Innovative Company CEO Interview - Randy Welch, Contractors AsphaltWhat are the ingredients for business success? They vary from industry to industry, but there are a few qualities that invariably lead to outstanding achievement. Familiarity with the local community absolutely helps. So does family-owned continuity. Throw in the passion and knowledge of a dedicated CEO, and you’re well on your way to impressive accomplishments.

That’s the story behind Contractors Asphalt, one of the leading asphalt and concrete construction companies in Texas. Under the leadership of Randy Welch, Contractors Asphalt has grown from a small, localized company to one of the most trusted asphalt and paving businesses in Central Texas. From asphalt sealcoating and parking lot repair to concrete crack filling and concrete wheel stops, Contractors Asphalt continues to provide quality services.

Mr. Welch’s journey through the years has taken a few unexpected turns – after he graduated he was a barber for a spell – but the end result was well worth the effort. With strong conviction, serious dedication to his craft and a fun-loving nature, Mr. Welch has earned a reputation as a trustworthy and admired business owner in Central Texas. Customer testimonials attest to their commitment to excellence.

We recently spoke with Mr. Welch about what inspires him, where he sees Contractors Asphalt down the (well-paved) road, marketing methods and more.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

My father, JP, was a great source of inspiration. JP started in the industry doing striping work and would bring me along to work alongside him. His work ethic showed me how hard work pays off.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur?

Put in work, pay your dues, sweat, be honest with yourself and those around you, and always show integrity.

Where do you see your business in 10 years?

I have been in this business for over 30 years so ideally I would like to see it sold so I am able to retire. But in all seriousness, I would always like to see more work come through. I’m not trying to grow by employees necessarily but more work is what I’d like to see. We’re focused on our employees and revenue growth at the same time. We’d like to see an increase of 20-30% or more over the next five years, and even more after that.

How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?

Before Facebook and the internet and all that it was word of mouth, I grew this company on referrals, and honestly that still works today. We are branching out into social media, events, charity work, working with local associations, SEO, PPC, etc. in our marketing efforts as well. I know that word of mouth advertising only takes you so far, so we’ve hired the right personnel to lead our online marketing efforts.

What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

When I first really got started, I met a guy who had an asphalt/paving/striping/seal coating business and we joined forces with a good ol’ boy Texas handshake. This man agreed to split everything down the middle 50/50, share the company.

But after a while, I was doing most of the work. So I had a talk with this guy to try to fix things, and really all I wanted was a brand new truck (this was back in the early 80’s) to smooth things over, but my partner refused.

I made the tough decision to leave the company and told my entire crew, you can stay or follow me, no hard feelings whatever decision you make, I will figure it all out. The next week every single one of my crewmen showed up at my door. And my foreman is still with me to this day.

So Contractors Asphalt was essentially started over a truck! This might not be a “typical” failure, but my former partner lost a company and I learned that honesty and integrity mean everything and if you take care of your employees, they take care of you.

How does your company provide innovation within your industry?

We mill and recycle our asphalt and concrete and also have eco-friendly asphalt options that re-use that old recycled asphalt to create “new” asphalt we can install.

We appreciate Mr. Welch’s responses. To learn more about Contractors Asphalt, visit their website, or call (512) 388-9968 (Austin area) or (830) 460-3832 (San Antonio area). Thanks for visiting Innovative Company.

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