Page 64 - BusinessWest August 22, 2022

Paving the Way
Josh Berthiaume Helps Homeowners Seal Their Improvements
By Kailey Houle
Josh Berthiaume says he’s been in the pav- ing business for over two decades and has never seen an economic landscape like the current one, but he’s managed to make things work despite the state of the world.
“I don’t think it’s about the business or where the business is located or outside circumstances. There’s always going to be something: increased prices, shortages, supply-chain issues, political stuff,” he said. “It really depends on the owner of the company for how the company is going to do.”
small business would be affected. Despite doing all the work outside, he was still worried about the interactions he had to make with customers.
“We’re a face-to-face business. We had to meet the homeowner and hand them their estimates.
I didn’t know if I’d be able to just take photos or a snapshot of the estimates and send them virtu- ally or what,” he said. “But I realized, as we kept going, it really didn’t impact us in a negative way. We work outside, and we’re not in close quarters with anyone. It was only when we met the cus- tomers that it got awkward here and there, espe-
“They wanted to work on their house and work on their properties. My business did really well.”
cially when dealing with older customers.” For the most part, sales never stopped — in fact, his business increased after the
start of federal stimulus checks. Because people were staying home and receiving money, but couldn’t go anywhere, home- owners were willing to spend more to improve their quality of living.
“They wanted to work on their house and work on their properties. My business
did really well,” he recalled. “If I’m going to be honest, we were on track for the year, if not mak- ing a little more because of the extra stimulus checks people were getting.”
Even today, with the economy in flux and inflation high, Berthiaume is cautiously optimis- tic about the pace of business.
As the owner of Property Masters Pavement Maintenance in Ware, Berthiaume specializes in seal coating, crack sealing, and line striping, as well as filling in small patches, across the Greater Springfield area.
When the pandemic hit, Berthiaume told BusinessWest, he was concerned about how his
Josh and Sam Berthiaume of Property Masters Pavement Maintenance
Creating Beautiful Landscapes Since 1979
Creating Beautiful Landscapes Since 1979
Design & Build
• Parks
• Playgrounds
• Athletic Fields
• Irrigation
• Patios
• Walkways • Retaining
Walls
• Hydroseeding
& Bark Blowing
413.584.2550
• Hadley, Massachusetts • www.OmastaLandscaping.com
64 AUGUST 22, 2022
HOME IMPROVEMENT
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