When it comes to business, the Van Horns are committed to two things: a good first impression and protecting the environment.  

Summit Surface Partners, located at 109 Alden Loop in Evergreen, is a rebrand of the Van Horns’ sealcoat paving service, Montana Sealcoat and Plow, that started in 2019. Thanks to investment from a local financer and a growing network of clients, they are planning to soft launch their new brick-and-mortar building, equipped with a 2,400-square-foot sealcoat manufacturing plant, on May 11.  

“It’s a little surreal,” said Kodey Van Horn, of his business trajectory.  

Since 2020, he and his wife and business partner, Tasha Van Horn, have been in talks with Pitch Black Asphalt Emulsion Sealcoat about starting their own sealcoat manufacturing plant. It would be the first Pitch Black manufacturing plant in Montana. 

This sealcoat brand is 100% eco-friendly and a healthy alternative to coal-tar-based sealcoats used in some types of asphalt. A handful of states have passed legislation to ban the use of coal-tar products, given its link to cancer and other harmful effects in humans, but no such ban exists in Montana.  

ASMA-USA, or the Asphalt Sealcoat Manufacturers Association, is a national organization formed in 1992 with a mission to promote asphalt emulsion-based sealcoats and protect human and environmental health. Its membership is comprised of manufacturers, material suppliers, contractors, consultants and government professionals. 

“We are trying to get coal-tar banned in the United States,” said Kodey, who was recently made director of the association’s Northwest region.  

While Pitch Black isn’t the only sealcoat brand with zero PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydron carbon, a chemical found in coal-tar that is toxic to humans and animals), the Van Horns tout it as the most efficient product.  

“[Other sealcoats] fail quicker. They don’t have the same type of protection,” Tasha said. “Whereas Pitch Black is completely eco-friendly, and its lifespan is a lot longer, and it’s blacker than everything else.” 

Summit Surface Partners also offers dry ice blasting, an eco-friendly alternative to sandblasting. Abrasive techniques, such as sandblasting, are known to release hazardous dust levels and potential toxic material, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive, meaning no dust is released into the air, and it effectively removes grime and dirt without damaging surface material.  

“Dry ice blasting can be used for a plethora of things," Kodey said. “Mold remediation, you can remove barnacles off the sides of boats, you can use it for heavy equipment, cleaning kitchen equipment, and it’s all 100% chemical-free.” 

BEFORE HE started his own business, Kodey worked as a construction manager for Amazon for five years. He traveled around the country on project assignments, gone for weeks, if not months, at a time.  

With a wife and two toddlers at home, it was difficult to spend that much time away from his family, Kodey said. In June 2018, he had just returned home from a 60-day stint in Phoenix when his phone rang.  

“My regional called me and said, ‘Hey, we got to send you to Jersey,’” Kodey said. “I
said, ‘I can’t do that. I’ve only been home for 48 hours. My kids need to see me.’” 

When his supervisors didn’t budge, Kodey told them he quit. His summer-long search for another job in the Flathead Valley that matched his previous six-figure salary, however, was fruitless. 

So, he decided to start his own business. 

“I started with what I had experience in, which was asphalt,” Kodey said. 

He spent that winter investing in equipment and soft-launched a sealant business, Montana Sealcoat and Plow, in 2019. He and his wife walked through neighborhoods and knocked on doors of houses with an asphalt driveway, offering to sealcoat it. They cold-called potential clients, advertised on Facebook and put out radio ads. 

“We started off slow our first year, just trying to get our feet wet,” Kodey said. 

Starting a new business is always a major feat, even more so when it’s just two parents in their late 20s, growing their family of four to a family of six. Tasha performed all the administrative work, taking phone calls and scheduling appointments, while Kodey teamed up with their sole employee, a 19-year-old kid, to do the job. 

But sealcoating work isn’t always smooth sailing. 

“The weather is unpredictable,” Tasha said. “We’d be caught in a rainstorm, and seal is getting splattered and sprayed all over homes. We’d have to go out and redo them.” 

It’s a dirty business, but the Van Horns showed up to every job with a clean ‘88 Dodge, crisp clothes and a can-do attitude. Kodey says he’s a stickler for making sure everything is well-kept and maintained.  

“It’s always a battle to try to keep things clean,” he said. “We pride ourselves in our appearance. That’s a big thing to me.” 

THEIR BUSINESS has grown exponentially since it began nearly a decade ago, with a staff of about 10 employees, including a sales representative.  

Summit Surface Partners has provided asphalt maintenance work for churches, local governments, HOAs and commercial properties, as well as residential driveways and neighborhoods. Their scope of work includes salt brine de-icing, parking lot restoration and dry ice blasting. Their service has spanned across 36 Montana counties, Idaho, Washington and Alaska.  

Summit Surface is also a bulk manufacturer of asphalt emulsion sealer to contractors in Montana, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska. Future plans for their business include setting up another Pitch Black manufacturing plant in Rapid City, South Dakota, Kodey said.  

The Van Horns are committed to helping locals. They offer discounts to churches and veterans and provide free service to some elderly customers who need their driveways patched up.  

“We try to help people out when we can,” Tasha said. 

They hope to pass the business on to their kids one day. A couple of the older ones have already gone out to help their dad with some of the jobs.  

To learn more about Summit Surface Partners, visit summit-surface.com. 

Report for America reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at (406) 758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.