Located in the Hudson Valley about halfway between Albany and New York City, Route 82 Sand & Gravel is one of four industry corporations Stewart Petrovits operates alongside his sister, Dana Wiehe. P&Q recently caught up with Petrovits, who attended the 2019 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference, to learn more about the New York family business.
How did you get your start in the aggregate industry?
My dad (David Petrovits) started the business in 1973. He started in construction and got into the sand and gravel side in 1987.
I started literally mopping the floors after school. I did summer jobs. My dad always tried to have us do something different every year – drive a dump truck, work with the paving crew. Likewise for my sister.
We have four separate corporations, and my sister and I swap back and forth. She’ll be president of one and I’ll be vice president; and vice versa.
What’s it liking running the businesses alongside your sister?
She’s very sharp. The two of us get along great. We always have. We’re not a big corporation, but we’re big enough that we can each have our own fiefdom without stepping on the other’s toes.
She’s developed relationships with insurance and safety people just like I have with our Cat equipment dealer. Our offices are right next to each other. Her husband works for us, as well. It’s great because you can never have enough family around.
What’s new at Route 82 Sand & Gravel these days?
One of our newest things is manufactured soils for things like green roofs or brownfield redevelopment. We work with a separate company that bids on the projects and provides the formulations, and we work with them to blend the products with ours and load them out.
A lot of our products have gone down to Manhattan for jobs. That’s something that’s growing: this green roof trend to mitigate stormwater.
Also, the recycling side (concrete and asphalt), that’s become a real business.
What’s it like being a small producer in a territory with a big producer (CRH/Oldcastle)?
We’re fortunate to be in the area of a producer who knows what the market should be – not someone who’s dropped the prices. They’re interested in seeing a profit and being reasonable with numbers. And we’re small enough and smart enough to know we just don’t compete on big-volume jobs.
We all play nicely together. I learn a lot from those guys. They’re a $10 billion to $20 billion company. If it works for them, maybe it will work for us.
Fill in the blank: 2019 for the aggregate industry will be …
… a repeat of 2018 and 2017. Those were good years for us.
Six Things
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED – You must maintain a positive attitude in this business because something will go wrong every day. Remember, it’s our job to solve problems.
FIRST JOB – I grew up on a farm, baling and mowing hay.
SPORTS – Ohio State Buckeyes football
HOBBIES – Mountain biking, working in the yard or garden
LAST BOOK READ – “Star of the North” by D.B. John
TRAVEL SPOT – Vero Beach, Florida
