There’s no doubt that brothers Ryan and Mark Austin are Oxford boys through and through.

They grew up here. They were coached on the football field by the legendary Bud Rowley. They graduated from Oxford High School. They’re raising their children here.

Given all that, it should come as no surprise the Austin boys decided to locate the headquarters of their successful business, Birmingham Sealcoat, Inc., in the town that’s home to them in every sense of the word.

“It’s a tight-knit community,” said Ryan, a 2000 OHS graduate. “Everybody knows everybody. That’s why we love Oxford. If you do good work, everybody knows about it.”

Things are going quite well for the company in its new digs at 2651 Metamora Rd., just east of M-24 and south of Oakwood Rd. The 4,000-square-foot building sits on a little more than 7 acres of land, so there’s plenty of room for future expansion.

“We’re definitely growing,” Ryan said. “Last year, we did over 4,000 jobs. I think were on track to do about 6,000 jobs this year. Every year, it gets better and better. We have 26 trucks on the road right now.”

Founded in 1984, Birmingham Sealcoat, Inc. is a full-service company that lays asphalt, pours concrete and does sealcoating, striping, maintenance and repairs. The company can handle large parking lots, small driveways and everything in between. Ryan and Mark, a 2002 OHS graduate, purchased the business in 2006.

Birmingham Sealcoat’s past and present customers include Orion and Oakland townships, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital in Pontiac and Milosch’s Palace in Orion.

This year, the company is working for the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department. The new tennis courts and ice-skating rink at Seymour Lake Park – part of the $2 million bond approved by voters in November 2016 – will be expertly installed by Birmingham Sealcoat employees.

“We do a lot of work in Oxford and Orion, which is nice,” Ryan said.

One the main things that separates Birmingham Sealcoat from its competitors is the fact that all of its sealcoating work is powered by muscles, not machines.

“We’re one of the only companies in the industry in Michigan that hand-applies everything,” Ryan noted.

He explained other companies choose to spray their sealer on asphalt surfaces. This results in a thinner coating that has to be reapplied every year, he said.

Birmingham Sealcoat does all its sealing by hand, which results in a much thicker protective coat that usually lasts two to three years.

“This is a proven method that’s made us successful,” Ryan said. “When you spend money on a product, you want it to last. Our customers see the added value and that’s why they come back. We have a very loyal customer base.”

The community has been and continues to be very supportive of Birmingham Sealcoat. When the company held a grand opening for its new Oxford headquarters, Ryan was expecting 40 or 50 folks.

“Over 250 people showed up in the pouring rain,” he said. “There was no room to park here.”

Such displays are a big reason why the Austin brothers are firm believers in paying it forward. The company is constantly sponsoring everything from youth sports to community events and programs.

Birmingham Sealcoat has even donated both labor and materials for jobs involving the Orion Veterans Memorial and Daniel Axford Elementary in Oxford.

“We try to do as much as possible for community,” Ryan said. “We try to give back.”

Birmingham Sealcoat currently employs 48 people and they’re all one big happy family.

“People like coming to work here,” he said.

Ryan noted the company is looking to hire more “good people” who know how to be team players. “There are always positions in our company because we just keep growing,” he said. “We hire a lot of people without experience (in this type of work). We educate them, train them to do things the right way.”

“We’d rather hire local people if we can,” Ryan added.

For more information, call (248) 647-8373 or visit www.birminghamsealcoat.com.