John Terry, Founder, Terra Pave, Inc., Enjoying Retirement After More Than 47 Years of Service to the Asphalt Paving Industry

By Brian Hoover

John Terry started Terra Pave, Inc. (Terra Pave) in 1984, after paying his dues in the family business, Western Paving, and working for others in the asphalt paving and general construction industry. John’s father, Ed Terry, started Western Paving in the 1940s. This was a grassroots paving company that worked primarily in the Los Angeles area during the boom in commercial industrialization.

Western Paving continued its growth and expanded into Orange County in the 1960s. John grew up in and around the business and went to work for the family enterprise in 1975 until it was purchased by Best Paving in the late 1970s. John continued on after the family business was sold and worked for the new company, which changed its name to Best Western Paving to better represent the merger of both companies. He worked as an estimator and project manager for Best Western Paving, helping the company achieve tremendous growth through a large volume of sales. As John continued to gain experience in all aspects of the paving business, his ambition toward owning his own business began to grow to where he was ready to take the leap.

John Terry started his own business in 1983, and Terra Pave was incorporated in 1984. Like most startup paving companies, Terra Pave started small and grew sustainably as a civil general engineering contractor with an emphasis on asphalt paving. Today, Terra Pave works throughout

Southern California, with most of its projects being within Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. However, the company also has those occasional jobs in San Diego County and up as far north as Ventura County.

Terra Pave’s primary list of services includes asphalt, concrete, and paving maintenance work. The asphalt work is comprised of everything from new construction, removal and replacement, as well as all facets of maintenance work. The concrete primarily supports the asphalt paving with installations of curb and gutter, sidewalks, and other flatwork. Along with seal coat maintenance, the company also performs ADA upgrades, pavement markings and slurry seal. Terra Pave also performs general engineering work such as grading and underground utility work as needed on specific contracts.

The company takes on a variety of projects in both the private and public works sectors, including jobs in the transportation area, as well as church and worship facilities, hospitals and medical centers, retail and shopping centers, schools, and even reservoir liner paving projects. Terra Pave also works as a subcontractor for various general contractors throughout Southern California in areas like school construction and owner direct maintenance. They run between three to five crews that perform everything from a one-ton patch job to large tonnage jobs.

After more than 47 years in the paving business, John Terry decided to retire in 2022. He leaves behind a legacy of leadership and hard work in the general engineering construction industry. Some of his contributions include his work with both the APACA (Asphalt Pavement Association of California) and CalAPA (California Asphalt Pavement Association). John served a two year term as the chairman of the APACA Contractors Committee and has served on numerous other committees over the years. “We have always been very supportive of our asphalt pavement association, having been a member of either APACA or CalAPA since their inceptions. Navigating the challenges of the asphalt paving business requires the expertise and support that companies like ours receive from associations like CalAPA. Our membership has allowed us to regularly get together with other contractors and suppliers to discuss current issues and challenges,” says John. “Additionally, CalAPA provides tremendous resources for training and education that help keep our industry on the cutting edge. The channels of communication are always open, and we have always enjoyed the camaraderie between old and new members, including our closest competitors. This is a relatively small industry, and we all know each other. One thing I can say with certainty is that this industry is full of a lot of good people whom I have very much enjoyed getting to know and working with throughout these past several decades.”

Throughout the years, John Terry has made many friends and developed several close relationships. His experiences are many, and his stories could probably fill a book. “I would like to thank my family, friends, employees, and others in the industry for helping me build Terra

Pave into what it is today. I could not have accomplished any of this without their love and support,” concludes John.

Terra Pave continues its legacy under the leadership of John’s son, Aaron Terry. John sold the business to his son in 2022, and Aaron now serves as the company’s president, overseeing all daily operations. “I am very honored and proud to hand things over to my son, Aaron. Like me, Aaron started out by sweeping trailers, cleaning up trash, and shoveling asphalt. He earned a construction engineering degree from Cal Poly Pomona and has worked in virtually every aspect of this business, from the shop to the field to bidding and management, for more than 20 years. He is the man for the job, and I am very excited to witness all that he will accomplish over the coming years,” continues John. “This business has been very good to my family and me. I will miss it, but I have to say that I am really enjoying retirement as I remain active and busy with so many other interests.” CA