in the
A lot can be learned from Andre
and his team at Pothole Heroes as they continue to blaze their own trail.
Less Can Be More — There’s a growing need to cut through the
so many software options, companies may be overwhelmed by choice, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and wasted investment.
Elevating graders adapted to motor graders in the 1950s, excelling in excavation tasks and material handling with belt improvements.
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https://pavemg.com/resd0dix
Trimble Tackles Tech and Autonomy
Inside developments from the Trimble Dimensions 2024 and a look at tomorrow’s equipment tech integrations.
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https://pavemg.com/2b8pj6e5
As you review your staffing needs for the year, keep in mind that often the best of us have come from other backgrounds.
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Vol. 38, No. 2, February 2025
ADVISORY BOARD
Agua Trucks Inc
Wickenburg, AZ, Scott Duscher
Asphalt Contractors Inc., Union Grove, WI Robert Kordus
Published and copyrighted 2025 by IRONMARKETS. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
Subscription policy: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the U.S. only to pavement maintenance contractors, producers and government employees involved in paving or pavement maintenance; dealers, and distributors of pavement maintenance equipment or materials; and others with similar business activities. Complete the subscription form at www.forconstructionpros.com or use your company letterhead giving all the information requested. Publisher reserves the right to reject nonqualified subscribers. One year subscriptions for nonqualified individuals: $35.00 U.S.A., $60.00 Canada and Mexico, and $85.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available (prepaid only) $10.00 each (U.S., Canada & Mexico), $15.00 each (International). Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction (ISSN 1098-5875), is published eight times per year: January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October/ November, December by IRONMARKETS, 201 N. Main St. Ste 350, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI and additional entry offices.
POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to Pavement, 201 N. Main St. Ste. 350, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Printed in the USA.
PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE & RECONSTRUCTION is proudly supported by these associations:
Asphalt Restoration Technology Systems, Orlando, FL Connie Lorenz
Brahney Paving, Hillsborough, NJ Steven Brahney
Eosso Brothers Paving; Hazlet, NJ Tom Eosso
Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating, PLainfield, IL Chris Maul
Parking Lot Maintenance, Lake St. Louis, MO
Petra Paving, Hampstead, NH
Todd Bruening
Chris Tammany
Pioneer Paving, Albuquerque, NM................................................................... Don Rooney
Roberts Traffic, Hollywood, FL
Lisa Birchfield
Show Striping Inc. (SSI), Wisconsin Dells, WI ...................................... Amber Showalter
T&N Asphalt Services, Salt Lake City, UT Nick Howell
Young Sealcoating Inc, Lynchburg, VA Steve Young
The Paving Lady Mauro Comuzzi
JMP Excelsior Services Jim Panzenhagen
Sweeping Industry Veteran
Flat Nickel Management
Wis-Coat Asphalt Maintenance
Clear Choice Sealing
Jacketta Sweeping Services
Royal Pavement Solutions
ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVES:
Pavement Coatings Technology Council
Gabe Vitale
Michael Nawa
Marvin Joles
Warren Johnson
Debbie Jacketta
Kenneth Roy III
Brian Riggs, Executive Director
Business owners shouldn’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors. Despite the viral views and thousands of followers, that person you see online isn’t who you think they are...but neither are you.
About 12 years ago I went through a divorce, which was, as you can imagine, a really painful experience. In the aftermath, I started seeing a psychologist in order to help me through things, and to stabilize my mental health. During one particular session, I explained to my doctor how it felt worse when I would spend time online (social media) and came across posts by people I deemed to be having a better life than me.
My doctor told me, “It’s all an illusion. You’re only seeing what they let you see.” This is something I’ve taken with me every day since, and something I’ve worked to instill in my kids as they deal with the online community more and more.
Brandon Noel, Editor bNoel@iron.markets
234-600-8983
I came of age just as Myspace came into existence. I remember needing a college email address to sign up for Facebook. So far, I’ve witnessed every phase social media has been through, including the rise of the social media influencer.
I remember the time before it was a thing, before the branded posts, before the sponsoredcontent warnings, and before it felt like every picture and video I saw was trying to sell me something. It’s a whole different ballgame now.
At the time I am writing this, while taking my lunch break, the algorithm pushed someone’s post to me on this very subject. The person belongs to our industry, I won’t name them, but they wrote a few paragraphs calling out the entire influencer culture. They criticized the facade that it tries to create, and while I agreed with a lot of what they had to say, on this one point I felt divergent.
While their intent was to place that influencer culture into contrast with “real success” I think there is something else worth examining, another way of looking at things.
Oftentimes we characterize the “real” work with words like sacrifice, humility, authenticity, long hours, extra-mile dedication, and personal investment, etc. We envision the struggling small business owner, working day-in- and day-out, not the person constantly bragging and showing off, right? The “fakeness” of the influencer/entrepreneur is often characterized by their unrealistic looking lifestyles, their hyper-curated feeds, podcast appearances, or inspirational LinkedIn posts.
To me, the two aren’t that far apart, and the more insidious “influencer trap” is believing that they are.
Every social media account is curated. What you see is what the person wants you to see. It’s an image they create and present to their followers, but it isn’t real, whether they have spon-con or not. In some cases, those accounts that stress their authenticity and their “realness” are no more that than the one going into debt on a vacation to make people think they have it all together. Their goals are essentially the same, although they take different routes to them.
As we gear up for the 2025 World of Asphalt and all the posts start hitting your social media timelines, keep in mind that the people getting the most out of the show, are probably those too busy to take the time to show you. Same goes for the ones quietly finding fulfillment in their work. See you on the road! ■
EDITORIAL
Editor Brandon Noel bnoel@iron.markets
Content Director, Marketing Services Jessica Lombardo jlombardo@iron.markets
Managing Editor Gigi Wood gwood@iron.markets
Junior Editor Merina Shriver mshriver@iron.markets
AUDIENCE
Audience Development Manager Angela Franks
PRODUCTION
Senior Production Manager Cindy Rusch crusch@iron.markets
Art Director April Van Etten
ADVERTISING/SALES
Brand Director Amy Schwandt aschwandt@iron.markets
Brand Manager Megan Perleberg mperleberg@iron.markets
Sales Representative Sean Dunphy sdunphy@iron.markets
Sales Representative ..................................................... Kris Flitcroft kflitcroft@iron.markets
Sales Representative Kaylee Kidd kkidd@iron.markets
IRONMARKETS
Chief Executive Officer.................................................. Ron Spink
Chief Revenue Officer Amy Schwandt VP, Finance Greta Teter VP, Operations & IT Nick Raether VP, Demand Generation & Education Jim Bagan
Corporate Director of Sales .................................. Jason DeSarle
Brand Director, Construction, OEM & IRONPROS Sean Dunphy
Content Director ...................................................... Marina Mayer
Director, Online & Marketing Services Bethany Chambers Director, Event Content & Programming Jess Lombardo
CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS
201 N. Main St. Ste. 350, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 (877) 201-3915 | Fax: (847)-291-4816 circ.pavement@omeda.com
LIST RENTAL
Sr. Account Manager Bart Piccirillo | Data Axle (518) 339 4511 | bart.piccirillo@infogroup.com
REPRINT SERVICES
Brand Manager ..................................................... Megan Perleberg mperleberg@iron.markets | (800) 538-5544
Published and copyrighted 2025 by IRONMARKETS. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
@PAVEMENTMAGAZINE
@PAVEMENTMAGAZINE
@PAVEMENTMAINTENANCE
Your Will
Crack sealing is the most cost-effective treatment to preserve your pavement. Crafco provides the most reliable crack sealants for every environment, along with the most reliable equipment to apply it.
