Paving the Way for the Future
- Paul Wisemane
- Jun 10, 2016
- 2 min read
Doing the majority of his work in west Texas, Danny’s Asphalt Paving founder and owner Danny Carroll will never be accused of paving paradise, whether he’s putting up a parking lot, a road or something else. But he is continuing on a road started by his grandfather—a boxer, political mover and shaker and asphalt salesman—and joyously watching his own boys follow him on that journey. Growing up in a tough neighborhood on the north side of Ft. Worth, Carroll knew his grandfather, James Bradley, was in the asphalt business as well as having been a boxer (he sparred with Max Baer back in the day), but it wasn’t until Carroll was looking for his own life’s work that he understood that his grandfather just sold the liquid asphalt—he didn’t deal with the paving itself.
“When I wanted to pick a career, boxing wasn’t going to do it (pause for laughter), so asphalt was what I chased after,” Carroll recalled. “And he helped me with it.” During the summers between school years, Carroll made use of his grandfather’s connections to lay asphalt for some Ft. Worth area car dealerships. Eventually, he realized, “Unless you want to work for someone else, you’re going to have to work for yourself,” and knew it was time to start his own full-fledged business. Fast forward a few years and Carroll’s recently-built headquarters has a special Texaco replica gas station in the back, where he houses the tiny desk his grandfather used in asphalt sales.
This helps him remember his roots. And with his wife and two sons in the business he also takes note of his branches. Of Charlotte Carroll, Danny says, “I couldn’t run this business without her.” She oversees all the financials for a $15 million-per-year company, and “keeps up with where all that money goes.” The sons—Joe and Danny—fill major needs in different ways themselves. Joe, the elder, oversees the hot mix plant his father bought a few years ago in order to reduce his raw material costs. The senior Danny admits to not being very mechanically minded, an area where he says Joe excels.
“He understands the asphalt equipment, so when it breaks, he knows what broke. He also understands the business as a whole from inside and out,” says his father, with more than a trace of pride in his voice.
The younger Danny is one of the company’s most expert estimators, a career path he didn’t originally choose. The plan had been for Danny to get a college degree and then see if he even wanted to return home and work in the family business.
But something happened that changed everything for Danny and the entire family. Read more about this major event in the next issue!
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