Posted 11:47 pm Sunday, October 28, 2012
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For Acrypave, 'groundbreaking product' seals the deal
After 15 years in the asphalt overlay business, Jan-Harry and Lea Kastmo have developed a product they claim is cooler, greener and more affordable.
After developing Tuffseal into a type of product that could be sprayed, instead of dumped and spread, to seal asphalt, the Kastmos have started their company in Tyler.
Acrypave Manufacturing makes the products and applicator machines in-house, and they have trained people in Texas, Florida and Georgia on how to apply the product.
Kastmo said Tuffseal can extend the life of asphalt for up to 20 years, reduce the temperature of asphalt by up to 30 degrees, make it look like concrete and is half the cost of asphalt.
“We're just excited about the future possibilities of this,” Kastmo said. “Our goal here is to distribute this worldwide.”
Kastmo, 54, was born in Norway, and Mrs. Kastmo, 52, grew up in Memphis.
Kastmo became involved with Youth with a Mission Ministries in England, while Mrs. Kastmo became involved with the organization in New Zealand. They met while working at Youth with a Mission's Ministry Center in Lindale. After working together there for 10 years, they moved into Tyler and went into business for themselves.
The couple have been married for 27 years and have four children.
Kastmo said they were running a car sales business when he needed asphalt for the parking lot and was shocked at the high prices. He started buying pieces of equipment to do the project himself,
and it was a fluke that he ended up in the asphalt business, he said. The Kastmos have been in the asphalt business for about 15 years, running Affordable Asphalt Paving.
After developing Tuffseal into a type of product that could be sprayed, instead of dumped and spread, to seal asphalt, the Kastmos have started their company in Tyler.
Acrypave Manufacturing makes the products and applicator machines in-house, and they have trained people in Texas, Florida and Georgia on how to apply the product.
Kastmo said Tuffseal can extend the life of asphalt for up to 20 years, reduce the temperature of asphalt by up to 30 degrees, make it look like concrete and is half the cost of asphalt.
“We're just excited about the future possibilities of this,” Kastmo said. “Our goal here is to distribute this worldwide.”
Kastmo, 54, was born in Norway, and Mrs. Kastmo, 52, grew up in Memphis.
Kastmo became involved with Youth with a Mission Ministries in England, while Mrs. Kastmo became involved with the organization in New Zealand. They met while working at Youth with a Mission's Ministry Center in Lindale. After working together there for 10 years, they moved into Tyler and went into business for themselves.
The couple have been married for 27 years and have four children.
Kastmo said they were running a car sales business when he needed asphalt for the parking lot and was shocked at the high prices. He started buying pieces of equipment to do the project himself,
and it was a fluke that he ended up in the asphalt business, he said. The Kastmos have been in the asphalt business for about 15 years, running Affordable Asphalt Paving.
Kastmo had done asphalt maintenance for Emerald Bay for years when people there wanted a cleaner, lighter, cheaper overlay to repair their parking lot. Kastmo contacted the inventor of such a product and became the manufacturer for the company for the southeastern part of the U.S., he said, declining to name the company.
About three years ago he got involved with the Tuffseal product, and after severing ties with the company he was producing the product for, he gained the freedom to develop and market his own product, both nationally and internationally, he said. He started Acrypave three months ago to produce his modified version.
The Kastmos are laying the foundation to expand the company, but already have certified applicators applying the new material in Florida and Atlanta and are working with a man in Arizona, Mrs. Kastmo said.
Mrs. Kastmo is president of Acrypave and oversees the office work, bookkeeping and marketing, while her husband is the vice president. He manages the manufacturing of the application machines and the materials, and trains new applicators.
“She's the brains behind the operation, I just work here,” Kastmo said of his wife.
Acrypave has six other employees, including their son Christopher.
Mrs. Kastmo said Tuffseal provides an aesthetically pleasing finish for parking lots and driveways. She believes their product is groundbreaking because it provides a more environmentally friendly pavement preservation material that looks more upscale and is cooler in the hot sun.
About three years ago he got involved with the Tuffseal product, and after severing ties with the company he was producing the product for, he gained the freedom to develop and market his own product, both nationally and internationally, he said. He started Acrypave three months ago to produce his modified version.
The Kastmos are laying the foundation to expand the company, but already have certified applicators applying the new material in Florida and Atlanta and are working with a man in Arizona, Mrs. Kastmo said.
Mrs. Kastmo is president of Acrypave and oversees the office work, bookkeeping and marketing, while her husband is the vice president. He manages the manufacturing of the application machines and the materials, and trains new applicators.
“She's the brains behind the operation, I just work here,” Kastmo said of his wife.
Acrypave has six other employees, including their son Christopher.
Mrs. Kastmo said Tuffseal provides an aesthetically pleasing finish for parking lots and driveways. She believes their product is groundbreaking because it provides a more environmentally friendly pavement preservation material that looks more upscale and is cooler in the hot sun.
PROJECTS
Acrypave recently completed the parking lot of the Super 8 Hotel, at 2616 NNW Loop 323. Kastmo said they also did a large play area for Sky Ranch to reduce the temperature so kids could play on the asphalt during the summer. They have done three and half miles of walkways for a homeowners' association in Florida.
Ted Turner has been at the forefront for preservation in Atlanta, Kastmo said, and Turner Enterprises used his product on an entire city block there. Turner was looking for asphalt preservation that was lighter in color to mitigate the heat.
Kastmo said they can apply the product to 30,000 to 50,000 square feet in one day. After spraying it on the asphalt, he said he can begin walking on it in 15 minutes and open it to traffic in about an hour, while cold tar has to sit for 24 hours.
He said they can also use color in the material, which can be sprayed on a roadway while making it skid resistant, instead of painting on pavement, which can become slick. Kastmo said bright colors could be added to Tuffseal to be used in school zones to differentiate it from the rest of the road so motorists know exactly where to slow down and be more cautious. He said Florida is considering using bright orange Tuffseal for railroad crossings.
For more information, visit www.acrypave.com or call 903-593-3743.
Ted Turner has been at the forefront for preservation in Atlanta, Kastmo said, and Turner Enterprises used his product on an entire city block there. Turner was looking for asphalt preservation that was lighter in color to mitigate the heat.
Kastmo said they can apply the product to 30,000 to 50,000 square feet in one day. After spraying it on the asphalt, he said he can begin walking on it in 15 minutes and open it to traffic in about an hour, while cold tar has to sit for 24 hours.
He said they can also use color in the material, which can be sprayed on a roadway while making it skid resistant, instead of painting on pavement, which can become slick. Kastmo said bright colors could be added to Tuffseal to be used in school zones to differentiate it from the rest of the road so motorists know exactly where to slow down and be more cautious. He said Florida is considering using bright orange Tuffseal for railroad crossings.
For more information, visit www.acrypave.com or call 903-593-3743.