Visit us at Booth #1222
March 25-27 St. Louis, Missouri
Caterpillar Inc. is marking its 100th anniversary with celebrations throughout the U.S. that commemorate a monumental moment in the company’s history. The iconic manufacturing company officially turns 100 on April 15, marking a century of customer-centric innovation and industry-leading transformation.
The Holt Manufacturing Co. and the C.L. Best Tractor Co. merged to form what was then known as the Caterpillar Tractor Co. in 1925. From the company’s first track-type tractor designed to pull combine harvesters in Northern California to autonomous
construction and mining equipment and engines that power the world today, Caterpillar products and services have helped its customers complete infrastructure projects that have shaped the modern world.
“Our success over the last 100 years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees, the continued trust of our customers and the support of our dealers and business partners,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby. “I am proud to lead such a strong team, and I’m
confident Caterpillar will continue to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world over the next 100 years.”
Celebrations took place in Sanford, North Carolina and Peoria, Illinois. At the company’s global headquarters in Irving, Texas, the families of company founders C.L. Best and Benjamin Holt will gather with company leaders and employees to celebrate the first 100 years of innovation as Caterpillar begins its journey into the next century.
Today, the Centennial World Tour embarked on its journey to visit Caterpillar facilities around the world and provide an interactive and immersive experience for employees and visitors. The company is also commemorating the milestone with limited-edition “Centennial Grey” painted machines available for purchase in 2025.
Cemex announced its participation in multiple government-sponsored sustainability initiatives, securing funding from state and federal programs to deploy several lower-emission vehicles across its U.S. footprint. This remarkable investment is a crucial step in the company’s ongoing efforts to decarbonize its operations.
Through the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), Cemex was awarded approximately $13 million to obtain four lower-emission locomotives and two haul trucks for its cement and aggregate sites in New Braunfels and Katy, Texas. The TERP program provides financial incentives to eligible individuals, businesses, or local governments to reduce emissions from polluting vehicles and equipment. Three of the four new locomotives and both haul trucks entered service in late 2023 and mid-2024 in New Braunfels, respectively.
Looking ahead, Cemex will continue its commitment to protecting air quality by deploying additional equipment in 2025. A $2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program will allow for two lower-emission locomotives to enter Cemex’s service in Jacksonville and Miami in summer 2025.
Upon placing these emissions-reducing vehicles into service, Cemex decommissions the conventional vehicles they replaced, meeting a core requirement of the programs and reinforcing Cemex’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
This initiative continues Cemex’s efforts at other locations, particularly in Victorville, California, where multiple loweremission locomotives were added to the fleet. In 2022, nearly 40 low-emission natural gas trucks were introduced to the Southern California fleet, replacing an equal number of older, diesel-powered vehicles. Additionally, in 2023, another lower-emission locomotive was put into service, supported by a $2.5 million grant from the EPA’s Targeted Airshed Grants (TAG) Program.
Decarbonizing its operations is a fundamental aspect of Cemex’s Future in Action program, which focuses on achieving sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO company by 2050. ■ A
Tackle Light Removal Jobs Fast With Graco
Grindlazer ® Standard-Series Scarifiers
Graco GrindLazer Standard Series scarifiers are great for removing trip hazards and smaller traffic markings. These highly-portable scarifiers pack a ton of capability into a light, compact package that’s easy to load into the back of a truck. This makes them ideal for tackling multiple smaller jobs quickly or working in urban areas with limited parking.
• Highly-portable design for increased mobility
• Cut a path up to 8 in wide
• Wide variety of cutters and accessories for job flexibility
• Depth control lever and dial for fine-tuning your removal
• Adjustable handlebars and vibration-reducing grips for operator comfort
• Reliable 6.5 HP and 9 HP Honda® gasoline engines
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•
1
Caterpillar
Caterpillar has announced updates to the midsized asphalt compactor line. The Cat CB7, CB8 and CB10 Asphalt Compactors are equipped with edgemanagement options, optional cab, optional split drums and a new mapping display. Features like AM and FM Bluetooth radio and the heated seat combine with seating and legroom, wide sight lines and climate control functions that can help with performance on the jobsite. Proper management of unconfined edges can help optimize density. The vertical edge created by the cut-off wheel helps provide a stable vertical face for joint matching on the next paving pass.
SnowWolf
WolfPaws by SnowWolf are designed to be narrower to penetrate ice and snow. Depending on the model, WolfPaws are 6.6 in.-8.5 in. wide compared to most skid steer loader tires at 10 in.-14 in. to exert nearly double the ground pressure, dramatically improving traction, snow clearing, and safety. WolfPaws range from 28 in. to 36 in. in height and fitments are offered for machines as small as the Bobcat Toolcat all the way up to the largest of skid steers. Some customers prefer to go with a larger diameter tire than what comes standard on their machine which gives the added benefit of increasing the skid steers’ travel speed and hence, an even greater improvement in productivity.
3 5 2 4 6
The attachment’s 22.5-in. operating height offers visibility of the work area. Features such as a fully reversible drum with individually replaceable polycarbonate bristle wafers, zinc-coated pins and drum carrier components and a motor-protecting guard facilitates safe operation. The angle broom is available in working widths of 72 or 84 in. with a manual or hydraulic angling option and universal harness, catering to the working requirements of landscapers, snow removal and construction professionals, government and municipal organizations and more. A low operating height allows for sightlines in front and to the sides of the attachment for operation in tight spaces or near structures. Ingnite’s low-profile angle broom uses 24-in. diameter polycarbonate bristle wafers which hold up on sidewalks and other abrasive surfaces.
Cimline, Inc
Designed to support operator safety and sealing operations.
Powered by a 27-hp electric start gasoline engine, the machine features a single piece drum design with cutouts on each side of the housing for access. Equipped with a 6-gal. fuel tank and dual-stage air cleaners. The base has two wheels and operators can access a portable handle for control during use, as well as for transporting the machine around the jobsite. Features include:
• Belly-bar Hands-free Emergency Shutdown
• Kohler Engine: Provides performance with low maintenance.
• Quick Stop II Anti-Kickback System: Stops backward travel
• Integrated Depth Gauge: Displays depth gauge.
• Large Tilt-Up Shroud: Allows bit access.
• Electronic Clutch provides a way to disengage cutting drum without powering down machine.
Komatsu America Corp.
The WA700-8 offers improvements in performance, efficiency and operator comfort compared to its predecessor, the WA700-3. Compared to the previous model, the WA700-8 delivers:
• Up to 8% more gross power and 15% more torque, making it a robust choice for demanding work environments
• 6% increase in lifting force and rated load, allowing operators to handle larger volumes of material with greater ease
• Up to 8% more fuel efficiency, helping reduce operating costs while maintaining high productivity
Features a comfortable cabin with technology designed to help reduce operator fatigue on long shifts, including a new advanced joystick steering system and electronic pilot control levers.
Wimmer North America offers many sizes and style of tilt buckets. Wimmer can fit your machine with the right size bucket that is engineered for your specific application. Made in the U.S. out of tough Hardox 450 wear plate and designed for extreme duty, Wimmer excavator tilt buckets are designed to be the toughest on the market.
Since its introduction, the Weiler P385 has set the standard for commercial pavers. The P385C raises that standard.
