About Alto Construction

The reputation that we have built is important to us and it came from decades of hard work and intense focus on quality and, above all else, customer service. The history of Alto Construction is unique and a humorous story that most may not know, yet it encapsulates important life and leadership principles. A long-time Tampa resident, Mr. Beltram of Beltram Supply, known to many as “Pops”, told me, “If you come to work for me after two years you will be able to start and run a business for the rest of your life based on the principles that I’m going to teach you." Those principles laid the foundation for who we are today.

Here’s where our mission began: after working two years with Mr. Beltram, I was driving near the Sulphur Springs Tower in Tampa and rear-ended Phil and Susan Altopiedi. We started talking, and what would appear as chance, began a journey. We decided to go into business together and Alto Construction was formed. Phil Altopiedi taught me the ropes of asphalt paving and grading.

Phil began teaching me how to properly repair potholes in parking lots. We then started filling in the middle of the old concrete ribbon driveways, fixing concrete sidewalks and hiring day labor from the streets of downtown Tampa. Every project was a stepping stone to the next one. The projects and the business continued to grow, and in August of 1984, we incorporated, changing Alto from a handyman style operation to a company with a vision for the future. Through trial and error, the knowledge and skill in the asphalt paving business grew from pothole repairs to complete parking lot renovations to small underground drainage utility work. During the mid-1980s, we took on a project for the School District of Hillsborough County called “PECO Projects,” which were small parking lot repairs throughout the school district’s schools and offices as they had the funds to do them. We have been working with the school district off and on since.

As we became more established, larger earthwork and asphalt paving projects, and parking lot sealcoating, including underground drainage utility work, came our way. Our largest sealcoat project in the early '90s was $130,000 for Hillsborough Community College, which was sizeable for this time. In 1991, as Phil pursued other interests, I bought out his shares of the company. From this point on, Alto Construction continued to grow in size and capabilities. In March of 2000, I received my underground utility license, thus launching Alto Construction into becoming a leading middle-market site development company in Tampa Bay.

There have been many individuals that have invested their knowledge and skill into Alto Construction. I credit my success to the two individuals that mentored me early on; Pops Beltram and Phil Altopiedi, laying the foundation for the future. Phil Altopiedi was a remarkable individual, when we met he was in remission from Hodgkin’s disease, previously given one year to live, but he was more than a cancer survivor. He was a 30+ year survivor. Although we were no longer business partners, he remained a friend until he passed away on September 24, 2011. Thank you both for investing in me!