ForConstructionPros.com

Having flown countless missions around the globe as a former Air Force pilot, Jack Child, founder of BLACK DAWG SEALCOAT®, is frequently asked how in the world he wound up in the sealcoating business. "I often ask that of myself," laughs Child. But, when you dig deeper, you learn he's on a new mission - to reshape the asphalt maintenance industry - and he just might be succeeding.

Child flew seven years in the military and 15 years for a major airline, advancing to Captain, before losing his medical certificate. He needed a Plan B. Having previously owned a commodity-based venture, Child knew he wanted to start a service business where he could focus on the customer.

After researching all sorts of opportunities and businesses, Child found himself drawn to sealcoating. "I discovered no one had really created a national brand for this type of service, so I began my serious due diligence on the competition and the industry itself," he says.

And the more he looked, the more he liked. Child says that from a consumer standpoint, he found quite a bit lacking in terms of general information, standards, professionalism and customer service. He says sealcoating prices were all over the charts, the presentation of most contractors was lacking and, most compelling, was the glaring absence of a real brand the homeowner could turn to and trust to do the job right. Child viewed all of these weaknesses in the marketplace as opportunity.

Once he decided to become a sealcoating contractor, the first thing he did, and one in which he admits flowed greatly from pure luck, was to choose a name for his start-up. As a veteran in the post-9/11 world, friends had encouraged him to choose a name that reflected his military service and patriotism such as "All American Sealcoating," "Veteran Sealcoating," etc. Other contractors had jumped on that bandwagon, but Child says he was not comfortable doing the same. Then, while sitting at his desk scribbling various names for his concept, his black lab puppy, Olive, curled up at his feet - and Black Dawg was born. With the name being what it is, the logo was easy - a stylized profile head shot of Olive. This, too, would prove to be good fortune.