To say that Hicks Paving is a family business is an understatement. It was started by Sam Hicks in Hunterdon County in 1959 with one truck and one roller. His son, Sam, took the business to the next level, increasing the area served and clientele around the late 1970s. By 2000, his grandson, Sam, started working in the business and today is joined by his 17-year-old great-grandson who is named—yes, you guessed it!—Sam.
“Paving has been my life since I was young. I’d watch my father and mother work out of our house and over summers, I’d accompany my dad to job sites. I loved the big construction vehicles,” says Sam Hicks, who, to keep score, is the third-generation of Sams to run Hicks Paving. “From that humble beginning, we now have two shops and have advanced quite a bit.”
Today, the Hampton-based company provides residential and commercial paving and maintenance to Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren and Morris counties and beyond.
Among the Sams, the company also includes Sam III’s brother-in-law, Michael, and two nephews, Leonard and Michael, who manage the sealcoating division. “So, no matter what work you’re having done, a family member will be overseeing your project. Some companies have used our name to get business, telling people they are with us, but there is only one Hicks Paving—and if it’s not a Sam calling you, it’s not us,” he says with a laugh.
From the first Sam’s single truck and roller, the company now takes on large parking lots due to their investment in state-of-the-art commercial equipment. “As the paving industry has changed—new types of equipment, new trucks, different techniques—we have likewise grown,” Hicks says. “For example, milling—grinding a few inches off the blacktop to allow room for the new asphalt—has become very popular, so we bought a milling machine, which is expensive. Not everyone has these machines, so we rent our machine and operators out to other contractors.”
The majority of the business is residential. If a driveway is paved, sometimes it can be overlaid and other times the existing driveway has to be removed down to the stone base. “If the base isn’t correct and it’s not stable, the asphalt will not last,” he explains.
Sometimes, too, maintenance is all that is needed to refresh a driveway. “If you can’t afford to repave the driveway or parking lot, we can sealcoat the cracks, which will maintain the asphalt and give it a fresh appearance,” he says.
Since the business is seasonal, it is competitive. Hicks warns homeowners to research any paving company they wish to hire. “People are always interested in the cheapest quote, but you get what you pay for,” he says. “There are many companies in our area that have been in business a long time and are reputable. If you go for a low price, the end product might look good for a while but it won’t last. We are not usually the cheapest, but we will not do a rush job. We have a solid clientele and a great reputation.”
This is no surprise as Hicks is a company built on a strong work ethic and customer service. “My grandfather and my father both were big on doing what the customer was expecting,” Hicks says. “A shake of a hand and a man’s word meant something. If they said they were going to do something, they tried their darndest to fulfill that promise—and we continue to do that today.”
Learn more at HicksPaving.com.
My grandfather and my father both were big on doing what the customer was expecting. A shake of a hand and a man’s word meant something.