Paver credits LeeBoy and its dealer Ascendum
By Jeff Winke
Piedmont Paving Inc. based in Kernersville, North Carolina, was established in 1992 by David McGee to provide paving services to the Piedmont Triad region in the north-central part of North Carolina. The Piedmont Triad is anchored by three cities–Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point.
From his one-man-and-a-truck roots, David McGee aligned himself with LeeBoy Asphalt Paving and Maintenance Equipment, located in Lincolnton, North Carolina. The relationship has benefited Piedmont Paving.
“We received consistently reliable production from the machines and great service from Ascendum, our LeeBoy supplier,” David McGee stated. “We have been updating our pavers every two years, purchasing new LeeBoy pavers to keep our fleet running with the most technologically-advanced equipment available.”
Recently, Piedmont Paving received delivery of a new LeeBoy 8520B paver with a custom paint finish. The heavy-commercial 8520B incorporates enhanced features including an above deck generator, increased fuel capacity, and front adjustable conveyor chains that eliminate the need to lift conveyors to fine-tune the tension. The machine also features a material management system with a wide, slow-moving conveyor system designed to move material consistently from the truck to the screed to ensure a flawless mat.
“We took advantage of LeeBoy’s custom paint option for our new 8520B paver” stated Matt McGee, David McGee’s son and site superintendent and paver operator. “We wanted to choose a design that would pay tribute to our military vets, but all the designs with the American flag started looking too busy or overdone, so I started looking at historic fighter aircraft for inspiration and found the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.” It is an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938.
Piedmont Paving wanted a bold design
“Many different designs were considered, but the Warhawk theme was the overwhelming choice,” said Brian Hall, territory manager with LeeBoy. “It’s a throwback to the WWII ‘Flying Tiger’ who flew the Curtiss P-40 WarHawk over Japan. Our detail shop adapted the design to the paver. LeeBoy employees, many of whom are veterans, especially loved the throwback style of the final design.”
Piedmont Paving has helped repave, manage and maintain much of the asphalt surfaces in the Triad area. They have worked with some of the most prestigious and respected companies in the area to pave and maintain their asphalt surfaces.
“The LeeBoy pavers are wonderful to own and very easy, user-friendly to operate,” Matt McGee stated. “I grew up with the big orange LeeBoy machines and now look forward to running them every day!”
Piedmont Paving continues to grow from its one man with a truck beginning and will flourish long into the future –- now with their custom LeeBoy 8520B WarHawk as part of their fleet.
Jeff Winke is a business and construction writer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be reached through jeff_winke@yahoo.com