Variable speed and reversible conveyors and augers and a 25% increase in tunnel height provide optimal material output.
Increase to 120 hp with the Cat® C3.6 Tier 4F/Stage V engine.
Modular conveyor drive and sealed chain case increase feeder system reliability and life.
Enhanced heat system performance with direct-drive hydraulic generator and elimination of GFCI breakers.
Technology
has
the potential
to
revolutionize
the
construction industry,
but there’s a growing need to cut through the noise. With so many software options, companies may be overwhelmed by choice, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and wasted investment.
Having choices is a good thing. Having too many choices can become a problem.
Exhibit A is the construction industry. It has experienced a staggering technological revolution over the past few decades, with software solutions emerging to tackle nearly every aspect of the construction process. Project management, schedule creation, schedule analysis, budgeting, resource allocation, and communication – there’s a software for everything.
While these advances promise
improved efficiency, reduced delays, and streamlined processes, the plethora of options can result in a phenomenon called “choice overload” or “the paradox of choice.” It’s similar to someone going into an ice cream store with 100 flavors; you’re initially excited about the number of flavors to choose from, only to end up unable to make a decision. With so many different platforms, tools, and apps, how do you choose the best ones for your organization? Are we approaching a point where the sheer volume of choices is counterproductive?
Software providers have flooded the construction market with tools designed to improve every facet of project management. Some platforms focus exclusively on construction, while others provide all-in-one project management solutions. The goal of these tools is to make construction projects more efficient and predictable. However, each software has its own set of features, learning curve, and integration capabilities, making it hard for construction companies to decide which solution -- or combination of solutions -- is right for their unique needs.
Software advancements are enabling real-time data collection, more accurate forecasting, and higher levels of transparency.
Yet, while construction technology is intended to streamline and improve the building process, the presence of too many options can result in confusion and decision fatigue. For project managers, IT professionals, and executives in construction companies, selecting the right software suite is a daunting task.
Overlapping capabilities present what is arguably the most perplexing obstacle, as so many construction software tools offer similar features. For instance, project management platforms might include scheduling and budget-tracking modules. On the other hand, scheduling tools may offer basic project management functions. This overlap can make it difficult to determine which tool offers the best fit for your company’s needs without redundantly purchasing multiple programs. Because construction projects involve multiple stakeholders -- architects, engineers, contractors, and clients -- collaboration is essential. Unfortunately, not
all software integrates seamlessly with others, creating silos of information that hamper communication.
Of course, even the most user-friendly software solutions require a learning curve accompanied by varying levels of training. When teams adopt new technology, they need training, support, and time to become proficient. Too much new technology can lead to employee frustration, decreased productivity, and a slowdown in operations as staff adjust to unfamiliar systems. What’s more, the financial burden of implementing multiple software platforms can add up quickly. Licensing fees, subscription models, and additional costs for integrations or customization can strain budgets, particularly for small and medium-sized construction firms. The cost-benefit ratio of adopting new technologies becomes harder to justify if the software does not immediately deliver clear value.
With a seemingly endless list of options, construction firms often suffer from the aforementioned choice overload. Consequently, managers might delay making choices out of fear of selecting the wrong tools, further complicating project timelines or slowing innovation within the company.
Given the range of available options, some industry experts argue that construction is reaching a tipping point in terms of technology overload. The question is whether this surge in software solutions is still benefiting the industry or becoming a hindrance.
On one hand, software advancements are enabling real-time data collection, more accurate forecasting, and higher levels of transparency. The ability to automate time-consuming tasks, such as schedule updates or resource allocation, is a game-changer for project managers. Similarly, data-driven decision-making tools allow firms to identify risks early on and address them proactively. Conversely, the overwhelming number of choices – along with the difficulty of
evaluating each tool’s real value -- has made technology selection a growing challenge. In some cases, construction firms find themselves adopting software that is more sophisticated than they need or investing in multiple tools that serve similar functions. In the end, the excess technology may not lead to the expected improvements, leaving teams burdened with unnecessary complexity.
Some industry experts argue that construction is reaching a tipping point in terms of technology overload.
To avoid technology overload, construction firms need a strategy for selecting software that aligns with their goals and operational needs. A systematic approach can help companies navigate the sea of options more efficiently. Here are some steps construction companies can take:
• Assess Your Needs: Identify the specific areas where technology can have the greatest impact. Do you need better project management tools,or a way to analyze your schedules and spot bottlenecks early? Understanding your core needs can help you filter out options that are either unnecessary or not needed at the moment.
• Focus on Scalability: When choosing software, think long-term. Is the tool scalable? Can it grow with your business as projects become more complex? Investing in technology that can adapt to your changing needs will prevent you from having to overhaul your systems down the road.
• Prioritize Integration: Make integration with the platforms you’re already using a priority. Seamless integration is key to avoiding silos and ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page. If a tool doesn’t integrate well, you may spend more time troubleshooting and managing workarounds than reaping the intended benefits.
• Involve Your Team: Technology decisions should not be made in isolation. Involve the people who will actually be using the software on a dayto-day basis, such as project managers, schedulers, and IT staff. Their input can help you identify usability issues or specific needs that might be overlooked at the executive level.
• Plan for Training: Any new software will require time for employees to adjust. Plan for this by budgeting for training sessions and support resources. The smoother the onboarding process, the quicker your team can leverage the new tools effectively.
Technology has the potential to revolutionize the construction industry, but there’s a growing need to cut through the noise. With so many software options, companies may be overwhelmed by choice, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and wasted investment. Consequently, construction firms should focus on selecting tools that meet their most pressing needs; integrate well with existing systems; and are user-friendly. By strategically narrowing down your technology portfolio, your company can harness the true potential of these innovations without falling prey to technology overload. In the end, less can be more when it comes to construction technology. ■
by Michael Pink, CEO of SmartPM Technologies.
For more information visit https://pavemg. com/2a6kgs
Adam Rahn
BY JESSICA LOMBARDO, Contributing Editor, Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction
Just because the show is over until next year, shouldn’t mean the education has to end.
Whether you’re new to the crew or a seasoned veteran, the PAVE/X MASTERS program is a year-round learning management system where paving and pavement maintenance professionals can take advantage of online education that is tailored to their specific verticals. Contractors can gain their certifications in one or multiple categories to both continue their knowledge and showcase their expertise to their customers.
PAVE/X MASTERS students will stay miles ahead of the industry as they engage in tailored online education that keeps them up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques. From there, tested coursework will support valuable certifications that distinguish student members from their market competition – enhancing credibility and demonstrating expertise to clients.
The goal with this curated content is to provide both new and seasoned professionals in the industry the opportunity to learn from pros, industry experts, and manufacturers as they are given quizzes to prove their knowledge while they advance through coursework.
In an increasingly competitive market, becoming a PAVE/X MASTER in your field will differentiate you from your competition. We have worked with nationally recognized education experts to provide an industry-first and only
certification that provides badges of excellence in vertical paving disciplines and skills.
Once a pillar is complete and a student is armed with their certifications, contractors can use this recognition to obtain more work, charge a higher rate for their expertise and differentiate themselves from the competition. A crew full of PAVE/X MASTERS will demonstrate to customers a high-level of dedication to the industry and the work to be done. Additionally, when a program is completed, students will be able to promote themselves anywhere with their new PAVE/X MASTERS certification badges. With a PAVE/X MASTERS account, students will have access to hours of online education that includes articles, webinars, videos and more. We will also provide “Office Hours” with industry professionals for the year-round online networking opportunities we know this industry loves and needs.
