John Kittleson,
Bituminous
Roadways South
Division manager
and estimator,
stands in front of
one of three asphalt
plants serving
southern Twin Cities
and surrounding
communities.
Phil Major of RMS (right) with Kent Peterson,
president of Bituminous Roadways.
and we keep them informed, so the customer is happy getting what he was promised."
In addition to treating customers well, the Petersons credit hard work and great employees for their company's success over the years. "One guy many years ago asked me if I wasn't scared to tell my competitors about what we do, because we sit in these trade organizations and talk about marketing and other things," said Pete. "I said no, there's no real secret to this business. You have to get up early in the morning and go to bed late. Then you'll be successful."
Cautious growth
As Kent Peterson looks toward the future of his company, he foresees cautious growth. "We've always taken steps toward growth but never extended ourselves so that we've gotten out of control," he said. "We've taken cautious steps toward growth and we'll continue doing that.
"Now we have three locations," continued Kent. "Maybe within five years we'll add another location to serve another part of the metro area. We'll always be looking for a little bit of growth."
Bituminous
Roadways owns
seven Blaw-Knox
pavers, including
this 5510 rubbertrack
paver, the most
recent addition to
the company’s paver
fleet.
“We don’t have any
hesitation buying
Blaw-Knox,” said
Kent Peterson.
Kent sees securing aggregate reserves as another vital part of Bituminous Roadway's future. "We have to really concentrate on where our aggregates are going to come from," he stated. "We've acquired some property in Inver Grove Heights, but we need to work hard at the southwest area to serve that asphalt plant down there. That's a key component for every producer: pinning down aggregate reserves."
Pete Peterson still holds the title of chief executive officer, but
he recently resigned from the company payroll. That makes room for the
next generation of Petersons to move into Bituminous Roadways. Kent
wouldn't mind if his six-year-old son, Jack, would make the operation
a fourth-generation business.
"It was a great opportunity for me, and it has created a pretty strong relationship with my dad to be able to work with him," said Kent. "We don't only have family ties, we have also been able to spend a lot of time together because of work. I think that was a good part of my life, and I would like to be able to offer that to Jack, too."