The Job Everyone Else Said "No" to, One Contractor Didn't Bat an Eye

Everywhere you go in the country, every state or region will claim to have the best of something. The best pizza, the best burgers, or BBQ. In the south of Ohio, however, the city of Cincinnati has an entire food named after it: Cincinnati Chili. Now the city can add Tri-State Sealcoating LLC, and the crew of four that works alongside Operations Manager Mike Sindiong, to the list of notable residents, because they are this year's winners of the Seal & Stripe: Small Job Award.

Sindiong was a laborer on a crew for another company in the area, then a project estimator, but then decided this year that it was time for him to branch out on his own. At first, Tri-State Sealcoating was focused on residential type work, but quickly saw that the commercial market could bring in larger profits, with higher margins. However, before the job that landed them this year's award, they had yet to really break through in this area.

So, the big question was, how did their four-man operation get called in on a a two-location job for Skyline Chili (famous purveyors of the aforementioned Cincinnati Chili) that had to be completed, with two coats of sealer, all on Memorial Day.

Mike recounted the story, "A couple locations reached out to me in March. It scared me to death, but I knew that we would get it done. I made sure in advance that I had talked to my guys ahead of time, and everyone was on the same page. Whatever it takes."

Sindiong also reached out to their sealant providers at Neyra, and ensured that they could get access to materials for the big double job, because, in total, they would need around 800 gallons and their tanker only holds a maximum of 550 gallons. However, there was another added complication. Skyline wanted the first coat applied by hand, and the second coat sprayed. The job locations deal with heavy daily traffic, nearly all day long, as popular drive-thru spots.

"I think that's the best way to apply," Sindiong remarked. "If you're looking at a squeegee coat versus a double spray coat, I think it is the preferred application if you have the money to put into it." And because Tri-State hadn't done commercial work like this up until then, this two-coat method was going to literally be by hand. "It was going be a pain for me to do it, because I didn't have a squeegee machine."

They were determined to get it done Mike said, "We knew it was going to be an extremely long day." And he was right, because it turned into a sixteen-and-a-half-hour project. But by evening, they celebrated a job well-done.

According to Sindiong, one of the things that set's Tri-State apart in their work is that they are still a small enough operation that Mike himself is out on every job. "That brings an attitude of ownership over every job," he said, "There's pride in it, and I want every job I step on to, to look its best. To bring curb appeal back, and help the customer's property really shine."