Certification as a PAVE/X MASTER is accomplished by completing a minimum of 10 credit hours in any pillar of excellence for the student’s choice. Each pillar contains seven (7) online courses that can be completed on demand. Students can expect to spend 45 minutes to one hour completing each online course. During virtual education, students will be given quizzes to prove their knowledge to advance to the next course. Those interested in obtaining their badges must also complete a minimum of three (3) hours at any IRONMARKETS in-person events that host qualifying education sessions (such as PAVE/X:
The Pavement Experience, or IGNITE Construction Summit). Students can choose how they complete their 10 credit hours, as long as a minimum of three (3) hours are done in-person. The other seven (7) course hours of education caneither be completed online or at a qualifying IRONMARKETS in-person events.
Students can choose to earn one badge at a time or take courses in multiple pillars. Contractors can be certified in the following areas of expertise:
• Paving and Compaction
• Business Management
• Pavement Preservation
• Sweeping
• Sealcoating
• Teachnology
• Striping
Once a certification is obtained, contractors will receive badges to add to their websites, and certificates that display their achievements. You can fulfill your credit hours at your own pace, as long as it is completed within the year. Each certification will renew on March 1.
Certification must be renewed annually by participating in another round of coursework during the following 12 months, so that badge status and continuing education grows. Badges will be presented each year in March. The inaugural year of the PAVE/X MASTERS program started from December 2024 and runs through March 2026, giving students ample time to achieve their first badge certification.
For more information visit Pavexmasters.com ■
If
you run a successful blacktop business, and are thinking about adding a concrete division to your services, consider these things first.
Even though I’m the editor for Asphalt Contractor and Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction, which largely focuses on the blacktop side of the industry, concrete obviously plays a big role. I know many asphalt companies that also offer curb or sidewalk services along with their milling, paving, sealcoat, and various other products.
Recently, I spent a few days on a jobsite with Ace Avant in High Point, N.C., getting some hands-on training and experience with some of the large scale concrete work they do. There was way more than I could learn in just two days, but it was still a good overview into the business. Comparing it to the asphalt and blacktop work I’ve seen, it made me consider some thing that you might want to stop and think about before adding a concrete division to your company’s offerings.
➊ IT’S YOUR OWN ASPHALT [WHAT TO CHECK AT THE DOOR]
One thing that surprised me the most when I literally, and figuratively, dipped my toe into the world of concrete, was how all my expectations about it were mostly wrong. For the past two years I’ve been jumping feet first into
the world of asphalt and pavement maintenance, and somewhere along the line I got some notions about what working with concrete would be like. So, you’ve got to get your expectations under control first and foremost.
The material was heavier than I expected it to be, it dried faster, the work from top to bottom is much quicker paced, and about a dozen other things jumped out to me. For one, just comparing the bottom of the ladder job is much, much more physically demanding than it is on asphalt. Don’t get me wrong, both are very hard, but I would rather shovel hot asphalt over shoveling cement any day of the week.
➋ WHAT KIND OF CONCRETE WORK?
This was another expectation thing that far exceeded what I imagined concrete work to be, and just how far reaching it is. For you, potentially adding some services to your offerings, it’s crucial to specifically figure out what areas of work you want to work in, how they compliment the other services you’re already doing, and then create your implementation plan from there.
For instance, there’s a world of difference between outdoor pours versus indoor. What type of finishing work are you going to offer? Curbs? Sidewalks? Stamped or decorative? Floors, Parking and truck loading zones? Ace Avant, the company I was shadowing even offers building construction with their tilt-pour walls. They are able to pour you a new building. Each one of these different services requires its own expertise and proper machinery. It’s also important for your customers to know exactly what you’re offering. There’s a lot of difference between tilt-pouring a three story factory wall and fixing a catch-basin in a parking lot.
➌
The good news is that there are some basic skill crossovers between the two types of work. Perhaps, the most important being the understanding of earth
work, grading, and drainage. Concrete and asphalt customers both want nice flat, smooth surfaces to drive, walk, or park on. The engineering that goes into water runoff and proper drainage is pretty much the same in a lot of ways. Getting the base-grade done correctly make everyone’s jobs easier. So, if you already employ that type of work in your current jobs, this is something that can readily cross over.
What doesn’t crossover is the material science. Asphalt people talk about density, compaction, aggregate size, multiple layers, binder, and AC. Concrete people talk about slump, water content, finish texture, fly-ash,
and Portland cement. Again, there’s some crossover here, but in most cases my asphalt knowledge wasn’t that helpful to me in understanding what all these things meant. Knowing how the material moves, reacts to the environment, and how to control it is going to take the same amount of time as when you starting learning asphalt. Just be prepared for the investment.
Put this under the category “doesn’t cross over” because there aren’t a lot of specialized tools that you’ll already have as a blacktop company, which are crucially needed for concrete work. For one, did you know you’ll need a decent carpenter? That’s right! The quality of your pours are at least somewhat of a function of the person who builds your framework. Pavers, asphalt rollers, lutes and tampers wont be seen on a concrete job, but they have counterparts.
However, the list of what tools and machinery you’ll need to invest in comes down to the type of work you want to get into. Some of the best basic work can be done feasibly well with a good two-byfour, a trowel and a brush. On the large pour I visited, they used a large 3D laser screed with built in Trimble controls. While we hand shoveled for the first few feet, the speed and accuracy at which the laser screed operates was incredible. There are ride-on and push-behind finishing tools with giant spinning fan blades, “bull-floats” that have forty-foot pole arms, concrete saws, telehandlers, and all manner of excavators.
Another thing that I had no earthly clue about before working on a concrete jobsite, was this quote from the project manager, “You don’t do the concrete, the concrete does you.” This was in regards to the time from the second the first truck starts pouring mix down. If it’s cold and raining, you have to stay with your product until it’s set up. Sometimes that can mean an early morning pour, and then sitting around watching the job for hours late into the evening. If you or your crews are used to the predictable hours that come from asphalt work, this could be a problem.
The jobsite pace also works very differently. Once the first cement truck came and stared pouring, everyone kicked into high gear. Everyone had a concrete rake, shovel, or hand-float, and was quickly pushing the material where it was needed. Immediately the crew was leveling and smoothing the mix around
the frame’s edge, and patting the surface in order to sink larger aggregates and bring the “cream” to the top. Then, as the crew moves further down the pour, things space out, and, depending on the how quickly it’s drying, the finishers come in behind everyone.
That process felt very similar to how asphalt crews start all together, staying with the paver, and then as the runs fill in a given area, the finish rollers are behind the paving team getting final compaction and getting out any errant roller marks.
This might seem obvious, but it would be a smart move to find a way for either yourself or your chosen manager to spend some time with another cement crew. Go out and ask questions, get your hands dirty, and then, allow for your workers to do the same. With the job market for experienced concrete crew members
already being pretty challenging, it will be much more likely that you’ll be building the crew from the ground up. Any training seminars or trade show educational events would be helpful too. Whatever you do for yourself and/ or your management, try your best to extend that to your new concrete crew. Especially, if they’re coming from an asphalt team, this is going to be a new adjustment. The amount of training you put into it, the quality of training you give to your employees, will go a long way in determining how successful your new concrete division will be for your business. ■
By Brandon Noel, Editor
Raina Noel
There’s a lot to learn from the trajectory of Pothole Heroes.
