A Feather In the Cap of a Stellar Career

It’s not uncommon for members of the Pavement Hall of Fame to start with nothing. The same is certainly true for our 2023 inductee, Mark McLeod. His career in the industry spans over 50 years and the impact he made will continue to be felt for years to come. But it had to start somewhere.

For Mark it was 1966 when he was asked by his brother Steven to join him on a jobsite - on a Saturday.

“We pulled up to this school and boy was it filthy,” McLeod says. “We had to broom the lot off, shovel it, scrape it. I had never worked so hard in my life!

“The parking lot when it was done though, looked so much better and everyone at the school was saying how beautiful it was. I was hooked. The work was rewarding and it was really good money for what we did.”

McLeod and his family continued on the contracting business for several years, purchasing an asphalt plant and growing the business until selling in 1970. From there, McLeod embarked on a journey across the country experiencing life on the contractor side of the business. 

His first stop was Thompson Valley Sealcoat in Colorado where he built the business and sold it after 10 years. During that time, he made many relationships with the Thorson family and took a career opportunity with SealMaster in Sandusky, OH as National Sales Director. 

From there, McLeod continued the trek back across the country, traveling to Denver and working with the James Schermerhorn family to rebuild nine SealMaster locations with a team of people. 

“Rebuilding these plants was an incredibly rewarding challenge,” McLeod says. “I learned a lot about running a business and what business owners need to be successful.”

That, coupled with his experience on the contractor side of the business, gave him plenty of insight he was happy to share with customers who needed help with their pavement maintenance business. 

“I have basically held every job you could in this business,” McLeod says. “I have worked on driveways, roads, parking lots and racetracks and have enjoyed every minute of it. Every single one of these experiences taught me an incredible amount and eventually led me into the manufacturing side of the business.”

Growth & Purpose

McLeod’s travels took him to Florida to purchase a SealMaster franchise, then back to Wisconsin to help his family with the contracting business and finally to Ohio again where he found his home. 

“In 2004, I was asked by a good friend of mine, Bill Neckermann who owned Maintenance, Inc. at the time, to come to Wooster, OH and visit his facility,” McLeod says. “I had never heard of the place before but I fell in love with the area. It is a town full of hard working blue collar families and it seemed like a really good place to keep my business relationship going.”

McLeod joined Maintenance, Inc as sales manager and hit the ground running developing sales strategies and marketing plans for the business. When Neckermann passed in 2008, McLeod was asked to take over the business as president and owner.

“That was really a struggle,” McLeod says. “We found our way through it and strengthened our purpose and started to attend more tradeshows and events to bring the brand to the industry. I don’t think I’ve missed more than one National Pavement Expo in 20 years.”

McLeod also started to look at acquisitions to bolster the Maintenance, Inc. brand and in 2015, the company purchased Able Industries, adding their line of equipment to the portfolio. 

“One thing we learned from Able Industries is that you have to get the contractor's hands on the equipment to make them believe in it,” McLeod says. “Many contractor’s don’t know what a good product is for their business or even how to use it but if you start one up for them and they can see the best way to use it, that’s when they start to feel comfortable and that’s when you know they’re going to put down a quality product.”

Education is “Number One”

This passion for showing contractor’s the best way to work is one that has stuck with McLeod throughout his entire career and is a legacy he hopes to leave in the industry.

“Education will always be number one,” he says. “I have taught hundreds of seminars and educated thousands of contractors and I don’t just do it to sell equipment. I do it because it’s what is best to help our industry grow as a whole.”

McLeod has written articles for several industry publications as well, sharing his knowledge with those who needed his help the most. 

“I always signed my articles with the phrase ‘Happy Sealing,’” McLeod says. “Because that’s what I want them to feel - happy. They are in an industry that can be extremely lucrative, providing them with a great life and I truly want everyone to be successful in doing this work.”

McLeod recommends tradeshows and continued education for those contractors considering the business.

“Don’t be afraid of the work and don’t give up,” he says. “I came from nothing so I know how to work with contractors who need help and I still want to be able to teach the younger generation about building a life in this industry because without them, we won’t have anything left.

“This is a resilient and viable industry and the members of the Pavement Hall of Fame who went before me can attest to that as well. We all came into the work and then dedicated our lives to it because we are passionate about it and know the excellent life it can provide to those who do the work.”

McLeod hopes to continue teaching young people for years to come, long after his retirement in 2023.

“I know we have helped a lot of people out there and I am just so grateful for all the opportunities that have been given to me,” he concludes. “I hope we continue to reach people and I am honored to be able to guide them in any way I can.”

In the words ok Mark, Happy Sealing.