Above Left: Joe's Paving Company's Volvo P7170 asphalt paving machine laying down an inch and a half mat for Ford dealership in Escondido. Above Right: Utilizing three Volvo DD25B double drum vibratory rollers to compact asphalt overlay on job in Escondido.
Repko. “We came in at 7 a.m. on a Saturday and performed a 1 ½ inch top grind over a 37,000 square foot section at the rear of the property, and after sweeping and putting down a tack coat, we laid down an inch and a half overlay and then compacted the asphalt mix.” Joe’s Paving Company repeated the same schedule and procedures the following Saturday on the same amount of square footage. “That is a lot of work to get done in two Saturdays, and there was an extensive amount of overtime involved, but that is what they were paying us for, and our guys did an exceptional job,” says Repko. “The project was fairly cut up in sections that required a good deal of hand work. Because of this and the tight schedule, we had a crew of 15 to 18 operators and laborers on hand to ensure that the job was completed correctly and on time.” Joe’s Paving Company also recently finished work on a 90,000 square foot parking lot for a very large church in Vista. This job required crews to first remove all of the existing asphalt pavement, install all new curb, gutters, and sidewalks and then install new asphalt. At around $300,000, this was another typical job for Joe’s Paving crews that also required a good amount of grading work. “Most all of our competition went
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after this job, but we had the detailed proposal and the right solution to secure the contract,” says Repko. “It is not always about the price, but more about just exactly what we can do for our clients. As an example, I can tell you that we recently won and completed a job where we were $66,000 higher than the low bidder. We got this job because of our reputation for quality, consistency, and willingness to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers completely. It is really important to not only listen to what the customer wants but hear what the hot buttons are and then deliver on your proposal. That is a good place to be in with this business.” Repko points out that a part of his company’s success is due to their follow-up and support. “It is not uncommon for our competition to send out bids and then just not follow up with the prospective client. Our guys are trained to continually go back and ask for the business, and we turn around most proposals in two to three days,” says Repko. “Our sweet spot is that we are a bit larger than a lot of the local paving and grading contractors, and we have the equipment and personnel to safely and professionally get in and out of a job and then move on to the next project.”
Joe’s Paving Company has an impressive fleet of equipment, and recently they have been moving everything over to Volvo. “Our guys just like the Volvo equipment better, like our Volvo P7170 commercial paver that we use on our larger projects. We also have smaller Blaw-Knox (Volvo) pavers, and Volvo compact excavators, wheel loaders, and rollers in our fleet. We have probably spent around $1 million in the past six months on upgrading our fleet to new Volvo equipment.” Joe’s Paving Company also owns and operates skip loaders, skid steers, and other equipment. “My operators asked for the Volvo machines because they feel that Volvo is the premium brand to have for the asphalt paving industry. Our Volvo pavers put down a great mat, and with Volvo’s amazing technology and laser capabilities, a lot of the work is automated,” says Repko. “Our local Volvo dealer offers exceptional service, and they train their representatives properly. Our representative is Scott Nadall and he is always there for us when we need him. He never oversells, and if buying is not the right move at the time, he will help us out with a rental.” Repko continues to point out that by making use of all of the automated programs and
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