Free Quote

About Us

About Us

Our Heritage

J&W has been building a reputation in asphalt repair since 1976. We are a second-generation, family-owned business and grown to become established leaders in the asphalt industry in the Twin Cities metro area. Building strong, lasting relationships is at the heart of what we do.

Our reputation is built on:

  • Innovation
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Expertise
  • Excellence
  • Quality

Humble Beginnings in Construction Asphalt

The “J and W” in our name originally stood for Johnson and Wagner, our founders. Dennis Johnson and Jerry Wagner worked as asphalt pavers with McNamara Construction, located in Rosemount, Minnesota. Denny worked as a grading foreman, and Jerry was a paving foreman. Using their knowledge and experience, they opened up a small operation with just five employees, a tractor, two dump trucks, and a tail paver.

a man in a backhoe loader.
Building a Reputation for Integrity

J&W got its start with mostly driveway replacements for the first two years. In 1978, Jerry and Denny were approached by one of the Twin Cities’ largest local builders, Orrin Thompson homes. With that, they went to work installing driveways for their first homebuilder, and they soon built a reputation for quality workmanship in the Twin Cities metro area.

A Time of Expansion

The following year, they built a shop in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. To this day, most of their employees hail from the Belle Plaine area. In 1982, they were hired by a new builder, Centex Homes, with driveways as their focus. By 1987, the growing company had gone from five employees to five dump trucks and two full crews--a prep crew and a paving crew.

A Changing Company

In 1991, Denny Johnson took over as the sole owner of J&W Asphalt Construction, buying Jerry out. The meaning of J&W changed from “Johnson & Wagner” to “Johnson & Workers,” emphasizing how much J&W values those who make up its crews. From 1987 to 2003, our team consisted of around 14 to 16 employees.

The Housing Boom

In 2004, we expanded to two paving crews, two prep crews, eight dump trucks, and 26 employees thanks to a booming housing market. At that time, almost 99 percent of J&W’s work involved new construction homes. We paved around 2,500 driveways annually in 2005-2006. When the housing market crashed in 2008, we reduced to 14 employees and two crews.

Passing the Torch

In 2010, Denny Johnson retired. Raised in the family business, his son Shaun Johnson was to become the next torchbearer. Shaun bought the company from his father, shortening the name to J&W Asphalt. Shaun had been working summers for the company since he was 13 years old.

He brought years of experience as a laborer, roller man, and truck driver on both prep and paving crews. Shaun understood all sides of the operation. He was also an experienced paver operator and paving foreman and had worked in the office as vice president from 2007 to 2009.

Largest Residential Contractor in the Twin Cities

an old dump truck.

Since 2010, Shaun has expanded the company from 14 employees to more than 50. He transformed the company into a full-service asphalt contractor by adding complete asphalt paving services including infrared repair and sealcoating. Today, J&W has seven crews--two prep crews, two paving crews, two repair crews, and a sealcoating crew.

The company has diversified from 99 percent new home construction paving to a more balanced mix of revenue streams. We serve private property owners, homeowner associations, and homebuilders across the Twin Cities. J&W Asphalt has come a long way from humble roots, growing into the largest residential paving contractor in the Twin Cities.

We serve:

  • Homeowners associations
  • Builders
  • Commercial investors
  • Churches
  • Private homeowners
J&W Asphalt Dump Truck.

Contact Us

To schedule asphalt service from J&W, call us at 952-894-9078.