U.S. Seal-Coat is in the process of changing its corporate name to U.S. Pavement Services. For more than 20 years, U.S. Seal-Coat and their U.S. Paving subsidiary have been New England's choice for parking lot construction and maintenance. With an advanced approach to progressive maintenance and prolonging the useful life of asphalt surfaces, the company is the largest pavement services company of its type in New England and one of the largest in the country. According to company founder and president, Michael Musto, "We finally decided this winter that the U.S. Seal-Coat name no longer made any sense for us because we provide a full range of asphalt maintenance services well beyond just sealcoating. We are truly a one-stop shop for all pavement needs, and have been for a number of years. Providing some of our services under the subsidiary name of U.S. Paving was creating confusion among our customers. So going forward, we are just U.S. Pavement Services. That really best describes what we do," said Musto. Beginning as a sealcoating operation in 1985, the company has expanded its line of pavement services to also include repaving, pothole repair, cut and patch paving, crackfilling, line painting, concrete repairs, and specialty/athletic court coatings. "By doing all parking lot work in-house we are able to achieve total quality control over the delivery from start to finish," said Musto. "We are now complete pavement specialists, providing a single source for all our customers' pavement needs." Effective quality control measures have allowed U.S. Pavement Services to enjoy the highest customer retention rates in the industry. Operating from Three New England Locations In addition to the Woburn headquarters, U.S. Pavement Services has added offices and crews based in Hartford, Conn. and Braintree, Mass. to better serve the growing customer base. Anthony Santagati, director of operations, said, "For years we've had good customer bases in both Conn. and in the Southeastern Mass. and R.I. markets. Now, with a full time staff and equipment located right in the middle of these areas, we are even better able to service our customers there. We can provide faster turnaround time on jobs and quicker response to customer inquiries." Santagati has been with the company for more than 15 years and is responsible for the crews' operations. Progressive Maintenance is the Key Sealcoating, specifically early maintenance, is the most important step in keeping asphalt in serviceable condition. Sealcoat provides an outstanding barrier against water seepage, petroleum spills, and ultraviolet oxidation. Sealcoating of pavement at three-year intervals will virtually stop solar damage to the binder material. Fresh sealcoating and clean line painting beautify and add value to any property. In time, most parking areas will show some simple cracks. These may be caused by aging and shrinkage of the asphalt binder or by some movement or migration of the pavement. Cracks of this type are not a serious problem if they are corrected in a timely fashion. The cracks should first be cleaned with pressurized air, and then sealed using hot-applied rubberized joint sealant. This will prevent further damage from water penetration and winter freeze-thaw cycles. Areas of closely spaced, interconnecting cracks most often occur where simple linear cracks have been neglected and not properly sealed. Water then penetrates to the base soil. Eventually the pavement breaks through completely and potholes form. Where the damage is caught early enough, repairs can be made with cut and patch paving methods. The defective area is cut square beyond the damage, ripped out, regraded, and repaved with base coat binder and bituminous asphalt topcoat. Edges of the patched pavement are emulsified to bond the new asphalt to the old. If extensive cut and patch work is needed to reclaim the parking lot, then complete repaving will prove to be the most cost effective solution. When it is time to pave or repave, the importance of getting the job done correctly in the first place can't be overstressed. Base preparation, grade, surface drainage, and asphalt thickness are all key factors in the eventual longevity of the paving job. "U.S. Pavement has the equipment and experience to do a really top-notch job," said Musto.