Quality Sealed
G&S Paving goes above and beyond to satisfy customers
When adversity strikes, a turning point is created. Which direction an individual chooses defines the final outcome. Some will sit and stew, refusing to move forward. Others use the trial as a launching pad.
Jerry Stanley, owner of G&S Paving in Oakley, California, chooses the latter, and because of that his business has grown—from $80,000 in revenue when his family started the company in 1978 to a bustling enterprise that annually brings in $1.8 million today.
One of the first defining moments of Jerry’s business career came when his father, Gus Stanley, contracted him to perform a pavement job in the late 1980s. Upon finishing the project, the customer refused to pay the $70,000 bill.
“He said my dad was aiding and abetting an unlicensed contractor—me,” Jerry says. “I was in high school, and my dad had planned to retire. It was a blow. I swore to him this would never happen again. I took the state licensing exams and passed, and after that I named the company after my dad to honor him.”
Lesson learned. And through the years, adversity has seemed only to make Jerry and his company that much stronger.
Motel 6 and Divine Intervention
Jerry says that he had no money when he started his company in 1990, and he refused to take out a loan and go into debt.
His first break came when he landed a contract to pave the parking lot for a group of Grossman’s hardware locations and the now defunct Grand Auto chain in the area.
“That was $225,000 in gross sales, and that really helped in so many ways,” Jerry says.
The Grossman’s and Grand Auto contracts offered a large canvas to showcase the quality of work that G&S Paving performs. It also showed the care and dedication that Jerry holds for his craft and customers.
Jerry believes in putting customers first. It’s not the size of the job that matters, he says, but the quality and care that goes into it.
He put in a bid at his own church to do their pavement, but when the $1.1 million job went to another company, he told his wife that God must have another job planned for him.
“I ended up doing the same job for the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and I saved them a quarter of a million dollars by not charging them for certain things,” Jerry says. “It helped them dramatically, and that’s what I really care about.”
Foundation of Trust
As a small-business owner, Jerry has built his company on long hours and a determination to do what’s right for his customers. Compromising quality is not an option.
Gary New, a project manager with the Oakland Housing Authority, says that it’s the company’s approach that makes G&S Paving a favorite to work with.
“My job is primarily to renovate old properties, and Jerry usually works on the larger ones for us,” New says. “He’s done striping, fire lanes, curbs, worked on draining issues…everything. What I love is they do some super, super quality work.”
New appreciates that the paving company is client-oriented. “The things they’ve done for us we’ve never once had to revisit and probably will never have to,” New says. “It’s a very impressive company and a group of people with all the equipment to get the job done.”
G&S Paving is fully licensed, bonded and insured for water and drainage as well as other aspects of paving.
The company offers expertise in several areas: resurfacing, seal coating, excavation services, parking lots, asphalt driveway installations, drain installation, asphalt driveway repairs, residential and commercial work, paving, curb installations, interior/exterior demolition and utility work.
“I always want do what’s right for my customers,” Jerry says. “My dad always said I put too much sealcoat down for the price that I’m charging, but my reply was, ‘Dad, we don’t have to knock on doors to get business.’ ”
Jerry’s company tackles commercial and residential jobs, and the approach never differentiates: Use the best products and offer the best service.
Big Picture
If there is a company project taking place, Jerry will be around.
It’s his passion and career, yes, but job sites also offer a focus other than his wife’s health situation.
In September 2017, Yolanda “Yoli” Stanley was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is an incurable nervous system disease that weakens muscles, impacts physical function and worsens over time. It steals movement and even the patient’s ability to speak. While it affects the motor neurons, the sense of sight, touch, hearing and taste are not affected. Eye movement typically isn’t affected either.
Jerry says, I have hope and faith that Jesus will improve her health. Amen!”.
“When I have my mind attached to a project and I’m being productive, it’s better for me than to sit and worry about my wife. I come home and share my days with her, and she’ll smile or roll her eyes and she will use a low-tech communication device and thank me for providing 24-hour care, seven days a week.
“It’s tough to leave, but we have a good team of caretakers who stay and work with her.”
The Stanleys have three children–Art, Jereena and Joseph.
With so much going on, Jerry has intentions to grow the company larger. The company currently employees 13 people.
“Our goal is to get much bigger,” he says. “Our goal is to produce more revenue with what we have, but not at the expense of the quality of service for our customers.”