In 28 years of running my business, I’ve heard people talk about company culture more times than I can count. It’s become one of those buzzwords everyone throws around, but what does it actually mean for a pavement business? And more importantly—does it really matter?
I’d argue it matters more than most people realize – but many contractors make little to no effort to develop a company culture that they want.
At its simplest, company culture is the way your people work together and how it feels to be part of your organization. It’s the attitude in the yard first thing in the morning. It’s how your crew reacts when a job goes sideways. It’s your crews’ concern for productivity. It’s the pride—or lack of it—that they carry into each project and on to each jobsite.
Where It Started for Me
Before I ever sealed a driveway of my own, I worked retail for a major national chain. They were big on talking about how much they valued their employees. They printed it on our vests, had us do morning “team exercising,” handed out promotional shirts… all the usual corporate stuff.
And for a while, I thought it was great.
But over time I realized the culture didn’t match the message. Everything they did was surface-level corporate spouting. The truth was that the company didn’t actually care much about the people working there. And once that became clear, all the slogans, t-shirts, and pep talks felt pointless – and worse. I felt like they were taking employees for granted, that we weren’t worth their effort, and that we could be “bought off” by a t-shirt and free coffee and donuts.
That experience stuck with me. I promised myself that if I ever had my own business, I would actually mean what we said about valuing people—not just print it on a shirt. I never wanted to be a horrible boss, and I never wanted people who worked for my company to feel like they weren’t valuable.
On the contrary, I hoped any employees I might have would feel they were important, that they were an integral part of the company’s success, and that they looked forward to coming to work and working with their coworkers.
A Lesson from the Pavement World
Once I got into the pavement business, I saw a friend of mine do something that reminded me what genuine culture looks – and feels – like: He had a full kitchen built in his shop so his crews could start their day with a hot breakfast. I remember thinking, Now, that’s smart!
Clearly, he wasn’t doing it as a gimmick. It wasn’t like handing out a t-shirt or company cap. He invested his company’s money in a kitchen because he just wanted to take care of his team. And it was clear they appreciated it.
It reinforced something I already believed: Our people really do make the difference. And that belief is closely tied to whatever culture your company ends up with.
Asphalt Is Tough—Culture Makes It Better
Let’s be honest with ourselves: What we do is hard. Long days, heat, deadlines, equipment issues, pressure, and a season that always feels too short. When work is that demanding, the small things matter more than many owners realize.
For my company, culture shows up in simple, practical, easy-to-implement and in some cases obvious ways. It starts with wages, and we are more than competitive in that area. It’s difficult to get employees to feel like part of your company and buy-in to its culture if they don’t feel like they are compensated fairly. We check that box right from the start.
We buy pallets of bottled water every spring. We keep a snack table stocked with drinks, protein shakes, jerky -- and even healthy stuff! We ask them what food or beverage they’d like to see on the table -- and we get it for them (Lay’s BBQ chips was last season’s hot item).
None of this costs much, especially compared to the morale and culture benefit, and it’s all there for the taking. And it sends a message: “We notice you. We appreciate you. You’re valuable to us. We care.”
Don’t think this is about buying happiness, it’s not. You can’t buy that anyway. And it’s not about preventing employee-related issues that can arise – those things are something every business has to deal with. It’s about creating an environment where people feel respected, recognized, and supported in a physically demanding line of work.
Culture Looks Different for Every Company
So, what should you be doing in your company to develop a positive and productive company culture? Well, it sure varies from company to company, but it depends on the kind if company you want to have and the kind of culture you want to develop.
Some owners focus on culture to protect their brand and keep standards high. Others just want people to feel part of the company, to actually enjoy coming to work. You could take either approach or – like us – do both! I think that when employees feel invested, they’ll do their best work and be most productive – which protects out brand and helps keep standards high. Plus, I think if they feel recognized and respected there’s a good chance they’ll be back next season.
And here’s the part people forget: Your customers feel your culture too.
Crews who are treated well take more pride in their work. They have better attitudes on the jobsite. They problem-solve better. They communicate better. And customers absolutely pick up on that. It shows in the final product, in the interactions, in the overall experience – and in your repeat business and referral rates.
In other words: A strong internal culture becomes an external advantage.
Put Winter to Work
For many of us the season is over; for many other companies work will slow down for a month or two. This is a great time to step back and take a look at your company and evaluate your company culture. Does it reflect your goals? Do team members interact? Do they support one another? Is job quality where you want it to be? How do your customers feel about your team?
When I think back to that retail job, I realize I didn’t intentionally set out to “create culture.” I just didn’t want to repeat the disconnect I saw there -- saying people matter while acting like they don’t. But over the years, through simple habits and small decisions, we ended up with a culture built on respect and genuine care. And honestly, I think that’s one of the biggest reasons we’ve been successful.
You don’t need a kitchen in your shop – that’s just a great example of an employer going the extra mile. And you don’t need a giant complex or costly program – ours is a great example of how simple and relatively inexpensive a program can be.
But your culture isn’t created by doing something or saying something once. Tickets to a sporting event are a nice bonus, but that’s not going to create your culture. Culture is built into the workplace environment and is created by consistent and repeated everyday moments. Culture can be as simple as:
• Explaining why instead of just saying “because I said so”
• Recognizing good work when you see it
• Giving someone an opportunity to step up
• Helping your team get through a tough week
Or it can be providing everyday breakfasts, snacks, lunch or whatever it is you want to do to create a positive environment and recognize your employees for the work they do.
So, use this winter to evaluate your business and determine the kind of culture you want. Then start small. Pick one thing you can do that shows your team they matter. Don’t overthink it, just do something real.
Because every company has a culture whether you plan and develop it or not. Take the steps to develop the culture you want to have, that will benefit your employees, your business and your customers.
Because especially in this industry — our people truly do make the difference.
