ROB Shares Tips for Asphalt E-Commerce
BY Sandy Lender
When it comes to online community-building, savvy businesses ensure the message is more than a brand
In a landscape crowded with fleeting trends, substance is lasting. Those asphalt companies with the patience to build with integrity and intent, increasing their presence in their market year over year, not only expand profit margins, but also see loyalty from their widening base. Matt Stanley, the founder and CEO of Raised On Blacktop® (ROB), shares how e-commerce branding fits our industry when we take the time to connect with the asphalt community.
Brand Foundation
The Asphalt Pro audience members will recognize Stanley from his ROB brand and from his family’s successful paving company, American Pavement Specialists in Danbury, Connecticut. The measured growth his family’s company has experienced over the years formed his thinking as he built the ROB brand, and as he took an intentional break from product sales at the end of 2025/first quarter of 2026.
“I grew up in a family where the asphalt business wasn’t just work; it was everyday life,” Stanley said. “American Pavement Specialists was built over decades through real work, real relationships and reputation. Watching my family build the company shaped my mindset completely. APS represents the operational side of the industry: craftsmanship, innovation, professionalism and execution. The equipment, trucks and systems people see online represent years of discipline and investment behind the scenes. People inside the industry understand how difficult it is to maintain that standard consistently. We’ve always believed the paving industry deserved to be represented at a higher level. Cleaner equipment. Better branding. Better storytelling. Better presentation. APS became known not just for the work we do, but for the way we do it. Raised On Blacktop became the cultural extension of that world. APS is the work itself. ROB became the identity and storytelling surrounding it.”
What’s heartening to see is the APS team members continue to share knowledge and ideas to lift the industry as a whole. Through the Street Smarts department in this publication every month, in-person events at tradeshows and conferences, partnerships locally and nationally, and much more, the APS and ROB teams give of their time and expertise.
“We’ve always shared a tremendous amount of knowledge online—operations, equipment setups, branding, systems, technology and production methods,” Stanley said. “The goal was never to gatekeep information. It was to elevate the industry. At the same time, visibility creates imitation. As the brand grew, we began seeing people replicate branding styles, truck appearances, messaging, trademarks and overall presentation. That’s the double-edged sword of building something recognizable. Ultimately, I still believe helping move the industry forward is the right long-term approach.”
The e-commerce side of that approach began six years ago.
“Raised On Blacktop launched in late 2019, with 2020 becoming our first full official year,” Stanley shared. “Looking back, the timing was a blessing. COVID unexpectedly became a powerful environment to launch an e-commerce brand. The recent break from product sales lasted from December through April 1. It wasn’t a break from the brand; it was a strategic reset.”
Stanley used those four months strategically:
- He reimagined the direction of the company.
- He tightened operations.
- He brought distribution back to a local point.
- He let certain collaborations naturally expire.
- He sought ways to protect the long-term identity of the brand.
“Some of those decisions were difficult financially, but growth sometimes requires having the discipline to walk away from what’s comfortable in order to make room for what’s next,” Stanley said.
One thing he found inspiring and motivating was that the community ROB had built didn’t dissipate during the restructuring period.
“A lot has changed in the industry [since I started this in 2020],” Stanley said. “You wonder if the community will still be there if you take that kind of time away. It seems like you see those messages of ‘coming soon’ from everyone, but the Raised On Blacktop community showed up in a huge way when I relaunched April 1.
“The people who stayed engaged during the break are the core of the brand. They’re not impulse buyers or trend chasers. They value consistency, authenticity, long-term thinking and identity over hype. Even when there was nothing to purchase, they were still sharing content, supporting the brand and representing it. That says everything.”
He explained that the ROB brand did something he hasn’t seen other brands in the e-commerce space succeed at: ROB picked up right where they left off after that four-month break. “Other brands have to stay in front of their community.”
Part of that success is entwined with the prosperity of the community. “We’re going on six years now and we’re seeing our supporters grow with us.”
The Identity of a Community
The supporters of the ROB brand are doing more than buying a hat that they see online. They’re putting their money behind a community they’re a part of.
“I’ve never looked at Raised On Blacktop as a clothing brand,” Stanley said. “Clothing is simply the physical product. What people are really buying into is the identity behind it.”
He defined the lifestyle his customers identify with as early mornings, long days, pride in workmanship, family, sacrifice and building something slowly over time. These are elements of the asphalt industry that workers recognize and connect with. When establishing an e-commerce site—in any industry—connecting with the audience and building that identity is key.
“A lot of people can sell a t-shirt. What takes years is building something people genuinely see themselves in. We’re not convincing people to buy something. We’re representing something they already live.”
Slow Growth with Long-Term Thinking
“Most online culture moves fast and chases trends. Personally, I’ve always naturally moved away from that. I’ve never been interested in building something around hype. I’d rather create something original that lasts. In a lot of ways, we aren’t following trends inside the industry, we’re helping set them.”
That philosophy came directly from watching APS grow its reputation over decades.
“In asphalt paving, reputation is built slowly: one job at a time, one relationship at a time. Raised On Blacktop grew the same way. There was never one viral moment. It was years of consistently showing up and allowing people to grow alongside us.
“At the same time, I understand people naturally love the scrappy underdog, and that’s still very much where ROB exists today. As the brand grows, protecting the DNA of what made people connect with it in the first place becomes more important than ever. That weighs heavily on me, and it influences every decision I make moving forward.”
Strategic Partnerships
Raised On Blacktop Founder Matt Stanley and Corporate Motorsports Owner Joseph Viola collaborated closely to design the ROB livery for Porsche GT3 race car No. 262 and its accompanying merchandise. Every detail was carefully considered to ensure the car looked like a cohesive factory-backed race program—not simply a collection of sponsor logos. The result is a clean, performance-inspired design that reflects the professionalism and identity of both brands.
During the four-month break from sales with Raised On Blacktop, Founder Matt Stanley made two intentional moves that showcase the importance of strategic partnerships. First, he set up new distribution for merchandise, bringing it local once again. Second, he formed a partnership to sponsor a Porsche GT3 racecar.
“The GT3 partnership and local distribution moves were both extremely intentional,” Stanley shared. “As Raised On Blacktop grows, I’ve become very aware that every collaboration and environment the brand enters shapes how people perceive it long-term. I never wanted ROB to feel like ‘just merch.’ I wanted it to feel like a true performance-driven lifestyle brand rooted in blue-collar culture. The GT3 partnership reflected that perfectly.”
It’s no secret that asphalt pavements are the perfect surface for motor sports, but Stanley pointed out other crossovers for these industries. “They share the same DNA: performance, precision, discipline, presentation, pride in equipment.
“The visual association mattered, too,” Stanley continued. “Brands become associated with the environments they exist in, and I’ve always been intentional about positioning Raised On Blacktop around excellence, performance and high standards.
“At the same time, I never want the brand to lose touch with where it came from. Supporting local and regional businesses matters because those communities supported us long before the visibility existed. Everything we do is viewed through a long-term lens. I’m not just building merchandise. I’m building identity, culture and brand equity.”
Metrics to Measure
You can better see the magnitude of what the Stanley family has built online when you look at the numbers. As of press time:
Raised On Blacktop Followers
Shopify: Closing in on 8,000 orders. (This doesn’t include sales at tradeshows, dealer events, etc.)
Facebook: 21,000
Instagram: 82, 958
Tik Tok: 6,758
American Pavement Followers
Facebook: 20,000
Instagram: 200,000
Tik Tok: 41,200
Youtube: 29,700