While at the 2024 IGNITE Construction Summit, which took place at the Renaissance Esmerelda Resort in Palm Springs, CA, I sat at a breakfast table with Andre Neidich, CEO and cofounder of Pothole Heroes, and his dynamic COO, Zach Young. We first met at the 2022 IGNITE in Clearwater, FL, only six-months after I joined the industry — it was my first experience with infrared technology on asphalt patches. Seeing their custom-built trucks and infrared heaters from KM International, my immediate reaction was, “Why isn’t everyone doing this?”
What they explained to me was that it was sort of a divisive technology even though it wasn’t new. Three years later, I
am still wondering the same thing while watching Pothole Heroes expand into new states every few months.
A lot of pavement companies and investment groups are expanding these days. However, while some do it through familiar franchising methods (like G-Force Line Striping) or through acquisition and mergers (like Rose Paving) they have a completely different approach.
I jokingly told Neidich, “If I had some investment capital lying around, maybe I’d hit you up to open a Pothole Heroes in Northeastern Ohio. We certainly have no shortage of potholes.”
As serious as a heart attack, Neidich looked right at me and said, “You don’t need any investment capital. We set you up with everything you need.”
In June 2024, I received an invitation to join Neidich at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. I wasn’t sure why we were
meeting at a race track.
Pothole Heroes has a unique marketing partnership with Motorsports In Action (MIA of Canada) and their logo and colorway is plastered all over the pro-team’s McLaren supercar. While it deserves mentioning that SealMaster does sponsor a Lexus race car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar program, Pothole Heroes is a contractor, not a manufacturer of a pavement products, but one that uses those kinds of products to provide actual services.
“It’s gorgeous out here, I love it,” said Neidich standing on a hill overlooking the first turn of the street style track. “This is a really beautiful course, it was built by Jim Truman in the late 1960s. It’s truly one of the great American race tracks.”
As part of what’s known as the Michelin Pilot Series, Neidich travels with the team to most of the races. He grew up around racing and was involved at an amateur level in the 1980s. But
what I was most curious about, was how a young gearhead ended up in the pothole business, and why they had a McLaren with their logo on it.
“First of all, anyone can fix a pothole,” he explained. “We are trying to build relationships with the customer that will last years. We want our employees to be safe, and we want to be profitable, of course, but our vision is of an overall branded experience for commercial property owners and municipalities. Those are our goals.”
Launching in Southern Florida in 2017, they expanded to multiple locations across the state before opening new markets in Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and, most recently in the Southern region of Ohio. But they already have irons in the fire for Indiana and Kentucky, as well.
“The key for us is that we don’t want to open the next office until the current one is operating in such a way that there’s no gap in performance or quality across the board,” Neidich said. “Once that’s established, then we can add the next state, or the next area.”
Just like the race we spent the entire day together watching, it’s about setting a good pace, not leaping out in front from the start and perhaps not finishing. This is something we saw happen live, when one of the leading cars smashed into a wall and was taken from the race.
[The driver was uninjured].
“I’m an entrepreneur,” he told me, finally getting down to brass tacks. “I love building businesses. I love the challenge of it. It’s kind of it’s own race, too.”
His first introduction was coming alongside and working with a friend who was already in the industry, and had their own business. During this essential time period, he became familiar with the aspects we are all familiar with in regard to the commercial property management ecosystem. However, he immediately became aware of some of the “gaps” in the way the business was operating that he thought could be fixed and simplified.
What came out of this was a truly disruptive concept. A pavement maintenance company that doesn’t have any pavers.
The thinking behind this came from a winnowing process, where they analyzed the needs of commercial property managers, and sought to offer solutions that would be as painless as possible for their customers, while being more flexible and nimble scheduling-wise than competitors who have large equipment, like pavers and milling machines to work around.
“We have clients that can call us in the morning about a pothole and we can be there and fix it in the same day,” Zach Young explained to me. “And because of our process, from the time we get on site till the asset is repaired, it might be a total of 20 or 30 minutes, tops.”
That kind of ease of mind is part of what has fueled their rapid growth.
In the post-pandemic economy, managers and public works employees have seemingly
Before starting Pothole Heroes, Andre and his wife Rebecca had a business that produced handicap-accessible bathtubs and shower units (Safety Tubs). He sold that company a few years before he stumbled upon the world of asphalt.
tighter and tighter budgets available. Fewer and fewer of them have the kinds of large maintenance budgets to plan out a whole year’s worth of repairs. By necessity, they are working day-to-day, fixing problems as they arise emergently, whether that’s the best way to handle things or not. Pothole Heroes meets these stressed, tight-budgeted, new generation of customer needs where they are at, and it is paying off.
How they accomplish this is with a series of ever-evolving, custom-built work trucks, originally built by KM International, many of which are still in use at several of their locations, and now a second generation is in production, which has been refined, streamlined, and improved after years of experience and feedback from onsite work.
These trucks allow a two-person crew to carry a massive hotbox, an infrared asphalt heater, plate compacter, as well as every handheld tool they could need like lutes, rakes, and shovels.
Just because the original trucks worked, doesn’t mean they were happy to sit pat, and that’s true for how they do almost everything. It’s part of their core approach to business, something Neidich referred to as a Process Driven mentality. They apply it to all their business decisions, which includes my recent inquiry with them about the non-franchising-method-offranchising.
“What’s the most difficult part of starting a new business,” Neidich asked me as I was stuffing my face with a breakfast burrito, the mountains of Palm Springs behind me. A shrug was all I could offer, and even if I wasn’t eating at that exact moment, I might not have
been able to offer much more.
“It’s everything at the start and it’s costs,” he explained. “Most businesses fail in the first five years. Why? Because you have to take on an enormous amount of risk. Different
and innovative
kinds of risk. Personal. Financial.”
And all the while, the stress of all that risk can jeopardize the quality and performance, and, in a worst case scenario, actually do damage to the brand. Their solution? If they select you to open up a Pothole Heroes branch, they want to remove all that associated risk, and set you up for real success. The areas where they do expand into are evaluated for their market potential before final decisions are made.
“A lot of new business owners are barely scraping by in those early days,” he told me. “We set up a location, purchase all the equipment, take on all the risk, provide the location manager with a good salary, and show them the exact process to follow for success. The same process that we’ve been using at the other location. It takes the hardest parts of it out of the equation.”
The obvious reality is that the Pothole Heroes method isn’t a solution for everyone. We still need pavers and milling machines, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. However, what is refreshing is seeing the industry evolve, react, and change over the short amount of time since I became a part of it.
One major takeaway any pavement maintenance business owner should have from the story of Pothole Heroes and their team, is this: Understanding the needs of your customers, and figuring out the best process by which you can meet those needs creatively can lead to more success. Don’t be beholden to the way things have always been done. Be flexible. Think outside the standard box. Form a process that works for you, based in real data, backed up by results you can measure, and then repeat that process by applying it to every aspect of your business. ■
Be sure that the driveway you build will stand the test of time.
