The Winburns knew they could do it better. So in 2008, Matt and Sherry Winburn did exactly that, launching Coastal Asphalt out of Conway, South Carolina, with a crew of seven or eight and a straightforward mission: build something superior.
Seventeen years later, that small crew has grown into a workforce of roughly 200 employees. Coastal Asphalt now operates as a family-owned and operated, full-service construction and asphalt paving and maintenance company, specializing in residential gated communities, townhome communities, and commercial parking lots along the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The company runs operations out of its Conway headquarters and an asphalt plant in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Chris Jones, salesman and estimator at Coastal Asphalt since 2015, said the early years demanded a willingness to grind through the learning curve.
"Lots of stumbling blocks," Jones said. "Mostly just trying to figure out the best procedures to save time and money. Trial and error."
That trial-and-error era shaped the operational instincts Coastal Asphalt still runs on today. The company's core service mix centers on asphalt milling and paving, with sealcoating and striping forming another significant pillar of the business. It is a lineup built for versatility across both the residential and commercial markets the Grand Strand continues to generate.
Still Family, Still Proud
In an industry where acquisition activity reshapes company names and cultures regularly, Coastal Asphalt wears its independence as a badge. Jones said that fact matters inside the organization just as much as it does in the market.
"We are still a local family-owned business," he said. "We are really proud of that."
Sherry Winburn, who serves as president and owner, manages the company's overall administrative functions, professional organization memberships, marketing and communications, and continuing education opportunities. That division of responsibility reflects a leadership structure that has allowed the company to grow without losing the culture that built it.
A Good Problem To Have
Jones named growth management as the company's defining challenge over the past year. Managing and changing with the scale of a 200-person operation requires a different playbook than the one written for seven or eight guys.
On the workforce front, Jones was candid about the revolving door dynamic familiar to contractors across the country.
"Finding good employees has been our biggest challenge," he said. "We have a large employee base of around two hundred. It [feels like] a revolving door some weeks."
His prescription for retention: make sure employees know they are family and that the company stands behind them. That culture-first approach, he argued, strengthens the bond between worker and employer in ways that competitive wages alone cannot.
When it comes to recruiting, Coastal Asphalt found a surprisingly effective channel. "Our website and Facebook have given us lots of new employee leads," Jones said. It is a reminder that digital presence serves a dual purpose for contractors: it attracts customers and candidates simultaneously.
Advice From The Field
Jones offered advice for contractors just entering the business that reflects years of working both the sales and field side of the operation: protect yourself in writing.
"Cover yourself," he said. "Whether it is making sure you have correct verbiage in contracts so you can get paid on time or explaining what your quotes do or do not include. So many times the public does not always understand our lingo, and we may need to explain better to make sure everyone knows what they are receiving."
It is straightforward counsel, but it speaks to a contract clarity gap that costs contractors real money each season.
Eyes On The Horizon
Technology continues to change how Coastal Asphalt operates. Jones pointed to improvements in sealcoating materials, more functional equipment, and cost-tracking software as meaningful upgrades over the last decade. Better materials dry faster and last longer. Better software surfaces where margins leak.
The next chapter, Jones said, is more crews and more capacity to service more projects simultaneously. The goal is simple: keep growing without losing what made the company worth growing in the first place.
"Building and making relationships with customers is a big deal to us and our company," Jones said. "Without those relationships, we have nothing."
The Grand Strand keeps developing and we will keep out eyes out for Coastal Asphalt, as it intends to pave every inch of it.
