In 2001, Sam Hooper and his wife, owners of Little Alaska Cabins, built their dream log home on 55 acres outside of North Branch, Minnesota.

Just getting to their homestead was a challenge due to difficult soils. For years, they battled the red clay that swallowed up the gravel on their driveway. The clay got greasy when wet, making it hard for even four-wheel-drive vehicles to make it through the hilly terrain. They would add gravel, but it never lasted for long.

In addition to the physical challenges of the driveway, the Hoopers were turned down from obtaining home insurance due to the access issues for fire and rescue staff in case of an emergency.

Sam Hooper was thinking out loud about their driveway issues with their friend Ed, who worked at First State Tire Recycling in Isanti, MN. Thatʼs how Hooper learned about tire-derived aggregate (TDA) And heʼs so glad he did!

In 2017, TDA Manufacturing reconstructed Hooperʼs challenging driveway using TDA.

Hooper worked with the Isanti County Planning and Zoning Department to obtain appropriate approvals and permits. County commissioners were impressed with the project design and use of TDA green aggregate, according to Hooper.

TDA helped his budget, too. “The price is extremely good, far cheaper than conventional repair materials. I canʼt even believe everything theyʼre doing,” Hooper said. “Theyʼre doing a superb job.”

TDA Manufacturing also helped Sam with another dream heʼs had for a while. On their rolling acreage, He had picked out a beautiful spot on the back corner of their rolling acreage on which to build a log home for his parents (who wanted to retire from 40 years on the west coast). However, Sam's parents hesitated at the opportunity, knowing what a nightmare Samʼs driveway had been over the years. But after the completion of the original driveway, Samʼs parents were confident utilizing TDA in the design and construction of their new driveway would provide them with consistent and easy access to their new dream retirement home!