There is a lot of overlap in the preparation for paving residential driveways and the bigger commercial work, typically parking lots, but that doesn’t mean that the work is completely interchangeable. When taking on a driveway for an individual client, there are some key factors that need specific attention in order to ensure a long-lasting asphalt surface and, more importantly, a satisfied customer. The initial factor, and perhaps most important, is what type of installation you’re doing. While there can be a lot of variances, they typically fall into one of three situations:
• Complete new install: requiring dirt work, grading, base, and asphalt
• New overlay: existing gravel driveway and/or minimal grading, preparing and compacting, and asphalt overlay
• Resurfacing: A mill-and-fill, placing back down exactly what was there, or laying a new surface on top of the old
One key to success that all of these driveway installations share is a critical focus on proper compaction at every step of the process: Dirt. Base. Asphalt
Down in the historic city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, the dirt has a reddish claylike quality in the majority of the area. It can take an experienced hand to know how to deal with it in different conditions. The contractor DrivewaysByUs, a family owned and operated asphalt business, does best exactly what its namesake says. They’ve grown over the years largely by word-of-mouth and by the calling card their work leaves behind.
Operations Manager Jennifer Edgerton explained the first steps on a brand new installation for a house nearly two hundred years old. “It’s been a mix of dirt and loose gravel at different times going back two centuries,” she said. “But this is nice, solid ground we are cutting out to shape. Then we will bring in some gravel and fines, get that nicely compacted. That’s to build all this up, because
Brandon Noel, editor, on the left getting experience compacting gravel base. Jesse Edgerton, foreman, on the right.
of how high the foundation of the new garage is. Everything has to flow away from it. Then it’ll be ready for asphalt.”
A tracked skid-steer with a standard angled bucket was used to cut in the outline of the driveway, as well as to grade the soil. The gravel came mixed with a heavy amount of fines to fill in all the gaps in the stone and ensure a solid fit. The same skid steer spread it the gravel out, grading it to match the soil, along with lutes, rakes, shovels to properly match the project parameters. Then the rollers came in to make their first passes.
DrivewaysByUs primarily uses a pair of Dynapac tandem rollers, the CC950 and the CC1000, for all their compaction needs. For DrivewaysByUs the CC1000 leads the way, and they follow behind it with the CC950 to smooth out any roller lines left by initial compaction. This is the same pattern they use for laying asphalt, too. While almost identical in outward appearance, the CC1000 boasts an extra 800 pounds (3,900 total) of max operational weight, and has 4 more inches of compaction width (39 in. total) over the CC950’s 3,100 lbs. max operational weight and 35 in. compaction width.
The Edgerton clan, led by their father and founder of DrivewaysByUs, Michael Edgerton, who’s first asphalt truck in the 1980s was a converted milk truck, has used Dynapac rollers exclusively for decades.
“I’ve just found them to be superreliable,” Michael said. “They’re
workhorses. Day-in and day-out they do what they’re supposed to and I can hardly remember having any issues with them. That’s why, once they get up there in hours and we’re ready to trade it in, we just turn it around on a new Dynapac. At the pace we work, two or three driveways a day, we can’t afford to risk breakdowns.”
Michael’s youngest son Jesse, who’s been on the job since he was a little boy has been operating the rollers since before he had a driver’s license for a car. He jumped up on the CC1000 and throttled up before explaining the next step in the process.
“This is called a 21-A, and it has a lot of fines to lock in those voids in between the bigger stones,” he said.
“That way you when you roll, it’s all tight underneath. You got to have a
solid base, and the compaction is key. When we get done this pass done, it have a nice and smooth appearance, almost like blacktop, but, you know, gravel.”
Edgerton said that not only the quality of the mat, but, ultimately, the lifespan of the driveway is more directly a result of these preparations. It’s all about the base.
“The guys who mostly stick to commercial work, they don’t mess with this as much,” said Jesse. “We do that work too, so we know. The dirt work and the base is already there, it’s in place. But when you’re putting in a new driveway, it’s on you. You gotta get this right.”
After compacting the base, an important intermediary step for the rollers is washing off and cleaning the
drums. This is especially true when compacting fines-heavy material where the dust can coat and collect on the surface. It doesn’t take long, but it’s essential to take a moderate-pressure water hose and thoroughly rinse off any excess from both the inside and outside of the drums.
“If you don’t clean these off, it’s going to leave streaks all over the mat,” said Jesse. “It’s not going to be very attractive to the customer, and it can be pretty hard to remove.”
Additionally, the senior Edgerton watered down the top of the base with a mist of water to try and control the amount of dust kicked up in the air before the asphalt arrived. This is especially true on summer workdays like the one he was on then, where temperatures were hovering around
95 degrees, and with the southern Virginian humidity, it felt much hotter.
As the first asphalt truck load started backing in, Andy Edgerton, Foreman, explained their set-up in order to meet the road and garage with flush edges from his seat driving the.
“We [typically] give it 3 inches, you know, the depth of the blacktop,” he said. “That’s so I can meet him flush with the road, the garage, a drain, or wherever you want to tie in.”
Following the standard rule of adding one-quarter of material per inch of finished compacted depth, they will lay down three-and-threequarters of hot mix asphalt in single lift runs. And in order to satisfy the discerning eye of residential clients who are expecting to see a high quality result for the costs associated with a new installation, the compaction process needs to be smooth and consistent with as little
Brandon Noel, editor, getting lots of finish-rolling experience.
front, but when you come back now you’re off by two feet away. That’s when you miss areas that you need to roll.”
turns and adjustments as possible to avoid marking up or cutting the mat.
“Less is more with these rollers,” said Jesse Edgerton. “You don’t want to turn the wheel all the way, and then be fighting it to go back the other way. You just want to do small increments. It’s not like a car, so you don’t need to be turning the wheel that much. When you do that, and you’re fighting it, you might be perfect at your line in the
After a pass over the mat with the CC1000 Jesse waited for the mat to cool down under the intense seasonal heat, wanting to use the CC950 for finish rolling, to get out any roll marks left behind without moving the asphalt too much. And after the finish rolling was complete, Michael Edgerton was back at it with his water hose, lightly spraying the entire surface of the asphalt. As he did, steam rose up all around him.
This seemed counterintuitive, but Michael explained, “I tell our clients to do this for a few days after, and before they start parking or driving on it. Even more when it’s hot like this for days in a row. It helps the asphalt cool down and set hard in-place. ■
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IBY NICK HOWELL
n our asphalt businesses we are in the service business, meaning we provide a service to others. Maybe we provide our service to residential customers, maybe commercial or municipal. Regardless, we are the problem solvers. If your parking lot needs lines, we can do it. If you have a sink hole, we can fix it. If you need a new parking lot, yep that’s us, too.
When I look at our clients, nearly all of them need something fixed or a problem solved. It could be there’s something causing a problem on their lot, or maybe they need a simple design change. So, they reach out to all of us – pavement maintenance pros – for assistance in fixing their problems. But what if we can’t? What if the solution lies outside our capability? What if we don’t have the necessary equipment? Or what if our crew doesn’t have the needed skills?
This is where being resourceful comes in – and being resourceful is important in both serving your clients and growing your business.
It’s not a secret. If you can be that contractor who is resourceful enough to solve virtually any problem a client brings you and take care of business relatively easily, you will likely become the “go to” contractor for this client and others.
I have found through subcontracting or partnering that our scope of services can be much broader than I ever thought. Now, because I have developed these relationships, when I get a client with an issue that normally we couldn’t
If any of your clients has a problem, they should always know they can call and count on you to get it solved for them.
have solved, I can utilize my network of partners to solve the client’s problem and become the hero. It’s not difficult, yet this approach is overlooked by so many. You do need to use caution to not get too far out of your abilities, but being able to solve problems and be a resource will help your business grow like no other.
A very good client of ours owns and manages an apartment community. Well, a resident hit a garage causing damage. The client called and asked if we knew anyone. (We’ve become a “go to” contractor for him after providing years of quality work.)
