posted
on Tuesday, January 31, 2023
in
The Dirt
Raised on Blacktop
Bill Stanley isn’t one to mince words.
A grizzled veteran of the paving industry, Stanley shoots from the hip and speaks from the heart. He is a natural storyteller — the kind of man who sprinkles jobsite tales with colorful language and pearls of profound wisdom.
On a brisk November morning, as he drives his truck to a jobsite in Mahopac, New York, where his company American Pavement Specialists will be paving for long- time customer Liffey Van Lines, he speaks pridefully about the growth of his family business.
He talks about being a builder, but not in the way one might expect. To Stanley, his career hasn’t been about building structures, or roads, or profit margins.
“To me, it is about building a name,” he says, placing a purposeful emphasis on the final word. “It’s not about the money. You could have $100,000 in your checking account one day and the next it could be gone. The most important thing I’m going to leave my family is my good name.”
Stanley started American Pavement Specialists three decades ago with a small staff and few customers. After 30 years in business, the Danbury, Connecticut, company has carved out a powerful niche conducting paving, milling, fine grading, and reclamation and stripping work. Even more importantly to Stanley, American Pavement Specialists is synonymous with the family name, a brand built upon the sturdy foundation of trust.
And now a new generation of the Stanley family is picking up where Bill left off — and finding brand-new ways to build up the family name. Bill’s youngest son Matt has spearheaded efforts to give American Pavement Specialists a presence on social media. “The feedback we’ve gotten from our social media is insane,” Matt says. “Everywhere we go people ask about it — it’s all anyone talks about.”
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