Florida Sealcoating is owned by Jason Libmann, who's been in the industry for 28 years. That's a significant amount of time to be doing anything, and, for Libman, those early days are still fresh in his mind when he reflects on what he was doing almost three decades ago.
"I was working nights at a car rental facility for my sister. I was still in school," Libmann said. "I came in one night, and all of the inventory was off the lot. I see a guy pushing a lawnmower across the parking lot with a flashlight. So, I walk out there, and I realized that the parking lot had just been paved. This guy was actually painting the lines on the ground.
Libmann's interest was piqued. After an at length conversation, the old man invited Libmann to come give him a hand on the weekends and earn some extra money for school. After just six months doing that, the mysterious man striping in the middles night suggested he officially form his own business, and take on subcontracting work for him on a regular basis. What happened next was the natural evolution of their business relationship. 
"And then it wasn't a year later, he retired," He said. The existing portfolio of clients came with Libmann taking over the business.
The whole operation was still just striping at that point, and wouldn't evolve to offer the myriad of services they do today for awhile. After two years of running the business with the help of his parents. It was steadily growing and Jason was loving the work, but a big decision was coming into a focus. Libmann was, at this point, only twenty years old and the balance between business and school was tipping towards business.
"I was doing horrible in school," Libmann said. "My mom and dad sat me down, and they asked if I enjoyed doing the work? I told them I loved it. So, they asked if I'd considered turning it into a career. My parents helped me to pull myself out of school, and I pursued it fully."
Up until this point, however, Libmann didn't describe himself as a business man. He wasn't selling, wasn't doing the estimates, no, he was just taking subbed out work. More and more striping work was coming his way, and people started asking him to take on sealcoat work, because most of the contractors in the area were passing the work over as being "too small" of jobs.
"I was starting to see a pattern. People only wanted the big stuff. I was a young man, twenty-five years old and hungry, and I wanted to grow," he said. "So, I invested into my first sealcoat rig and I just went from striping to seal coating." It was a risk for the young businessman to take, but it ultimately paid off.
The bigger question is, how did he learn the right ways to sealcoat? Libmann had a mentor to show the ropes when it came to striping. Where would he turn to now to learn how to be a seal coater?
"I started coming to the pavement expos, the different conferences, and just tried to absorb as much as I could," Libmann recounted. "I tried to create a list of mentors that could help me, and that's when it really started help me to grow." The biggest message he has taken away from all his experience, now 48 years old and thinking back to the 20 year old version of himself who took a chance and bet on himself, would to not stand in your own way.
"I've done that to myself," he said. "Sometimes it has taken others to push me to grow and invest," and Jason believes now is the right time to take a new risk and move outside of his comfort zone once more. Based on the encouragement from those mentors he's trusted in the past, and the demands from his own clients, Libmann plans to expand their operations soon into the realm of paving.
The story of Florida Sealcoating is a great example of the power of trade education, passing on experience, and the true entrepreneurial spirit. It's also a great instance of how our industry is at its best when it's open and supportive of others as they try to grow their skills and their business.