I have a good friend that does these types of repairs, so I told the client that we did have a connection and would get him a number. I got the bid from my friend, applied a reasonable markup and submitted it to our client. Not surprisingly, we were given the project. All I had to do was coordinate scheduling and make sure things stayed on track. The job was completed, we made a few bucks, and I got work for my friend’s business. But most importantly, I became a resource to my client. As things would go, we now get dozens of these types of work orders from this client.
That’s how you can be resourceful to help a client. Here’s how to be resourceful to help yourself. You might find yourself in a market that has cooled, or with an abnormal amount of #lowbid competition to take the work that you once had. What happens when sales are way down, cash is not flowing, and things are looking bleak?
Well, be resourceful!
I know, easier said than done if you are in that position, but it’s a strategy that can work. I’ve done it and I have seen it some time and time again. Being resourceful in this case means that you might need to think outside of the box for ways to generate revenue for your business. Some ideas are actually quite simple, yet effective:
• Sell sign upgrades (upgrade stop signs, parking signs or handicap signs).
• Offer an ADA inspection service.
• Sell bollard covers or parking curbs.
• Offer site cleanup or handy-man Being resourceful is doing some things different that others may not be doing. I knew of a guy that used his sealcoat tank (cleaned out of course) to spray hydro turf. Yep, think about it:
The tank can mix the pre-purchased ingredients, the pump is more than capable to pump the solution, and then you have a 100-foot spray wand to cover broad areas. That’s being resourceful!
Just remember: Whether you are working to build your business and become the clients’ one-stop shop, or you are trying to think outside of the box to deal with a slower market, be resourceful. It will pay off! ■
If you’re not convinced organization is important in your business, consider how it can affect your profitability.
Running a business requires multiple tasks being completed by many people and different functions, often at the same time – sales meetings, order processing, scheduling, invoicing, paying bills, hiring, managing, bookkeeping, banking, firing, delivering, quality checking, and so many more. In many cases, one task
must be completed to trigger the next or the lack of a task being completed will affect the quality or delivery of products or services, making organization critical in any business. If you’re not convinced organization is important in your business, consider how it can affect your profitability.
If you don’t have a good process established to get invoices out to customers after services have been completed, then you will delay customer payments coming in. However, you can’t delay paying your team, and you’ve often already paid for the products and materials needed to deliver, so you’ll have money going out the door, without adequate funds coming in to support the outflow. This might require that you carry a balance on your line of credit, which increases your interest costs. Or you might miss out on vendor discounts because you won’t have the cash to pay early, which cuts directly into your margin. Therefore, having a streamlined invoicing process in place that gets cash in the door quickly is important to improve your profitability. It is also essential to have a consistent AR management process in place. Make sure you have a regular follow up schedule, you’re reviewing aged receivables weekly, and you’re not letting your receivables get too far behind.
A defined, streamlined sales process is also critical to profitability. If you don’t have a good process in place for putting out proposals, following up on deals, and keeping a good pipeline of new deals, you’ll struggle to achieve maximum profitability. Customers are looking for partners that are efficient, streamline the process, and make it easy for them to buy. If your sales process lacks this efficiency, they’ll go somewhere else, you’ll lose the sale and have wasted time and resources in the broken sales process. Develop a sales process that is clear, simple, and has designated tasks for followup. Follow up should happen at regular intervals so that potential sales are not lost just due to them falling through the cracks.
One key requirement of a small business is to keep up with compliance requirements. This includes sales tax reporting, payroll tax payments and filings, government license requirements, vehicle and property registrations, income tax filing, insurance reporting, and so many more. Many of these reporting requirements carry stiff penalties if filed incorrectly or if deadlines are missed. It’s important for businesses to understand their reporting requirements and have good checklists and task management systems in place to ensure they are all completed accurately and timely.
With all areas of small business, there can be an impact on profitability due to a lack of organization. One of the easiest ways to combat disorganization is to create processes and implement checklists and systems to help manage those processes. Have a weekly checklist in place for managing your accounting tasks, develop a workflow for the sales process, or implement a task management system that reminds you of monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting requirements. Disorganization kills profitability. So, if you can’t think of another reason to get organized this year, do it to improve your bottom line. ■
by Shauna Huntington, founder of smallbusinessbootcamp.com
A certification developed by professionals in the power sweeping industry.
by Nancy Terry
The North American Power Sweeping Association, approved by the American National Standards Institute as a standard developer, offers a series of professional education topics for certification.
NAPSA offers a variety of effective training tools available at www.SweeperSchool.com. Among these, we provide Certified Sweeping Operator (CSO) programs tailored for parking lot, construction and municipality sweeping operations.
The CSO operator training programs establish a solid foundation for enhancing professionalism and safety among drivers. Upon completing the CSO program, the owner will conduct
a verbal test and certify that the driver has accumulated at least 1,000 hours of incident-free sweeper driving. Following this, NAPSA will issue the driver a certificate, a hat pin, and a uniform patch to recognize their achievement.
Another training available is our Certified Sweeping Manager (CSM) series. These courses focus on the Power Sweeping Standard, equipping managers with valuable insights that enhance their operational management while shielding the company in litigious situations. In addition to our course on the Power Sweeping Standard CSM 101, we have introduced another course, CSM 102 –Emergency Preparedness. This course teaches participants how to respond appropriately in emergency situations, helping to prevent those potentially litigious scenarios.
Lastly, we have a series called “Fleet Basics – Key Fundamentals.” The course
covers essential topics for individuals who may not operate a power sweeper but need to understand the terminology and other information related to sweeping and vehicle operation, such as portering.
The courses cover essential topics including health issues, safe driving, recordkeeping, customer trash can management, people skills, ethics, and more. The CSO courses focus on truck-specific information such as pre- and post-trip inspections, the parts of a sweeper, lot management, noise and dust control, blower operation, accident protocols, and safe driving.!
NAPSA members receive deep discounts with all training costing less than $100 per course but the training is available to anyone. ■
by Ranger Kidwell-Ross
Investing in technology is a critical first step. By implementing advanced management software contractors can streamline operations through GPS tracking, route management, predictive vehicle maintenance and job completion timestamps. This not only aids in payroll reporting but also improves job bidding accuracy. Additionally, mobile applications enable operators to report issues directly from the field, enhancing communication and responsiveness.
Optimizing equipment usage is equally important. Contractors should maintain a diverse fleet of sweepers tailored to various job requirements, ensuring they have
the right tools for different tasks. Regular maintenance schedules will minimize downtime and extend the lifespan of all of the company’s machinery, ultimately leading to more efficient operations.
Building strong relationships with customers is crucial for long-term success. By committing to quality assurance on the jobsite and promptly addressing any issues, contractors can foster trust and loyalty among clients. Establishing feedback mechanisms for customers allows them to enhance employee satisfaction while also continuously improving service quality based on client needs.
Training and engaging employees also play a vital role in effective management. Ongoing training on equipment operation and customer service ensures staff are well-prepared, while incentive programs encourage proactive behavior that can lead to new business opportunities.
Adopting ethical practices makes for a happier workforce while also enhancing the company’s public image. Engaging in community initiatives related to cleanliness can also serve to foster goodwill and attract potential clients.
Finally, developing strategic partnerships with local businesses or municipalities can open doors to larger contracts and collaborative opportunities. By focusing on these areas—technology integration, equipment optimization, customer relations, employee engagement, sustainability, and partnerships— contractors can significantly improve their business management and achieve lasting success. ■
By Merina Shriver
Dillaman and his family held tight to their company even when he was on active deployment for four years. The company thrived with dedication and determination.
