In this exclusive Freight Ninja interview, we sit down with EnRoads Paving, Founder and CEO, Alex Iannessa. Alex walks us through the intricacies in paving and the best base layers for Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) facilities, particularly, trucks and heavy machinery. We also get some insight as to what their 2025 will bring for them and IOS developers and how they can make an impact on growth for land owners and parking operators.

Who are you and where do you work?

Alex Iannessa, Founder and CEO of EnRoads Paving

How did you hear about Freight Ninja?

My partner Joe O’Brien and I would always see your presence on LinkedIn, and after diving into the companies leadership, we noticed how many personal connections we all had in and out of the business world. As we dove deeper into the IOS space as a preferred paving vendor in the last year, we saw that Fright Ninja was also working closely with everyone in this space. It was natural for us to pop into your office, introduce ourselves, and see where we would be able to help one another.

When did you cut your teeth (get your start) in the paving space and what was the inspiration behind it?

Along with an experienced board of advisors, Joe O’Brien and I founded EnRoads Paving in early 2022. Both Joe and I have been in the paving industry for 10+ years a piece, and felt it was time to go out on our own and provide a better, more customer centric service in an archaic industry. Our board of advisors have worked in and owned CRE, construction, and specialty contracting companies for 50+ year combined, which inspired us to do it ourselves.

As the IOS market has grown, what do you think groups (land owners and parking management/operating companies) in this space need to focus on when it comes to a solid surface?

There are many ways to approach this, depending on the type of asset, needs of the tenants, and length the owner plans to hold the asset. The name of the game is functionality, which can be done with as little as re-grading and installing new millings and stone to get a site ready on a cost effective budget. To a mill and repave with new striping. All the way to complete development of land to an all-concrete parking facility. Parking and land owners should be focused on the length of their asset hold combined with their Capex budget, with these two things EnRoads Paving can come in and tailor the best solution for the asset.

What states do you currently operate in?

We’ve competed work in 35 states across the country, from Oregon, to Texas, to Baltimore. We are primarily focused in the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest United States. See some recently complete projects below.

What are your current pain points when paving for heavy equipment, like truck, trailer, and fleet usage?

The biggest pain points in getting the IOS site ready for the client, different from a normal paving project, is determining the needs of the asset on a large scale. Said differently, a large portion of IOS sites require large scale development to get them up to par for operations and village codes. This can run havoc on an acquisitions projected cash flow and CAPEX budgeting.  Finding the balance between functionality and budget restrictions is the key to success in this space. This is where EnRoads Paving comes in to Value Engineer an IOS site in the acquisition process to keep a clients Capex spend in line with the projected cash flows, while providing a completely functional facility,

What do developers need to know regarding EnRoads Paving in 2025?

Underwriting and budgeting for new developments can’t be done under one blanket cost across the entire nation. Value engineering is extremely important on the front end of the project. We have seen too many times where a client has budgeted x and a municipality has required x,y and z, completely turning their projected cashflow on the asset upside down in order to develop the site. What developers needs to keep an eye on is that inflation is still a problem, rates and construction costs are still high, but what we are seeing more activity from our existing client base as far as new acquisitions, real estate changing hands, and Capex budgets getting back up to where they were prior to 2022. There is much more optimism and hope from our client base rolling into 2025 than in previous years.

What is your perfect mix for a heavy use lot?

Again, this depends on the region. In the north and Midwest portion of the country which sees a high amount of freeze thaw cycles, we would always recommend 10” agg base, with 8” concrete or 6” Asphalt. In the south regions of the country, you will get the same product with 8” agg base, and 6” concrete or 4” asphalt. There are other more cost effective options to get a site up to par but above would be the Cadillac

Alex, thank you for your time today, tell us a little more about EnRoads Paving…

EnRoads Paving is a full-service turnkey paving contractor. We provide anything from due diligence, parking lot maintenance, asphalt and concrete paving, sealcoating, new construction, and much more.

We take an owner’s perspective. We understand that no asset is created equal, and neither are their needs. We pride ourselves in being creative and competitive on a national scale for our clients, delivering what they need, on time and on budget.

Our team delivers over 50 years of combined construction and real estate experience, working with our partners to develop the best solutions based on the investment and exit strategies of each owner. Our partnerships and processes allow us to be creative and competitive for our clients. We design thorough one-to-ten-year asset strategies that maximize return on investment, enhance leasing potential, and simplify acquisition and disposition efforts.

We have done numerous projects with IOS clients across the nation, and we have found that the earlier you tap us into a deal, the easier we can make it for your team. We can put together a plan and budget on the front end, that we can turn around and execute quickly. As we grow in this space we want to grow with every one of your assets specific needs being taken care of. If you need a place for people to park and drive, we have you covered.