Date Posted : May 24, 2026
in : News and Events
While most of Vancouver was asleep in the early hours of May 23, a small group of night-shift workers gathered inside the cramped 50-square-foot control tower at All Roads Asphalt Plant, waiting for a number on a screen to roll over.
At the end of the day, it's just a group of hardworking people who share the same passion for this industry. Seeing what they've accomplished together is pretty incredible.
There were no speeches and no grand celebration — just a handful of people who had spent years showing up through long nights, breakdowns, deadlines, rainstorms, and early mornings together.
And then, quietly, the plant produced its 2 millionth tonne of asphalt.
Among those packed into the control tower were Chief Operating Officer Mike Darby, Director of Plant Operations Dennis Eby, Director of Systems & Development Ryan Henderson, and several members of the night crew, all waiting to see which truck would carry away the milestone load.
The asphalt plant first fired up on May 22, 2020. Forty months later, on September 22, 2023, it reached its first millionth tonne. This second million came even faster — just 32 months later — but for the people behind the operation, the numbers only tell part of the story.
"For me, it's been a heck of a journey," said Eby. "There were plenty of ups and downs along the way. A lot of sweat, a lot of long nights. But more than anything, this happened because people here genuinely care about what they do and about each other."
Plant mechanic Manvir Chahal echoed that feeling.
"People see the asphalt trucks rolling out, but they don't always see the work behind it," he said. "The maintenance, the hours, the troubleshooting at two in the morning. It takes everyone pulling together. That's what got us here."
At around 2:00 a.m., a brightly lit truck and transfer unit rolled into the yard. Moments later, silo #5 began loading steaming hot mix into the trailer bed — and just like that, the 2 millionth tonne was produced.
There were a few cheers, a couple of high-fives, and then everyone went right back to work.
The driver carrying the milestone load turned out to be Mantej Dhillon of MSD Aggregates. After thanking him with a small token of appreciation, Mike and the team followed the truck nearly 40 kilometres east to the paving site on Highway 1.
By coincidence, the asphalt was headed to another All Roads crew paving near 248th Street in Langley.
Mario Kutle, Lead Hand with All Roads, was working the back deck of the paver when the milestone load arrived.
"It is the 21st truck we've received tonight," Kutle said with a smile. "I was here for the first millionth tonne too, so it's pretty special to still be here for this one. You don't really think about these moments when you're working, but later on you realize you were part of something meaningful."
Even from halfway across the world, All Roads President Rod Stephens didn't want to miss it. Watching over FaceTime from Rome, Italy, he followed the night's events through Ryan Henderson's steadily tiring arm as he held up his phone for hours.
"What makes me proud isn't just the number," Stephens said. "It's that we reached this point safely, with good people, and with crews that continue to care about doing things the right way. That's what matters most to me."
He paused before adding:
"At the end of the day, it's just a group of hardworking people who share the same passion for this industry. Seeing what they've accomplished together is pretty incredible."
By sunrise, the moment had already passed. The trucks kept rolling, the crews kept paving, and most people driving Highway 1 later that morning had no idea they were travelling over a small piece of company history.
For the team at All Roads, though, it was a reminder of what can happen when people keep showing up for one another — one shift, one load, and one long night at a time.