Pave Care LLC was founded on a strong will and a mountain of resolve. Even as the company was put on hold for many years, the Dillaman family held tight to what they wanted. Without the excellent work ethic and perseverance built into their company, Pave Care might not have continued on to thrive the way it does today.
Rick Dillaman, managing member and founder of Pave Care, started his journey in the pavement industry after buying a magazine back in 1989. The magazine was Entrepreneur.
Dillaman recalled, “I can still visualize, there is this one-page advertisement. It was kind of an aerial view of a little … parking lot sweeper. It was going through a parking lot and essentially it said, ‘buy this truck, make money’.”
Although he had never used a parking lot sweeper before, he presumed he could figure it out - and that’s just what he did. Starting in 1989, Dillaman began cleaning parking lots with a used street sweeper — giving way to Pave Care LLC.
About three years later, in New Orleans, Dillaman attended his first trade show where he realized a wider path lay ahead of him.
“It exposed me to line painting machines and seal coating machines and cracked sealing machines and some paving, and this whole industry that I was unaware of,” explained Dillaman.
He started line striping with a used machine and continued getting jobs. From there, he proceeded to grow his company and add to the equipment he had. Dillaman kept augmenting his machinery fleet and developing the jobs that his company could complete.
Before asphalt, Dillaman was in the Air Force. When he left the Air Force, he started to grow his pavement company and gained a following.
During this time he remained a member of the National Guard.
“[I] just thought that the maintenance industry is where I wanted to be,” said Dillaman.
Everything was going smoothly until the 2001 attacks on September 11. At this point, Dillaman was called back to duty
“January of 2002 put an abrupt stop in our business, because I got called back to active duty. I got remobilized … and ended up going overseas. That process took about four years,” said Dillaman.
He explained that after four years, he didn’t know what to do, as he felt that
all of the clientele he built up as a subcontractor had all moved on. Dillaman’s wife Kathy, secretary and treasurer for Pave Care, worked to keep the company alive. Having grown up on a dairy farm herself, she was accustomed to working in unfavorable conditions since she was young. Although his wife and his son kept up the snow plowing contracts, in 2007, they essentially had to start all over — but that didn’t stop him and his family.
As they started securing larger and larger striping jobs, they soon needed to provide patching, and then some paving. From there, Pave Care did what it was doing all along — it continued to grow and improve. Even as it grew, the company’s personnel stayed small. In addition to operations employees, the company had sales and administration employees with a total employment average of eight or nine employees.
“We’ve always used some subcontractors and in the last five or six years, our business has gone through some significant growth. We’ve grown into
a full-fledged asphalt paving company now,” said Dillaman.
Dillaman explained that there are lots of paving guys who are eager to work with them as a team, so there is no need for Pave Care to hire more workers for paving when they can subcontract a crew specialized in paving. The company wanted to focus on the areas of the job that they were most interested in.
“We’ve always been centered on the marketing aspect or selling those jobs, whether it be universities or places that require a lot of submissions. We’ve done Army Corps of Engineer jobs, we’ve worked for municipalities. Some of my colleagues who are paving contractors don’t want to do that degree of paperwork,” said Dillaman.
The company knew what jobs it wanted to pursue and as it got more of a reputation, it had more opportunities.
Dillaman said, “99% of our work is governmental and commercial, and it
requires a lot of back and forth, coordination, submittals, and we have the capacity to do that.”
Pave Care is a company that was put through the wringer, but the family held it together. Since the company’s creation, Pave Care gained more and more family members as employees. Over time, each of the company’s faithful workers has started to become a special sort of family of its own.
Dillaman committed to taking his crew to tradeshows like PAVE/X and he found it to be money well spent.
Dillaman said, “It costs our business a lot of hard-earned cash to take the crew to the trade shows, however, I can visually see that each one wants to learn more and be a better-skilled professional in the field, whether it be ... crack sealing or a better way to compact asphalt. And they, in turn,
transfer that knowledge to the newbies.”
The company’s commitment to continuing education for each crew member proves its experience and drive for excellence. Over the years, Dillaman has taken his crew under his wing and led his company toward success.
“It’s really hard for me to fathom that that was 35 years ago that we got started,” Dillaman shared.
Without realizing it, Dillaman and his family had reached heights that they had never thought they would attain. Through the company’s ups and downs, Dillaman learned a few things — some that still hold true for him today.
“Concentrate on doing good work, being the best in your career, and being a good provider. If you pursue excellence, the money will come. You won’t know it, it’ll just eventually come because the work follows excellence,” said Dillaman. ■
It was quite refreshing to hear of their willingness and desire of New Zealand contractors to tight their “money belts” when it came to running their business. In fact, as more than one contractor told me, “Hey Mate, when you live on an island, you tend to be a bit more organized and a better steward of your resources as there just isn’t as much to go around like you ‘Yanks’ have.”
Like many American pavement maintenance companies north of the “Mason-Dixon” line, having a shorter season for work is not uncommon. Most of New Zealand practice similar seasonal methods and practices. Therefore, the Kiwi contractor pushes hard during the temperatures that allow for their work to be completed. Interestingly, there is very little, if any, sealcoating completed in the country. I heard several reasons for this, including the fact that their seasons are not as
brutal as they are in the U.S. Their temperatures rarely exceed 90 degrees F and rarely fall below zero to 10 degrees. They get their share of rain, thus they are very primed to ensure they have a good base, and can use “petro-mats” to help prevent water from getting down into the asphalt.
Just as our own domestic costs continue to escalate, the Kiwi contractor continues to see price increases in asphalt, paint, concrete, crack filling, etc. The have seen even the few rock quarries prices escalate; much due to increase in fuel costs. I did find that even the smaller contractor is more disciplined than many American contractors are when negotiating with materials plants for prices for fuel, asphalt, and concrete. Many contractors are building buyer groups since more quantity of material can be leveraged for better financial deals.
This is a good point for those U.S. contractors not involved with any group who are negotiating everything from
tools, equipment, even tires, PPE, oils and lubricants, etc.
Another impressive effort shared with me was the move to monitor their inventory levels, maintaining only what they really need. Due to the limited space and resources, several contractors shared that they do a deep dive into exactly what they have, what they need. When they know what they need, there is a quarterly update on monies spent, equipment and tool condition and growth potential.
This doesn’t sound any different than what some contractors do in the U.S. market, but the difference comes with the discipline to perform a quarterly review. It’s important to do an annual alignment for needed items but the real execution is enhanced when you follow-up quarterly.
Another cost control is the short and longer termed contractor workers. The insight I received from these Kiwi contractors was that they almost
exclusively recruited temp workers.
As contractors in seasonal markets know, the roller-coaster-like relationship with temporary workers can be full of headaches and paperwork. BUT, there are some upsides also with not making a full-time commitment upfront with an unknown worker. There are ups and downs in any model. The main point is that we may need to be out of the box when it comes to looking at building teams of people who are committed to our companies. I’m not sure that we are on solid ground about hiring the right people as surely as we did 15 years ago.
As you can see, the ideas are not necessarily world changers, but when you are looking at maximizing the output with minimizing the costs involved, we may need to do business a bit different than in the past. Before you blow by some of the ideas, give the New Zealand contractors another look over as it may be just what you need to do. ■
• Tennis / Pickleball Coatings
• Job Site Sealer Tankers
• Equipment Rental / Repair
