In the asphalt and paving industry, paving and paving maintenance are known to transform businesses and cities. Pavement line work can make or break the appeal of an establishment. Fresh sealing and striping can brighten an entire parking lot up. The job that JJ Premium Sealers did at a nursing home in Wisconsin is a clear indication of that. With this job in mind, JJ Premium Sealers has earned the spot as the 2024 Small Seal and Stripe winner.
A Trade Passed Down
Growing up with his father in the industry, owner of JJ Premium Sealers, Jesse Joles was always surrounded by pavement. While they didn’t take on a family business, Jesse and his brother, Marvin Joles, both ended up in the asphalt industry with their father. Joles said that when he first started in the industry 10 years ago, he faced the challenge of finding his own way of doing things.
“The first 5 or so [years] was definitely a struggle to figure it all out because my dad’s very old school,” Joles said.
While his dad was the reason he entered this field, Joles accredits his brother with his overall success.
Joles recalled, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for my brother and the Blacktop Banter Success Group … I probably wouldn’t have [gotten] where I am today.”
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Joles revealed. “I look at blacktop like a blank canvas and there’s something about taking asphalt that doesn’t look the best or [isn’t] in the best condition and fixing it up and seeing the finished project.”
The way Joles looks at it, blacktop is more of a work of art — a blank canvas to be painted on. Joles said that there is real enjoyment in completing a paving job. He added that there is a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes along with seeing a job’s finished product.
Getting the Job and Jumping Hurdles
The Augusta Health and Rehabilitation facility in Augusta, Wisconsin received a parking lot makeover when JJ Premium Sealers was hired to do a sealing and striping job. The building’s parking area hadn’t received any maintenance for nearly 15 years. Wanting to fix the lot up, Augusta Health and Rehabilitation started looking for bidders.
Going up against a few larger companies, Joles and his company ended up winning the bid. When the crew set to work, one of the biggest hurdles they had to jump over was completing the job without interfering too much with the flow of traffic.
Joles said that the site was practically on a dead-end street, so figuring out a way to perform the job without blocking the one entrance (and exit) was an obstacle, to say the least.
“We had to more or less seal the backside of the parking lot first on the backside of the building, beyond the south side. Then the next day, we had to sealcoat the north side, so just trying to keep traffic flowing, especially around deliveries and stuff like that, was definitely a challenge,” explained Joles.
Other than keeping traffic flowing, Joles said that the runner-up issue was dealing with the weather. Weather can always pose a hardship for construction companies when they have to deal with outdoor environments. But, Joles and his crew were able to push through with grace and proved to be strong professionals in the completion of the project.
A Custom Job
Not only did Joles and his crew complete this job in a phenomenal manner, but they also completed it with a spray rig that Joles built himself.
Jole recounted, “I had an old 500 gals. tank laying around, ordered all the parts and the hoses, and pretty much built it from the ground up the way that I wanted to. I mean, I could have [gone and] bought something. But it would have [taken] all the fun out of building it myself.”
Once the job was completed, Joles and his team received many positive remarks and lots of uplifting feedback. They were told frequently that the nursing home had turned out really well. But the highest praise, and the most common piece of positive feedback they received, was that the job was very professional.
As a result of JJ Premium Sealers' dedication to asphalt sealing and striping, it was chosen as the rightful winner of the Small Sealing and Striping award.
