Earlier this month, Russell Standard, a significant supplier of pavement materials, road preservation treatments, and industrial asphalt solutions assumed control over the only asphalt terminal in the state of Delaware, situated in the city of Seaford. The location services the local counties, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and contractors throughout the state.
With a company history going back nearly a century, the company prides itself on remaining a family-owned business, it's commitment to quality, and it's customer service across the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, and now Delaware. Forconstruction pros spoke with their CEO, Matt Johnson about what went into this targeted acquisition.
"Delaware is adjacent to two states that we are already operating in -- Pennsylvania and Maryland," Johnson said. "It was a really good opportunity for us to further our footprint in the mid-Atlantic region. "We're always looking for opportunities to grow and further our presence, mainly in that region. If we can find any opportunities adjacent to markets that we're already operating in, we always take a hard look at those."
Longer Lasting Pavements
Throughout FCP's conversation with Johnson, he repeatedly focused on the Russell Standard's priority of longer lasting, better pavements. Their vision is that of increasing the quality of products received by their customers, improving the downstream experience of the communities that benefit from what they offer.
"We're always focused on partnering with our customers and helping them find ways to better maintain their road infrastructure," said Johnson. "Primarily to help them get longer, useful life out of their pavements." They accomplish this not just on the functional and material level, but also through material education. "We are committed to serving as educational partners and advocates for extending pavement life. In the end, good roads are safe roads. And a lot of commerce depends on having strong infrastructure in high quality condition, too move goods throughout the region.
Provided by Russell Standard
Lab Support and New Products
Part of how the company accomplishes what they do across all their service locations is their world-class laboratory located in Pennsylvania.
"That [lab] supports all of our plants and customers," Johnson emphasized. "From that location, we work on developing materials to help extend the useful life life of pavements."
According to the CEO, there are also some new products on the horizon coming from the lab work.
"Not too far off in the distant future we'll be introducing a product that's aimed at the terminal joint failures that many DOTs experienced prematurely," Johnson revealed. "We'll be announcing details soon, as well as, another innovation that's come out of our lab, a highly modified micro surfacing material. It's aimed at reducing premature cracking and protecting the pavement surface."
