EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 25

“We’ve gone from 8.2 to 10 million visitors a year. That effects
every business, the big and the small. We’re all one, working
together, and hospitality brings it all to the foreground.”
First impressions are everything, starting with the drive into
any community. That’s
where Halifax Paving
comes in. Whether it’s
flying in on a private plane
for the weekend, taking
the shuttle from the airport
to the hotel, or the ending
of a road trip, visitors take
note of the parking lots and
roadways as they head to
their destination.
As a third generation
paver and asphalt company,
the Durrance family has
made it their business
to help communities
surrounding their Ormond
Halifax Paving Repairs SR A1A After
Beach-based operation.
Hurricane Matthew in 13 days
Tad Durrance, president
of Halifax Paving since 2010, grew up
in Volusia County, learning the ropes
of the family business from the bottom
up. Those skills have enabled him to
continue the family tradition of looking
out for the community, which includes
the tourism industry.
From clearing lots to prepare for
hotel construction, repairing and
repaving travel lanes and expanding
runways, Durrance knows the
Tad Durrance
importance of maintaining the high-
quality standards set by his father, Tommy Durrance, and his
grandfather, Leonard Durrance, who founded the company 50
years ago.
“My grandfather started the company, just him and a
bulldozer, on beachside, clearing lots,” said Durrance. “He saved
up enough to hire on a second person and a second piece of
equipment, and just kept doing that until he decided he wanted to
get into the asphalt business and bought an asphalt plant. The rest
is history.”
Durrance says of his grandfather’s tenacity to build a business
while training the next generations with hands-on experiences has
been the secret to Halifax Paving’s multigenerational success. “I
think you can’t do it any other way. If you just have it handed to
you, it would be difficult to have the respect of your employees,
number one and number two, if you don’t understand it, I don’t
know how you can go out and tell someone how to do it if you’ve
never done it,”
he said.
Crews onsite at
Flagler Executive
New Runway
The uptick in the economy since the Great Recession in 2008
has allowed Durrance, a finance major in college, to increase the
number of positions available while retaining the company’s
long-term dedicated employees. “Our growth has been very
consistent,” he noted. “We’re at about 120 employees and we’d
hire another 20 right now if they walked through the door.”
Major Milestones for Halifax Paving, Inc.
• Orlando Sanford International Airport Runway
Extension 2013
• State Road A1A Repair Post Hurricane Matthew 2016
• Flagler Executive Airport Runway 2017
Upon arrival at their hotel, visitors look for convenience, and
a fully operational elevator is one amenity taken for granted until
it’s out of service. Ensuring hoteliers have access to the best in the
industry, John Gill, sales representative for Premier Elevator Co.,
goes above and beyond to keep his clients happy.
Offering personalized customer service, Gill works diligently
to focus on preventative maintenance in an effort to stave off
equipment failure and provide customized support during
emergencies.
“When people walk into a resort they
want to know that they’re not going to be
inconvenienced on their vacation,” said
Gill of elevator service. “It makes us
look good, the general manger look
good and the resort look good. It’s
extremely important.”
Gill’s career in the elevator industry
John Gill
spans nearly three decades. His passion
for people and building relationships has
garnered him much success since he moved to the area in 2015.
Focusing on core principles that include service, commitment,
preventative maintenance and competitive pricing, Premier
Elevator was started in 1992 by Robert Barber, Phil Reid, and Hugh
and Wallace Bertschin in Stockbridge, Ga. Today, the company
has five major branches in the southeastern United States, and has
seen its market grow 400 percent in just the last two years. Premier
Elevator services up to 60 clients in Volusia County, including
many in the tourism industry.
Chuck Pogue, chief engineer for the Plaza Resort & Spa in
Daytona Beach, has been pleased with the service Premier Elevator
has provided since engaging them in March 2018.
“Prior to bringing them on, we had a lot of issues with our
elevators. They always
seem to break on Fridays
and Saturdays,” Pogue
lamented. “The company
we used to have, we were
not getting good service
out of them. They weren’t
doing preventative
Brad Landers service
technician and Dai Nguyen
NOVEMBER 2018 | 25 |