ForConstructionPros.com

Terry Wenger, president and owner of Tri-County Paving Inc. in DeForest, WI is a man on the go. Over the 23 years of his business, he's added services to position his company as the one-stop source for customers in need of paving, gravel, grading, excavating, residential and commercial milling, pulverizing, soil stabilization and foamed asphalt recycling.

And while other contractors may have experienced the economic jitters of 2007, Wenger saw it as the right time to expand his service capabilities by adding asphalt production to his offering.

Prior to launching his own business 23 years ago, Wenger worked for another Wisconsin asphalt paving company. He started out as a driveway paving contractor and soon expanded into the excavation market.

"We do site work with our grading and excavating capabilities, but today approximately 75 percent of our business is tied to asphalt work," Wenger says. "In 2006 we placed 80,000 tons of asphalt that we purchase from other producers. Last year after we brought our new plant online, we placed 80,000 tons with our own paving crew and sold another 80,000 tons to outside customers."

Not a bad start for an asphalt contractor deciding to move into the production side of the business. Wenger, in particular, was pleased with the first year of operation, noting that it takes time for "a new producer to gain the trust of customers who've been buying from other producers."