Family is at the core of AC Asphalt Specialists, a Seymour-based company where a husband, wife, and
kid sister operation grew to become the oldest midsized asphalt company in Northeast Wisconsin. While
others in the industry have come and gone, AC Asphalt Specialists is nearing its 40th anniversary.
From Primitive to Advanced Machinery
Owner Tom Snider vividly remembers the early days in business when the work was labor-intensive and
the equipment was primitive compared with today’s heavy machinery.
“I virtually started this company with a Phillips screwdriver, next to my sister, on my hands and knees,
digging in the dirt and cracks,” Tom said. Tom and his wife, Chris, own the company, and Tom’s sister
Bobbi worked with them initially. “She was 5 foot tall and 100 pounds,” Tom said. Still, they got the work
done.
Family Run Business since 1988
The company grew as more Sniders joined the effort. At age 17, the Sniders’ son, daughter, son-in-law,
and grandsons all started working for the company. Someone in the Snider family has been on every job
since AC Asphalt’s start in 1988.
“We had eight family members working here at one time. Three started at 17, and they’re still with the
company,” Tom said. “That’s the core strength of our company.”
225 Years of Combined Asphalt Experience
Tom estimates that the current employees have an estimated 225 years of combined experience. The
MVP of the organization is Chris.
“She’s the heart and soul and brains of this thing. Everything goes through her,” Tom said.
Tom is no slouch, either. He has been in the business since he was 17 when he spent his first summer
after graduation working with an asphalt crew in Minneapolis. At age 30, he returned to college for six
months of the year (when he wasn’t laying asphalt) and earned a business administration degree after
eight years.
“I paved my way through school,” Tom said with a smile.
Building an Asphalt Business from Scratch
Tom has had a few other jobs along the way, and when a fire damaged the building where he and his
wife were employed, the couple was at a turning point in life.
“Here we were with no jobs, and we said ‘What do we want to do?’ ‘Well, I know how to do asphalt,’
and that’s how it started,” Tom said.
AC Asphalt Specialists has had its ups and downs in the past, including the 2008 recession when the
Sniders didn’t know if they could survive but never thought of giving up. They had expanded their
business, and the additional debt coupled with the lousy economy created a desperate situation.
“We fought our way through and made it,” Tom said. “We are survivors, and we realized that when
several other companies went under, the cream rose to the top.”
No Plans to Retire from the Family Business
At 75, Tom is still bidding out jobs and working with the paving crew. It’s grueling work for people of any
age.
“Where I sit I have 350-degree asphalt flowing right underneath me. I have a little thermometer that is
right where I sit. It’s over 200 degrees,” Tom said. There aren’t many 75-year-old asphalt pavers today,
but Tom isn’t ready to retire.
“It’s nice. I love doing what I’m doing,” he said.
Contact Us About Your Asphalt Project
Contact us today at 920-865-7279 or request an asphalt bid today.
