Often called the "Father of NAPA," Hayes was the main founder of the National Asphalt Paving Association in 1955 and served as its president for the first three years of its existence. He also was the founder of the Michigan Asphalt Paving Association and helped to organize state associations in Illinois and Missouri. In a contracting career that began in 1919, he emerged as a national leader in bituminous construction, compiling a number of "firsts" in the use of paving equipment and materials that increased efficiency and improved the finished product. Quality construction was a hallmark of his work over the course of more than 50 years.