The learning curve of going from a newspaper reporter to becoming the budget and policy director of the WTBA is pretty steep. Admittedly, there's a lot Kevin Traas didn't know about transportation funding and Wisconsin's heavy highway industry back in 2001.

In the 25 years since, Traas has become one of the most knowledgable and important people on the WTBA staff and in the association as a whole.

And you might not even know his name.

Now, as Kevin prepares to step away from WTBA employment, Lane and Steve sit down with Kevin to "download" some of his vast knowledge, hear about some of his greatest successes and bitter failures, and find out what it takes to become a budget expert.

Oh, and then there's stuff like AC/DC concerts and wild adventures in train travel in Cold War-era Germany. Enjoy!

Five surgeries down with more to come, fixing broken ankles, dislocated knees, a fractured hip, and road rash.

Those are just the physical scars that will stay with Kyle Perkins for years.

Then, there's the emotional damage that likely will never fade. Perkins, who was severely hurt after a car crashed through his work zone last June also lost his friend and colleague, Nano Alvarez.

In late October, Perkins shared his story with WTMJ Radio (AM 620) in Milwaukee on Wisconsin's Afternoon News. WTBA recaps that interview, with permission from WTMJ's Julia Fellow, in this edition of Road Trippin' with WTBA.

Sometimes life doesn't go as planned.

Taylor Tauer's Plan A was to be the next great quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

Plan B was to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Marine Corps as a fighter pilot. Then, the military discovered he had Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a genetic disorder that put him at great risk for a ruptured aorta.

"That changed it, right? Oh, now I have to get a real job. And also I have to have open heart surgery," Tauer said.

Plan C? Put his civil engineering degree from Michigan Tech to good use.

"I was lucky enough to have an opportunity at Northeast Asphalt," Tauer said. "After a couple interviews, because they weren't sure, right? I was hired and I've been here ever since."

We'd say that's worked out pretty well for Tauer, the construction industry, and WTBA as a whole.

Tauer is the latest guest on the "Road Trippin' with WTBA" podcast. During our 20-minute conversation, we learn more about one of the young industry leaders in our association and Tauer's critical role in helping launch WTBA's new work zone safety billboard campaign in the Fox Valley.