‘You can pay me now or pay me later,' says a 1970s oil-filter commercial, which advised spending on preventative auto care to avoid costly repairs later. The slogan is a good analogy for how the deferred maintenance backlog at America’s national parks has climbed to nearly $12 billion.

The mission of the National Park Service is to preserve and protect those resources that the NPS has stewardship of and preserve [them] for perpetuity (400+ sites nationwide). They should be there forever. ‘Paying now' will help achieve that mission and prevent greater costs down the road.

On average, it costs $1 million a mile to rebuild roads but far less than that to seal cracks soon after they form. ‘That’s the ‘pay me later.' The longer that you delay [in addressing a problem], the greater the deficiency becomes.

Former National Park Service (NPS) Branch Chief of Asset Management and Division Chief of Park Facility Management

I just wanted to express my appreciation to your staff who came and painted the markings on the parking lot as well as sealing the cracks throughout the lot. I cannot recall a time that I was met with a more polite and professional group. They were very thorough in asking questions about what needed done and very gracious in working around vehicles in the lot. These men all have a very good sense of how to work with the public and an excellent work ethic. Please relay to them my appreciation for a job well done. Thanks to you and your staff for the example you display in doing a thankless but very necessary job. When they left I felt very confident that the lot had been taken care of in a professional manner and done correctly. Thanks again, Dan.

Director of Facilities, Grace Community Church

Dan, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the quality of your staff. I met Brad for the first time yesterday, he called me to let me know they were coming and asked where to park the equipment, so automatically we got off to a great start. He called yesterday morning and asked to meet so we went off the Google map he provided. We discussed what we thought was the scope of work. We then were asked by our engineering firm if additional work could be provided at the same cost as they were also looking at square footages provided by Advanced Asphalt for the areas we already knew about. Hutchinson Blacktop figured the Elementary, Junior High Playgrounds as well as the Central Office Lot could be done with Advanced Asphalt numbers.Wow what a curve ball to your office, crew and yourself! I commend Brad for his professional attitude towards the curve ball pitch. He was absolutely perfect in his candor and customer relations. I also spoke to Dave and Dale in the office, true professionals as well! I can’t say enough about Gee Asphalt, their professionalism, polite and courteous staff and customer satisfaction. While talking to Brad, I got the feeling I was talking to you as I can see the awesome job of grooming your employees that you have done! They talk the talk and walk the walk! You continue to be a true pleasure to work with. Gee Asphalt has become an awesome partner in Asphalt Preservation!

District Maintenance Supervisor, Farmington Schools

​Gee got the job done right! We really had a good experience with the team sent to ISU this year. They were very professional and worked hard to coordinate with our schedule, stayed in touch, and kept us up to date. We are very happy with your service! Working with a company that gets the job done right the first time with little supervision is great! I look forward to working with Gee Asphalt in the future.

Iowa State University, Facilities Planning & Management Campus Services