Colorado Firm Aims to Keep Travelers Safe, One Stripe at a Time


3/1/2020

As Seen In…Forbes March, 2020

Pilots need them for safe landings. Pedestrians use them to cross busy streets. Without them, crowded highways would be undriveable and parking lots chaotic. Our very lives depend on something we see every day, but rarely think about—pavement stripes and markings. The right design, measurements and materials are critical to keeping us on the “straight and narrow.”

Colorado-based American Striping Company (ASC) is bringing this more than century-old industry into the 21st century, by using more durable materials, new technologies and an unmatched commitment to completing the job on time and within budget. As Colorado’s only woman- and minority-owned business of its kind, ASC offers possible tax and government-contract advantages for many clients.

“Our mission is to help safely guide people to their homes, their work or even their next adventure,” says Alejandra Harvey, founder and CEO. “Quality work is our number one priority.”

More than line painters, American Striping Company provides fully certified traffic control crews, portable traffic signals, speed signs, crash cushions and more. Clients include government agencies, railroad and utility companies, construction companies, schools, universities, hospitals, retail outlets and airports.

“We are primarily a highway painting company; however, we specialize in airport work, too, which requires extreme precision,” Harvey says. “We have some of the best airport stripers in the industry.”

Earning Her Stripes

With a Master of Health Administration degree, Harvey began her professional life as a hospital administrator. However, she always knew she wanted to start her own company and bring her own culture to it. While doing due diligence for a striping company, which she realized was not a good investment, the workers from that company approached her and told her if she would start a company, they would come work for her. Shifting her management skills in a new direction, with three employees and two refurbished trucks, Harvey started American Striping Company in 2016, with a dedication not just to customers, but to her employees, offering creative incentive programs and even going so far as to help some employees launch their own small businesses.

“I focus on hiring the best talent in Colorado and beyond,” she says. “You are never just another face or name. Your opinion matters. Your work matters.”

Harvey’s passion for excellence is paying off. American Striping Company has gone from $400,000 in revenue during its first year to more than $10 million in 2019. In 2018, Construction Equipment magazine named Harvey among “40 Under 40” and in 2019, ASC was named “Fastest Growing Minority-Owned Business in the State” by the Colorado Business Journal.

“It’s an exciting time to be in this industry,” Harvey says. “I love being at the helm of improving roads and creating a lasting culture for my employees.”

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