Since 1986, Superior Asphalt MN has been a steady provider in the Twin Cities, continuously being relied upon by thousands of homeowners and businesses for asphalt sealing and maintenance work. As the company celebrates its 38th anniversary in business, its reputation rests on what Superior Asphalt MN prefers to call “consistency,” instead of marketing power, and a thorough understanding of what the customer actually needs.
The organization began as a small local business but now stands alone as Minnesota’s leading residential driveway sealcoating service based on volume alone. Superior Asphalt MN’s leaders recognize that this change in growth relates to one thing above all: putting the customer first. From the very beginning, the organization not only cared about its customers but also valued quality workmanship and a commitment to honest communication. Those same core values still inform their work and attitude today.
Longevity Begins with Purpose and Attention to Detail
Operating in the Midwest has its own unique environmental challenges. Cold winters. Hot summers. These harsh conditions take a toll on even the best-built driveways. For nearly 40 years, Superior Asphalt MN has considered this reality in the company’s approach by having a precise, thought out plan for pavement care.
The first step in their sealcoating process is performing a full machine cleaning of the driveway surface in order for proper adhesion to occur. Oil spots are treated with a proprietary primer and cracks are filled with a rubberized sealant that may last up to 300 percent longer than standard sealants. Lastly, a professional grade asphalt sealer, made locally at StarSeal’s Shakopee facility, will be hand-applied to ensure full coverage and a smooth finish for clients.
The Asphalt Institute indicates that moisture is the primary cause of pavement distress. The sealant utilized by Superior Asphalt MN will protect against that distress by preventing any layers of water intrusion into the porous asphalt structure. The application process also protects the asphalt from chemical spills, oxidation, and freeze-thaw cycles, which are prevalent in this part of the world. None of these are nice to have. These are essentials, enhanced through decades of experience and expertise.
Strongly Held Customer First Philosophy
While technical capability is the most important aspect of their business, it is really their people first philosophy that leaves the deepest imprint. The entire team has been trained, not just in the product knowledge or best practices, but also in terms of effective communication, empathy and responsiveness.
From answering the phone to dealing with any customer’s issue, all staff are to engage each customer with attentiveness and respect. Each inquiry is met by clear and timely responses and all questions, whether they are related to scheduling, product specifics, or aftercare, receive straightforward answers.
This customer first orientation stems from the founder’s roots as a customer service consultant. These early values hold true today, and have developed into a culture of transparency, patience, and follow through.
Concrete customer service training for office staff included techniques such as making every person interaction personal, maintaining positivity, even in challenging situations, and ensuring that customers understand the process, and what to expect. This personalized communication has turned many first time customers into multi-year repeat customers.
More Than Just an Asphalt Sealant- Preserving your investment
A driveway is generally one of the most visible and utilized aspects of a home yet can be neglected easily. Superior Asphalt MN emphasizes to homeowners that sealcoating is not a cosmetic service, but one of preservation. With sealcoating and proper care, a driveway can last nearly double its life expectancy. This is significant when asphalt replacement costs far surpass maintenance costs.
Their sealcoating process is meant for longevity. Instead of recommending yearly sealcoating, they encourage waiting at least two to three years between sealcoating applications to allow for proper wear. Their customers are also educated on the next steps after the service, when is acceptable to walk and drive on the sealcoat, how to avoid tire shines, and protection from heavy objects. These take-home points are all essential to ensure the sealing process is worthwhile to homes and the homeowner.
Environmental considerations are also addressed. The sealant they use is environmentally friendly and satisfies the state of Minnesota’s guidelines for cleaner and safer products. There may be minor temporary markings during the month’s immediate intake, but they want their customers to know a more responsible solution that has proven durability.
Employee Care First Begins With Customer Care
At Superior Asphalt MN, earmarking taking care of customers begins with taking care of employees. They provide the full gamut of workers’ compensation, unemployment, and a 401(k) plan benefits that are very rare in the sealcoating business. Employees are among the highest-paid in the state for sealcoating work, including both monthly and year-end performance bonuses.
They care about their employees, which leads to more reliability in the work also.Crews return season after season, well-trained and fully invested in the work they do. Customers can tell the difference. Jobs get done on schedule and workmanship stays high across crews,
With full-time staff members who know the company’s values and processes front-to-back, Superior Asphalt MN has scaled up and still kept the personal experience that defined its start.
Improvements that are based on actual experience
For nearly four decades, the company has embraced change, as long as it serves the customer. They keep changing based on observations, field experience and customer responses. For instance, refusing to fill the joints between asphalt and concrete seems counterintuitive, but it has been witnessed after years of experience that filling them does not hold together very long and, in fact, creates ugly spots arbitrarily.
Consequently, the company developed an edge-only seal, which protects the asphalt, yet does not damage the adjacent concrete. This is just one of many examples where the approach is to sometimes do less to do better.
They continue to upgrade their products and tools all the time, selecting products and materials that are effective and safe. However, unchanged, as approaches change, the top principle continues to be the same; whatever serves the customer the most is what we will do.
Community recognition and respect in the industry
Although Superior Asphalt MN has rarely relied on advertising for business, their reputation has grown every year. They have been nominated three times as an example in the Minnesota Torch Award for Ethics, which recognized business integrity and transparency.
The award is not about good business ethics and integrity only, it is also based on having a visible track record of making business decisions with integrity, fair pricing and honest customer interaction, all of which are indications that the company takes its role in the community seriously.
Having been present in community neighborhoods in the boundaries of the Twin Cities. Having crews pull into driveways will often have people from neighboring houses step outside to ask questions and schedule an appointment. Trust like that takes time to develop and is easy to shake; that is why every crew engages with the same consistently high standards on every job.
Sealcoating with a purpose and thirty-eight years of trust
There are countless ways to describe a company like Superior Asphalt MN. However, above all else, it continues to remain constant. Based on all details of the process, tone of customer service, and care for both people and the pavement. That is what thirty-eight years of excellence looks like.
Whether a single-family driveway, or working with larger groups within a neighborhood, the approach is the same: be clear, remain professional and care about the impact of the results. That is the difference, and that is what keeps customers returning year after year.
Source: Superior Asphalt MN Proves 38 Years of Quality Pavement Maintenance
