LE SILLON
A John Deere PublicationEpic Paving
Winter 2024
Whatever It Takes
Louisiana Company Grows Its Fleet-And Its Business
4 MIN READ
As the sun peaks above the horizon on a brisk, late-winter morning, the hum of more than a dozen machines and the chatter of a 24-person crew provide a raucous soundtrack for the start of another busy day.
Epic Paving is in the early stages of a sizable parking-lot repaving at a major retail hub in Baker, Louisiana, a growing suburb located just a few miles from the state capital of Baton Rouge. All told, the project is expected to stretch on for at least five weeks — a timeline that will require long hours, peak efficiency, and painstaking attention to detail each step of the way.
Co-owner Hunter Monson bounces from one side of the jobsite to the other, chatting with the crew on the ground, directing a dump truck, and fielding phone calls from prospective customers. His boundless energy is balanced by an intense focus.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done right," Monson says. "We're trying to build the company. We're trying to create a brand. Epic's name is on this project, and we always stand behind our work."
He and his older brother, Sammy Jr., represent the second generation of the Monson family to lead Epic Paving. And in recent years, things have been moving in a decidedly upward trajectory.
The asphalt contractor has rapidly expanded its workforce, fleet capabilities, and business volume.
"Five years ago, we were a $4-million to $5-million company," Hunter says. "Now we're turning $15 million to $20 million a year. With the growth of our equipment and our fleet, who knows what the future holds. We're going to give it hell, that's for sure."
FAMILY FOCUS
For a company experiencing such rapid growth, a sense of familiarity and comfort still permeates all aspects of the operation. It's hardly surprising given that Hunter and Sammy Jr. have been hanging around on jobsites since their early childhoods.
"It was a great experience," Sammy Jr. recalls, reflecting on the days he spent with their dad. "Spending the time around my father, I learned how to work hard, be honest, and do honest work. Honest work is what brings the success."
While he has largely turned business operations over to his sons, Sammy Monson Sr. is still a staple on Epic Paving jobsites. Clad in a gray hard hat and dark sunglasses, the elder Monson carries himself with the assuredness of a man who has seen it all.
"I've been laying asphalt my whole life, and I don't plan to stop any time soon," he says. "I'm gonna work 'til the day I die."
Sammy Sr. still recalls the modest early days of his construction career when he would travel around Baton Rouge in a half-ton pickup truck patching potholes in parking lots. Having his two sons along for the ride put the hard work into perspective.
"I'd take them to jobsites, let them watch everything going on," he says.
The lessons have clearly paid off, with his two boys now leading the company in a bold new direction. "It's incredible," Sammy Sr. says, almost at a loss for words. "It's growing bigger than I ever expected. It's great to see."
"It's incredible. It's growing bigger than I ever expected. It's great to see."
ALL COMING TOGETHER
The steps of a large paving job are often boiled down into a quick, catchy turn of phrase.
"Mill, fill, and pave," says Hunter. "That's the simplest way to sum it up."
But anyone in the business would quickly tell you there's nothing simple about the work. Jobs like these have multiple steps, each with their own intricate processes and details to navigate.
The work always requires a wide range of machines. And in the vast majority of cases, projects like these require multiple companies.
That's no longer the case with Epic Paving, which has aggressively grown its fleet to expand capabilities and cover every part of a project. John Deere skid steers, compact track loaders (CTLs), excavators, and dozers are now complemented by a Wirtgen W 120 FTi Compact Milling Machine, multiple Hamm rollers, and a Vögele SUPER 1700-3i Paver.
"When the customer calls, he no longer asks 'Hey, can you pave this?'" Hunter emphasizes. "Now he asks 'Can you mill it, can you do the base repairs, and can you pave? Can you be a turnkey operation for us?' We can say 'yes' to that now. That changes everything."
There's no more handoff. You don't hire Epic Paving to perform part of the job. You hire them for the whole thing.
The foundation for this was laid back in 2017, when John Deere completed its acquisition of The Wirtgen Group, a proven road construction equipment company that includes the Vögele and Hamm brands.
The Monsons' eyes were opened to the impact of the Deere/Wirtgen partnership when they visited that year's CONEXPOCON/AGG and saw the breadth of equipment available. That's when they made the decision to expand and diversify their fleet.
"John Deere Financial was a big part of what allowed us to grow," says Hunter. "When we consider purchasing new pieces of equipment, the financing plays a major role in that."
The crew also relies heavily on its Deere compact equipment including a 331G CTL, a 333G CTL, and a 330G Skid Steer to compress and flatten surfaces as well as move materials around the jobsite.
A recent addition to the fleet — the brand-new 335 P-Tier CTL — is taking the company's capabilities to another level.
"The reason I am so excited about that 335 is the hydraulic flow and the horsepower increase of the machine," Hunter says. "We bought the new, four-foot coldplane-miller attachment for it … . We can move so much faster with that. It is really helping us be more efficient."
“With the growth of our equipment and our fleet, who knows what the future holds. We're going to give it hell, that's for sure."
EARNING SUCCESS
Even for a rapidly expanding company, success does not come easily. Long, grueling workdays are the norm. Everything must be earned.
"Even as an owner-operator, there are so many different things I do every day," Hunter says. "I'm dispatching trucks, coordinating schedules, going to the office, looking at estimates, taking phone calls, bidding jobs … . We might be down an operator one day and I'm operating, or we might be down a groundman and I'm on a shovel. It doesn't matter what it is. You gotta do what you gotta do."
Sammy Jr. employs a similar mindset, going into each day knowing to expect the unexpected.
"The base is a very big thing in Louisiana. Sometimes we're in gumbo mud, other times you're dealing with more of a hilly soil. Everything's different," he says. "So you have to be able to jump through the hurdles in order to get things done."
Even amid the challenges, though, there are moments of levity — and reminders of why Epic Paving's hard-earned growth is worth it in the end.
Sammy Jr. will often bring his young kids with him onto the jobsite, giving them a chance to visit with their uncle, see their grandfather, and watch the family business in motion.
Three generations in one place. Reflecting on the past. Appreciating the present. Dreaming about the future.
"One day those kids will have a chance to be a part of this," Sammy Jr. says. "We're growing this company for a reason."
Epic Paving is serviced by Doggett Machinery Services, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Epic Paving's New Iron
Check out the latest addition to the Epic Paving fleet — the all-new 335 P-Tier Compact Track Loader
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A John Deere 330 G-Tier Skid Steer and 333 G-Tier Compact Track Loader are set to mill and flatten a parking lot.
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A Wirtgen W 120 FTi Compact Milling Machine fills a dump truck effortlessly.
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A Hamm HD 110i roller flattens with ease as a Vögele SUPER 1700-3i lays pavement.
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