After getting a $15,000 loan from his brother, Johnny Speake opened J & S Sand & Gravel in Tyler in 1985 with one single-axle, five-yard dump truck.
His only staff members at the time were his two sons, Johnny and Randy, who loaded and delivered the company's materials, and his wife, Pat, who managed the office.
"I had to dig down and be careful," Speake said.
That digging has led to the acquisition of four eight-yard dump trucks, three semi-end dump trucks, the addition of 11 employees and the company celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year.
The company is still owned and operated by the Speake family, and today Johnny Speake Jr. handles many of the company's daily operations.
He feels that the company's success is a result of its commitment to meet the needs of their customers.
"From the homeowner to the big corporations, we haul the whole spectrum," Speake Jr. said.
Speake Jr. explained that the company's primary customers are landscapers and homeowners, but with the company's growth, they have been able to do some commercial work.
Speake Jr. said many great memories have been made over the history of the company, but the greatest are those shared by getting to serve their customers.
"The best memory is just with the same people coming back," Speak Jr. said. "You end up with a relationship with a homeowner who you know."