Sunshine Asphalt Shines When it Comes to Providing Prompt Work

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Maintaining a good relationship and prompt quality work are what has helped Sunrise Asphalt keep its big commercial accounts. Based out of Arizona, Sunrise Asphalt has helped several Circle K Corporation convenience store and gas station chains throughout the state with their pavement maintenance needs.
 
Sunrise Asphalt, which performs both commercial and residential work, has been servicing Circle Ks in Eastern and Southern Arizona for over 15 years. Vice President Eli Silberman says his father Les was the one who originally scored the relationship with the gas station corporation. “Just like any good sales person, he approached them and kept approaching then until they let him prove what our company can do and the rest is history,” says Silberman.
 
Silberman has been responsible for keeping the account alive since the family-owned company was passed down to him. So far, Circle K has no complaints and the gas station corporation keeps coming back to Sunrise because of the good relationship Silberman has continued to maintain with the company. Silberman and crew perform full-depth removal and replacements, installation of new curb stops, line and symbol striping, seal coat and asphalt repair, and concrete repair too.
 
With the busy traffic that is part of the gas station business, Sunrise has learned to get in and get out quickly. Efficiency through organization and utilizing the proper equipment allows Sunrise to provide the Circle K gas stations with speedy work. Silberman understands that organization is the most critical part of any job he does – especially for a store as busy as Circle Ks.
 
“There is a constant flow of foot traffic and cars coming in to get gas and food inside,” says Silberman. “I work closely with the company to ensure all their needs are met in speedy matter. Generally a work order will come in with the location and job description and we will jump on that the same day or within 24 hours.”
 
Through careful organization, Silberman arrives at each Circle K job completely prepared. This critical organization is on his part and the client’s part. Silberman has noted that the organization and care he sees up and down the ladder from the marketing team to the maintenance team and the employees at each Circle K store is top notch.
 
“I never go into any job not even the smallest without knowing exactly what to do,” remarks Silberman.
 
The correct equipment also factors into the job efficiency. Sunrise just purchased it’s third LeeBoy paver. Because the company performs a mix of commercial and residential work (roughy 75% commercial and 25% residential), they base a lot of their equipment buying off this ratio, and LeeBoy pavers fit the bill.
 
Besides excellent organization, the safety of customers and Sunrise employees in Silberman’s main concern. He always makes sure to have then proper amount of cones and warning signs on the job site and insists that his employees wear proper protective gear. At Circle Ks and other similar job sites, Silberman also likes to have an owner on site to ensure that these safety protocols are followed. “Once these steps are taken care of, the jobs tend to go very smoothly,” says Silberman of his precautionary safety actions.
 
What drives Silberman and his crew at Sunrise Asphalt to do good work is the feeling of accomplishment and providing true service for Circle K, as well as working with great clients. “One thing that makes me happy is how thrilled each of the store members are when work is done at their particular store,” says Silberman. “Clients know that when we leave their job site, what was once a problem will be taken care of and their store will be better for it and the consumer experience will be that much better. To see employees take such pride and ownership of where they work is not common these days… it’s a breath of fresh air to work with team members like this.”

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As published in APE

Founder of Sunrise Asphalt, Les Silberman.

For over 30 years, Sunrise Asphalt has been providing Arizona with successful paving solutions. Sunrise Asphalt, located in Tucson, Ariz., is family owned and operated by Les Silberman, who holds three contracting licenses in Arizona, is certified as a master applicator by Seal Master of Arizona, and is an active member of his community.

His son Eli, who graduated from the University of Arizona two years ago, recently joined Les in the business. The father-son team works with over 10 employees, and plans to expand and hire additional employees in the near future. “We believe that our business stands out from other businesses in the field because we have established very strong and long-lasting relationships with many of our clients over the last 30 years,” says Les.  “In the past year, over 51% of our business came from return clients and of those return clients, a quarter of them referred new clients to us.”

Les’ tips for success are simple. Stay in contact with your clients to maintain an updated database, and show pride in being the business owner. Les makes sure to visit job sites to talk to the customers and personally answer any questions they may have instead of leaving it to the foreman. Les believes that owner supervision on every site ensures quality. “We have found since day one that customers like nothing more than dealing with the owner of the company,” says Les.

In addition to being present at the job site, Les makes himself available to clients by phone, web, and email too, so clients know that he is there for them. “Really listen to your clients’ ideas for their pavement needs,” suggests Les. To maintain quality standards, Les and his team conduct regularly scheduled meetings so employees understand expectations outlined for them.

To get their jobs done, Sunrise Asphalt relies on a set of trusty equipment, which includes two LeeBoy pavers, John Deere grading equipment, and Crafco crack kettles. “We’ve found LeeBoy pavers to be reliable and we like the feel and response of the John Deere levers,” says Les. A large Crafco crack kettle allows them run through two pallets of Crafco blocks a day for commercial jobs, and a smaller kettle is great for residential jobs. For sealing, the company uses SealMaster products because they’ve found the material to weather well in the hot Arizona climate.

The Silbermans strive to provide excellent work for their growing client base by keeping their skills and techniques up-to-date and attending educational seminars yearly. They’ve kept their company up-to-date too, launching the Sunrise Asphalt website in 2010. The site, which includes testimonials, coupons, contact information, and easy navigation, has been a big success for the business, says Les.

Both Les and Eli are very proud of the company’s success with return clients and referrals, a testament of satisfied clients. “We enjoy getting thank you cards and Christmas cards from our clients and really enjoy the bonds we have established with many of our clients,” says Les. As Sunrise Asphalt continues to expand, Les is mindful of keeping growth at a level at which they can still perform quality work. “We want to continue to interact with our clients and want to be their paving contractor for many, many years to come.”

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As published in APE