to becoming Executive Vice President, Mr. Bethea served as Vice President and Corporate Counsel of Astec. Mr. Bethea is active in the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), the National Aggregates Association/National Stone Association (NAA/NSA), the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the Construction Industry Manufacturers' Association (CIMA) and is on the Executive Board of the American Highway Users Alliance. Profile
TWST: Could you begin with a brief historical sketch of the company and

an overview.

Mr. Bethea: Astec Industries was founded in 1972. We are a manufacturer

of specialized equipment for