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Kerry Kooken, owner of the four-year-old Texas Asphalt & Concrete Parking Area Services company, has 16 years of experience in the pavement maintenance industry and jokes that he has a philosophy that has guided his business from Day One: "Late to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise."

Boy, he ain't kiddin'.

A company that started with one 700-gallon sealcoating rig now operates three rigs (1,000-, 700-, and 300-gallon), a Leeboy paver, a Wacker articulating vibratory roller, two Titan Speeflo striping machines, four Ford F-250 trucks, a 3500 flat bed "tool truck", a 5-ton dump truck, tractor, sweeper and three trailers.

His 10-person company serves the greater Houston area, providing sealcoating (35%), paving and patching (35%), concrete construction and repair (15%), and pavement marking (15%) services to more than 100 regular property manager clients who control hundreds of properties.

"You've got to keep the sales funnel filled," Kooken says. "That all starts with marketing and advertising, and we support that by doing a great job for our customers."

Kooken's marketing efforts include vanity phone numbers (1-800-PAVEMENT and 1-888-699-SEAL); his website (www.texasasphalt.com); a four-year membership in the web-based marketing group National Pavement Contractors Association (NPCA); traditional advertising in local business and real estate publications; postcard mailings; job signs; hats; shirts; crew jackets; and more.