Paving Master Earns His Stripes Over 50-Year Span
Macanga’s Journey — from Toy Trucks to Modern Machines
Present a child with a toy truck and he will almost instinctively test out its wheels on the surrounding surface—be it sand, dirt, carpet, tile, wood or concrete. Vroom, Vroom! The surfaces most conducive to mobility prove the best.
So it was with Steve Macanga, who was that child—and who grew up to own his own paving company, which will mark its 50th anniversary next year. Serving southeast Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley, Macanga Paving Contractors is built on keen knowledge and experience plus sophisticated equipment and a crew of well-trained employees that, combined, provide the best surfaces for all those big cars and trucks on the move today.
The company he’s driven—located in West Chester, Pa., west of Philadelphia—provides several services for the preparation or completion of property development. These services include site development, project design, asphalt installation and repairs, resurfacing, sealcoating, and asphalt milling. Macanga Paving Contractors does site work, installs storm sewers and retention basins, builds retaining walls, and lays concrete sidewalks, curbs and speed bumps.
That’s a lot, and yet Macanga gives each project hands-on attention.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and love to work with equipment,” he says. “When a paving project is done correctly, it sets the stage for the entire property. It can draw you in as it highlights and adds value to everything around it.”
Forty percent of the company’s work goes to paving retail establishments and 60 percent is private property.
When It Surfaced
Macanga’s uncle introduced him to this career path. His uncle’s paving business attracted him to the work, and his own father (a truck driver) helped him realize his dreams of driving big equipment. As young as seven or eight, Macanga often sat on his dad’s lap while he drove a bulldozer or backhoe or even a long-haul freight semi. “It was exciting because it was bigger than a toy truck,” he remembers.
In his teenage years, Macanga worked for his uncle’s paving company. Each assigned project was a chance to prove his abilities. Back then, typical days were spent patching potholes for $20 to $50 in pay per day. Soon, he was contracted for paving commercial properties.
In 1968, he started his own business with a commitment to quality workmanship. While the company has grown and the equipment has become more sophisticated, Macanga believes the basics remain unchanged. “Still to this day, I give each job my personal attention,” he says.
Paving sets the stage for the overall project. “Asphalted pavement can last 10 to 15 years (and longer in milder climates), but I recommend starting to budget and repair it after five,” he says. It all depends on the quality of the pavement’s installation when first laid.
There are two types of asphalting approaches: overlay and original, he continues. Overlays require milling the older surface—essentially “chewing up” the older asphalt in preparation for laying the new asphalt. The process actually recycles the old material. In this way, the property owner is assured that any flaws buried in the older surface are removed. Next comes a tack coat to ensure the final layer adheres well. Finally, two to three inches of asphalt are applied and the entire surface is compacted with a roller.
When starting with the earth as a foundation, Macanga lays down eight to 10 inches of stone base and tops, with two inches of wearing surface.
“Asphalting takes two coats—a rough first layer that bonds well with what’s underneath and above, and a second layer that wears better over time,” he says. “After site work and piping, we proceed with paving.”
Call Him a “Road” Scholar
Macanga became the knowledgeable contractor that he is today not because of school—where paving skills are seldom taught—but from experience, or what he refers to as the “school of hard knocks.” Still, he talks about paving as if it is a science, discussing technique and technology equally in-depth.
“My forte is paving and every job, big or small, is important; satisfying customers is my priority,” he says.
What sets his company apart, however, is its turnkey service. Macanga’s half-century of experience means he can take a job from scratch and produce the results that turn property owners into repeat customers.
He attributes much of his success with customers to his company’s 25 employees. Some have been with him for 30 to 40 years. They assist him in everything from the preliminary planning to on-site services—and everything in between.
“I do the engineering and layout for them,” he says. “I take a survey of the property, study the soils, assess the dimensions and contours of the land, and determine the specifications to hold the weight of the vehicles we have today.”
He adds: “What has changed over the years is the equipment we use today. Modern machines are bigger and have lasers with greater precision. Today’s compaction rollers do more than flatten—they vibrate for better density.”
It’s that combination of earned know-how, along with an adoption of the best tools and the finest fleet of equipment to do the job that continues to bring customers to Macanga’s front door.
The secret of his longevity? “A lot of hard work … and a lot of great people who have had faith in me along the way,” Macanga says. “And of course my employees—a great group of people with the excellent experience needed to get the job done.”