By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
The long and winding road to the Austin brothers’ hearts is paved not with gold, rather asphalt.
Twenty years after Birmingham Sealcoat’s inception, in 2004, two Oxford High School graduates embarked on their own journey in the field. Brothers Ryan and Mark Austin, a 2000 and 2002 OHS graduate, respectively, founded Austin’s Quality Asphalt Repair, a small, weekend-only business dedicated to personalization and high-quality service.
Relying on this commitment to quality and customer service, the brothers found quick success in the asphalt business and purchased Birmingham Sealcoat, another family-owned venture, in April 2006, electing to keep the existing name moving forward.
Combining their hands-on knowledge with the techniques that made the company successful throughout its first 22 years, the business continued to grow and, in 2014, moved from a single-room building in Auburn Hills to a multi-office location in Lake Orion.
Continuing their northward movement, Birmingham Sealcoat relocated again in 2016, to their current location at 2651 Metamora Road. In addition to being the Austin brothers’ hometown, the Oxford property features an even larger office building and an on-site equipment yard, equipping the business with all the necessary resources to handle this steady growth.
The growth of the business, which has taken off over the last three years since the company added paving to their list of services, is largely predicated on embracing a team atmosphere.
This was apparent while interviewing Ryan, and he credits longtime Wildcats football coach Bud Rowley, whom both brothers played under, for helping instill this value in him.
“I always say, when someone comes into my office and they want to work for me, I’m going to turn them into a man, that’s all there is to it,” he began.
“If you come work for me, I’m going to turn you into a man. If you don’t work out here, I don’t know what to tell you, but if you stay here, I’m going to turn you into a man because it’s hard work and people don’t like doing this kind of stuff anymore.
“I’m just like that coach, that tells them how it is, it’s a team atmosphere. If you fail, everyone fails. It’s that whole mentality of you have to put in 100-percent, otherwise you’re going to be taking away from other people.”
This tough love approach is not for everyone, but Birmingham Sealcoat is also loyal to their employees, many of whom have been with the company for years, and Ryan was eager to point out some success stories of people who have gone above and beyond and advanced up the ladder.
“We’ve jumped up in the last three years, we’ve grown tremendously, and the only reason we’ve been able to grow tremendously is because we have the right people in place,” he shared.
“I call it recruiting. When you recruit, you sell a picture of your company, give them a little taste, and they’re intrigued, they want to come over. When they come over say it’s the best company they’ve ever worked for, that’s what we want.
“We don’t have a lot of turnover. That’s the best thing about it, when we get a person in here, they stay.
“Andrew (Hartwig) is one of our head guys, he’s our operations guy. He started at this company carrying buckets and now he’s running the ship, he’s our Vice President of Operations. He goes out and he does everything. He makes sure everything’s fluid, everything’s on-task.
“I always like to tell people this little tidbit. If you work hard, you can get anything. In 11 years, he worked so hard, he’s at the top.
“Brad Hanson is one of our senior estimators. He came on three years ago; he saw potential in our company, and he’s taken us to the next level as an estimator. He’s been in the industry about 40 years now, and he’s just a stud. He knows the business like the back of his hand.
“He’s a rare breed to find because people just don’t do that nowadays. They don’t put the time in, but he’s put his time in, time and time again, to make this company what it is today.”
In December 2019, Birmingham Sealcoat won a public bid to handle the repaving duties at Clear Lake, Daniel Axford, and Oxford Elementary Schools this summer. Typically using a May 1-to-Thanksgiving operating season, this opportunity to help give back to their community came right in the heart of the company’s schedule.
“To be able to do the Oxford Schools, to be able to be a student there, and give back and do it – properly, do it the right way – is a good feeling,” Ryan said.
Per data from Oxford Community Schools Director of Communications & Marketing Matt Johnson and Karen Middleton, Project Manager at Auburn Hills-based Clark Construction, Birmingham Sealcoat’s contract to handle these three parking lots was worth $499,716.
The funds for this project were secured during the 2017 election bond season, and the plans and specs were designed by Integrated Design Solutions, located in Troy. Clark Construction works on behalf of the school district.
Ryan also advises young people, particularly those not likely to go the traditional college route, to consider pursuing a trade.
“If you’re not college-bound and you don’t want to go to school, pick a trade,” he opined. “People are so in denial about (the money) trades make.”

  Birmingham Sealcoat, Mark Austin, Ryan Austin