Premier Paving Inc., Ontario, CA, is a family business started by Donald Prescott. Premier Paving currently employs seven members of the Prescott family. The family members are spread throughout the company working in the office, as field operators, on the sales team, and in management, says Steve Prescott, one of the company's superintendents. Steve began working for Premier Paving three months after his father began the business and was the first of his siblings to be employed there.
Starting as a small business, Don would bid jobs in the morning and take his single employee, one ton roller, and patch truck out in the afternoon to complete them. Since then, Premier Paving has grown into a full service asphalt company offering paving, sealcoating, striping, grading, and minor concrete work. Premier Paving specializes in commercial and industrial pavement maintenance and reconstruction. The company's equipment fleet has grown, too, with it now owning all of its equipment including: two pavers, a 40-in. grinding machine, tractors, rollers, seal tankers and buggies, a fleet of trucks, and more.
Premier Paving's sealcoat and striping division has doubled within the last five years. In the last year, the company has applied nearly 200,000 gallons of sealcoat to customers' parking lots. Premier Paving gives its employees the opportunity to work on both the paving crew and the sealcoating/striping crew, Prescott says, but often they stick to one crew. "It's like a guy on an assembly line. You have a guy who does a specific job and he does it well," he says. "If he does something well we try not to take him off and put him some place else."
Being a family business is one of Premier Paving's greatest strengths. Having family members involved in every aspect of the company on a daily basis allows any issues that arise to be immediately addressed and resolved. Every family member and employee takes pride in their areas of expertise and works hard to ensure each department is operating at optimum capacity. "It's easier to talk to family members," Steve says. "And for me, I don't know any other way."
That communication, along with planning, are essential when working, especially on large jobs. Premier Paving has a team of family and crew members all working for the good of the company. But no matter what size the job is or who is working on the job, Premier Paving takes the same approach. "Big or small, every parking lot we handle the same way. We approach every job the same with a positive attitude and a focus on quality," Steve adds.
It's that positive attitude, communication, and the support of family and employees that help keep Premier Paving a successful, growing company.
