Kilgore Paving
Salt Lake City

Young Entrepreneur Making His Mark in Asphalt Paving

By Brad Fullmer

“Jason is a young contractor with tremendous abilities and a great vision of the future on what construction can be.” – Rich Thorn, president and CEO of the AGC of Utah.

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Even at a young age, Jason Kilgore displayed a remarkable determination and work ethic, according to his former step-father, and local paving industry icon, Val Staker.
“Jason is first of all a very sharp, level-headed guy – has been since he was a little kid,” says Staker, who was Kilgore’s step-father for 12 years beginning when he was eight years old, and who taught him the ins and outs of the asphalt paving industry. “He has a strong work ethic and a great ambition to succeed.”

Kilgore has followed in Staker’s footsteps in some respects, having started his asphalt paving and maintenance company, Kilgore Paving of Salt Lake City, in the year 2000 when he turned 26 – ironically, the same age Staker was when he founded Staker Paving in 1970.

“You have to be okay with risk and be able to throw it all out on the line,” says Kilgore of his decision to start a company from scratch with limited financial resources. “I started with a pickup truck and trailer with a small tank on it – that was it. I maxed out my credit cards, got a loan for $18,000, and away we went. My wife thought I was crazy, but she supported me.”

In just seven short years in business, Kilgore Paving has grown from a modest asphalt maintenance company to one of the more respected asphalt paving firms in Utah. The firm has paved some of the largest parking lots in the state in the past couple of years, including the Salt Lake International Airport, Intermountain Medical Center, and the Daybreak Residential Development.

“Jason is a young contractor with tremendous abilities and a great vision of the future on what construction can be,” says Rich Thorn, president and CEO of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Utah. “He was elected by our general contractor membership to serve a two-year term to represent the Highway Division, which means he’s held in high regard.”

Staker said Kilgore showed an entrepreneurial spirit early on by starting a lawn mowing business at age 10, before starting to work with Staker Paving at age 14. By 17, Kilgore was a foreman on a patch crew.

“He worked through a lot of the field operations – from a laborer to operating heavy equipment and machinery,” adds Staker. “When he was going to college he ran paving crews and by his senior year he started estimating projects. He loved the industry from the get-go.”

In 1995, Staker sold his company to Oldcastle, and by 1998, Kilgore was seriously pondering his future in the construction industry.

“Oldcastle wanted me to go to Connecticut to help run their paving division, and I wanted to stay in Utah with my wife, my wife’s family and my family,” says Kilgore.
“My whole idea in starting this company was to be an asphalt maintenance company doing seal coating and crack sealing. At that time I knew all the (Jack B.) Parson people, Staker people, Granite people, so I did small maintenance jobs for them when I first started.”

“It was a major decision for him – stay with a large international company or do his own thing,” says Staker. “I advised him that he should think long and hard about his future. We reviewed the sacrifices I made in starting my company, and I told him there is a price to pay. Once he made the decision, I told him, ‘don’t grow too fast’.”

Early on, Kilgore says he burned the candle at both ends by working virtually around the clock – a necessity for any owner of a fledgling construction company.

“You can’t do this business without putting in the hours,” said Kilgore, who recalls working 16-20 hour days early on. “It requires a lot of hard work and determination.”
Kilgore said Staker has provided him good advice over the years and will always be considered his mentor.

“Val taught me a lot – he’s been a big influence on me,” says Kilgore. “He didn’t want me to do this initially. He said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? There are easier ways to make money than construction.’ But I like this industry and enjoy working with clients and general contractors. I’ve always had the philosophy that I don’t care to be the biggest; I just want to be the best.”

“He runs a very efficient operation that does quality work – I’m extremely proud of him,” says Staker.

Company: Kilgore Paving

Location: Salt Lake City

Year Founded: 2000

Markets Served: Asphalt paving, maintenance and repair

No. of Employees: 165

Recent Projects: Salt Lake Int’l Airport East Landside Reconfiguration; Intermountain Medical Center; Daybreak Residential Development.

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