Pyramid Paving & Contracting

One of the biggest challenges any business faces is not only finding quality employees, but also keeping them. However, that is not the case for Pyramid Paving & Contracting (Pyramid); the Michigan-based, full-service asphalt paving contactor has held fast to the same team for nearly 33 years. “We’ve been in business for more than 33 years and it’s because we’re honest, we do good work and we pay our people well,” says Bruce Weiss, president of Pyramid. “There’s hardly any employee turnover unless someone is retiring.”

The best team in the business

According to Weiss, the Pyramid team, which started with just five employees in 1981, is constantly on the go, delivering start to finish paving services. “Good people are always busy,” he assures. “We now have 41 full-time employees and another 20 or so subcontractors working with us every day.”

He adds Pyramid’s reputation is a direct reflection of the company’s dedicated employees. “A company is only as good as the people it employs; that’s why we have one of the best reputations in the area,” he details. “People know and trust our work.”

Weiss started Pyramid with two partners, John Freed and Kurt D. Kloha, growing the company into a major regional name in just three decades. “I entered the industry in 1976, sort of by luck,” he jokes. “I was hired right out of college by another paving company. As I arrived, the other controller at the company was leaving and he taught me everything quickly. Before long, I found out the company was actually in financial disarray. I ended up working there for another five years and it was eventually bought out, so I left to form Pyramid.”

In 2003, Pyramid branched out of Essexville, Mich., and assembled a second plant location in West Branch, Mich. “This increased our geographical footprint to the northern part of the state,” says Weiss.

Start to finish service

Since establishing the company, Weiss and a dedicated team have grown the size and scope of Pyramid’s services to encompass nearly all aspects of commercial and road construction. “We used to do driveways and residential jobs, but now we’re more commercial and highway oriented,” notes Weiss.

Offering the full scope in commercial and highway paving keeps Pyramid on the go. The company specializes in asphalt, fine grading, asphalt recycling, drainage, excavating and underground services. As an asphalt manufacturer, Pyramid uses high-quality materials to develop asphalt mixes blended to perfection.

“Mix designs are tested in our on-site quality control laboratory to ensure the product is built to withstand the application,” details Weiss. “This level of quality testing allows us to offer peace of mind other asphalt contractors can’t touch.”

Peace of mind that has institutions, airports and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) calling on Pyramid time and time again. As a member of Michigan’s Tri-county Contractors Association and a prequalified contractor for MDOT, Pyramid has performed work from Saginaw to Huron, Midland to Gladwin, Ogemaw and Iosco counties and beyond.

“We’ve completed several large jobs at the MBS Airport and Bishop Airport and the M55 business loop in West Branch,” details Weiss. “That was a nice job, but one of the most interesting jobs we’ve done is at Delta College.”

Paving the way to a greener future

Aside from traditional commercial and thoroughfare construction, Weiss says Pyramid is also a proponent of greener alternatives, such as porous asphalt and ground tire rubber (GTR) material. “At Delta College we delivered a green project using porous asphalt to bring surface water through the asphalt and into the subgrade,” details Weiss.

Porous asphalt is manufactured without fine aggregate, so the remaining particles leave open spaces allowing water to flow through. Rainwater sinks through the pavement and into a recharge bed of stones where it is retained and slowly filtered into the ground. This is a sustainable method used to simulate the natural filtration process, which is especially beneficial in highly populated areas.

“We’re also working with more GTR material and the state has funding to use this material to keep tires out of landfills in Michigan,” adds Weiss. “MDOT is even looking at making GTR the standard on certain projects, reimbursing up to 50 percent of the cost of the project if GTR is used. It’s certainly an up and coming material in road construction.”

As an industry leader, Weiss is proud to say Pyramid is always looking for better materials and construction methods. “We set the standard and we have been for three decades,” he assures.

For 33 years, the company has been retaining good people and repeat clients. Michigan-made Pyramid Paving & Contracting continues to pave the way to better road construction, improving state infrastructure and delivering trusted, tried and true service.