Belson Asphalt Paving has earned a reputation of high quality in its 28 years as a staple in paving and sealcoating in the tri-state area.
About Us
Belson Asphalt Paving treats you like family…
Belson Asphalt Paving has earned a reputation of high quality in its 32+ years as a staple in paving and sealcoating in the tri-state area. The word quality is important to the company, but as their slogan says “Quality is not in the name, but in the Workmanship.” It’s that workmanship that keeps customers happy and business booming.
“Business has been excellent,” says President and CEO Sheri Belson. “2016 was the best year we’ve ever had.” Belson Asphalt began in 1989 when Tim, Sheri’s husband, wanted to start his own paving company. “This is his passion,” she says.
“It’s what he loves to do.” In the beginning, Sheri, who is a licensed hairdresser, helped out with the office side of the company. Part time became full time and soon she was running the business end of Belson Asphalt out of their house, while Tim was out on the job. In 2000, the business incorporated and Sheri became the President and CEO. This allowed Tim to continue his work in the field and Sheri could sign and approve documents that would have otherwise needed his signature on as well. “He is on the job every day,” Sheri says.
We work very hard and put in a lot of hours…
Many would think when you own a business with your spouse, you get to spend more time with them during the day. Not so at Belson Asphalt. During the warmer months, when business is busy, Sheri says she and Tim hardly see each other at all. “We work together but we don’t,” she says. Sheri says the crews work from dark to dark, meaning that during the summer months, sometimes she and Tim don’t even get to talk to each other during the day until he gets home at 9 or 10 and even later, in the evening. “They work very hard and put in a lot of hours.” While Tim is busy with crews out on the job site, paving, patching and seal coating, Sheri and the office staff keep busy in the office scheduling, invoicing, writing bid reports and doing whatever needs to be done so that Belson Asphalt can keep doing what they do best. “It’s a lot of paperwork,” Sheri says. “I do whatever needs to be done in the office.”
The calls don’t stop just because there is snow on the ground…
Sheri is thankful now that there is an office, as the business had been run out of her house for more than 20 years. She said it got very difficult to separate work from home and would sometimes work until two or three in the morning on paperwork because the business was right there at home, and she could never get away from it. So in 2011, they purchased a house just down the road from their home at 5500 Bankers Rd. and renovated the inside to accommodate their office needs. The early spring season is when the business starts getting busier. While most of the staff is laid off during the cold winter months, Sheri and the other ladies in the office still come in at least a few days every week to keep up on paperwork and take calls from customers. Sheri says the calls don’t stop just because there is snow on the ground, and there are many customers waiting to be scheduled as soon as the weather starts warming up. “People have been calling all winter long,” she says.
Belson Asphalt is a full service paving, repair and seal coating…
The company’s estimators are busy during March getting bids out to customers, but Sheri says the paving doesn’t really begin until mid to late April when the weather is consistently warm enough. Sealcoating does not begin until mid to late May. Belson Asphalt is a full service paving, repair and seal coating company. They work in commercial and industrial businesses as well as residential, including driveways and private roads. They are currently looking into becoming MDOT prequalified for larger road jobs. Sheri says they have been keeping very busy with commercial jobs but want to make sure they can service as many residential customers as possible. Sheri says that Belson Asphalt prides themselves on giving their customers exactly what they promise in their estimates. “If the estimate says the customer is getting three inches of asphalt, they get three inches,” she says, “and most of the time they get a little more. Tim wants the job to look the very best it can.”
Keep up-to-date on the latest advances and information…
The company owns and maintains much of its own equipment, including an Infrared Truck with an on-board heat box, that allows small patches of asphalt to be repaired. Belson acquired the machine in 2012 and it has proven to be an asset to the business. The heated box allows for small areas of asphalt to be patched which cuts down on time, expense and the size of the crew that needs to be on hand for the job. “It’s quicker and less expensive,” Sheri says, adding that it has been an asset to the company and a benefit to the customer since they began using it. “After 28 years I’m still learning new things.” She says that Tim and some of their employees will often attend conferences to keep up-to-date on the latest advances and information of the asphalt and seal coating business. Belson Asphalt’s handiwork can be seen throughout the county in residential driveways and commercial parking lots. They paved and sealcoated the parking lot for the Market House in Hillsdale during their renovation in 2015/2016 and in the Summer of 2016, they paved the trail for the 1.4 mile Rail Trail in Jonesville, just to name a few.
Our business is where our heart is…
The company also prides itself on their seal coating. When seal coating on new asphalt, they put down two coats of sealer because Sheri says the first coat will soak in the asphalt, and the second coat is what actually protects the asphalt from outside elements and wear and tear, to help preserve the longevity of the asphalt. The two coat sealer will give the customer a longer life and more time before they are in need of the service again.
Sheri says Tim is out on the job every day, working alongside the crew and the foreman, Mike Cheslock, who has been with the company for the past 20 years. Sheri and Tim’s son, Jeremy, has worked in paving and seal coating over the last 16 years. They also have a daughter Amanda who lives in Ann Arbor. The couple work hard at their business during the warm months of the year, so when they have some down when the snow flies, Sheri says she likes to enjoy a good book and just relax in the sun when she and Tim travel south to Florida and Mexico for vacation. “We use the time to relax like most people are able to do in the summer,” she says with a smile.
We try to communicate with customers as much as possible…
Belson Asphalt is active in the community as a member of the Hillsdale County Chamber of Commerce. They are also a member of the Better Business Bureau and the National Federation of Independent Business. Sheri and Tim also attend Hillsdale United Brethren Church. As the weather starts to get warmer and people start looking forward to spring, Sheri says they will keep busy scheduling jobs and getting the crew and equipment ready for a busy 2017. Sheri says scheduling is the most difficult part of her job. “There are so many variables that can change and throw us off kilter,” she says. “We try to communicate with customers as much as possible. The goal is to keep as good a customer service as we possibly can. I strive for that.” Sheri works to keep the customers happy on the scheduling end and Tim works to keep them happy with the final product. “I couldn’t do it without him and he couldn’t do it without me,” Sheri says.
By Sarah Gray
Simply hers – Published on Feb 28, 2017
