Podcast Summary: In The Mix with Marvin Joles

Episode: Going All Out: Scaling a Pavement Empire with Marco Menna (Ep. #25)
Date: March 23, 2026
Guest: Marco Menna, Co-Owner/Co-Founder of All Out Parking Lots
Host: Marvin Joles

Episode Overview

This dynamic episode dives deep into the journey of Marco Menna and his role in scaling All Out Parking Lots into a national pavement services powerhouse. Marvin and Marco reflect on growth, the practical (and personal) realities of running a rapidly expanding asphalt business, the power of partnership, lessons from industry challenges, and the critical importance of humility and curiosity in business and life. The tone is candid, warm, and at times, humorous—filled with stories, hard-earned wisdom, and actionable advice for both newcomers and veterans of the pavement industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Resilience, Community & Mentorship

• Early Inspiration & Industry Camaraderie

  • Marco and Marvin share the origins of their industry connection, with Marco crediting Marvin as an inspiring influencer:
    • “You're a big influencer in that virtually and in person too... You're trying to help and trying to get people to level up...” – Marco (02:21)

• The Importance of Support During Burnout

  • Marvin reveals he nearly quit podcasting but credits Marco and the All Out team for pushing him to continue as the industry needed his voice (00:51).

• Brotherhood and Memories

  • Highlights of their journey include attending national events and establishing key industry relationships, such as “the selfie on top of the Paris Tower in Vegas at ConExpo” (03:17).

2. From Buckets to Stadium Lots: The All Out Origin Story

[05:38]

• Marco’s Background:

  • Co-owner/founder, started All Out Parking Lots with childhood friend Kevin McGarvey.
  • The business transitioned from residential sealcoating with buckets in their college years to large-scale commercial and eventually national projects.

• Key Turning Point:

  • Cold-calling led to servicing major Philadelphia stadiums, including a pivotal 50,000 sq ft sealcoat job for the Flyers’ practice facility, which quickly escalated to a 500,000 sq ft contract.
    • “At the time, that was the biggest job... We went all out to try and get the job. We made videos... We got the job.” – Marco (08:49)
    • “So excited to win a project of that size, but you’re also terrified.” – Marco (09:51)
    • “It’s like being happy and sad at the same time. I don’t think humans are supposed to go through that.” – Marvin (10:08)

3. Scaling Up: Systems, Virtual Leadership & National Reach

[18:02]

• Adapting to COVID:

  • Marco describes the critical pivot to leading and managing operations remotely, inspired partly by his wife’s experience with a major hospital going fully virtual.
    • “What I found was that I was able to get way more done sitting behind my laptop, being at six places at once. It was wild.” – Marco (19:58)

• Developing Virtual Systems:

  • Building a virtual workforce, embracing Zoom and Teams for meetings, and leading remote teams allowed them to scale nationally, even handling 1,500 projects a year.

• Key Differentiator:

  • Early virtual adaptivity and professional remote meetings “separated us from everybody else” during the pandemic and facilitated rapid national growth (23:40).

4. The Reality of Leadership, Personal Life, and Growth

[24:05]

• A Day in the Life (with Timestamps):

  • [24:05] Morning routine: Wakes up, checks Basecamp and email for project/team updates.
  • 9am-5pm: Back-to-back virtual meetings with project managers, sales, clients, and team training (e.g. “Asphalt 101” workshops).
  • Evenings: Family time, gym, dinner, and, when possible, sauna time (“Amazon has everything—these infrared saunas...less than 2k”—Marco (26:13))

• Major Life Transitions:

  • From mobile/remotely working pre-parenthood, to moving back near family after their son was born for support.

• Personal Challenges:

  • He describes the seismic change of balancing remote business leadership with new fatherhood and underscores the lesson that “timing is everything” (29:03).

5. Facing and Learning from Failure

[32:49]

• Hardest Professional Moment:

  • During COVID, accepted a large-scale bollard job for Amazon via a general contractor—after installing 50, they were “a few inches off center” and had to excavate and redo them.
    • “All this hard work, you’re just banging out and then redoing it… would not wish upon anybody.” – Marco (34:01)

• Lessons Learned:

  • The importance of support (wife, business partner), humility, and having people to weather hard times and provide perspective (35:22).

6. Humility, Partnerships, and Ego Checks

[36:15]

• Marco candidly discusses being “number two” at All Out and in his marriage, and how true partnership means ego management:

  • “Can you be number two in a business? Can you be that invested and then…not have final say? That’s not for everybody. For me… I had that trust.” – Marco (35:40)

• Marvin on humility:

  • “I think that's why you and I get along so good...People who realize that and embody that are my favorite kind of people.” (36:15)

• Both credit the ability to divide, conquer, and personal compatibility as key to sustainable success.

7. The Asphalt Industry as a Vehicle for Personal Design

[42:22]

• Discussion on industry misconceptions about scale/profit, and the many paths to success within the pavement world:

  • “There’s blue collar millionaires everywhere…there’s a lot of different ways to do this depending on what you want for your life.” – Marvin (42:36)

• Importance of mentorship and learning from others’ journeys:

  • “We’re big believers at All Out in adding coaches. We have five coaches on payroll right now.” – Marco (44:22)

8. Fatherhood and Core Values

[46:56]

• Marvin asks: “If you could teach your son one thing…what would it be?”
  • Marco: “Curiosity. Be curious. In everything that’s around, try to learn...That’s the way my mind works.” (46:56)
  • He emphasizes remaining open, friendly, and interested in others as keys to opportunity and success.

9. Gratitude, Perspective & The Future

[53:22]

• Looking Forward:

  • Controlled growth at All Out, deeper client relationships, expanding nationally ("We're doing two national trade shows at once," 51:47), and enjoying fatherhood.

• Humility from Parenthood:

  • “Going and seeing everything that mothers go through…that was just like, whoa. It was a really humbling experience. And I learned. Been learning. Still learning.” – Marco (53:59)

• Recognition of Privilege:

  • Both reflect on travel (e.g. Guatemala), gratefulness for life and opportunities in the US, and the realization that many hardships are relative.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Put yourself out there.” (02:31, Marco)
  On Marvin’s impact and approach to the community.

• “When you win something that big, like when you win your first six figure or whatever…you're just like, yes. And then you're like, oh yeah.” (10:13, Marvin)
  On the emotional rollercoaster of business wins.

• “I'm living the dream right now. My role is great. I have an awesome team, great culture…I'm still learning.” (50:48, Marco)
  On contentment alongside ambition.

• “Can you be number two in a business?...I had that trust.” (35:40, Marco)

• “Curiosity. Be curious…Try to realize and ask and learn as much possible and be curious of your day.” (46:56, Marco)

• “Sometimes you realize the most valuable things you got you didn’t even work for.” (54:52, Marvin)
  On family, parenthood, and gratitude.

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:51 – Marvin recounts his near-exit from podcasting and thanks Marco for keeping him going.
• 05:38–09:42 – Marco details the All Out Parking Lots origin story, from small-time hustle to huge stadium jobs.
• 18:02–23:40 – COVID pivot: Virtualizing operations, scaling national reach, and leadership shifts.
• 24:05–26:13 – Marco’s current daily routine – balancing business, family, and self-care.
• 32:49–35:22 – The Amazon bollard job disaster and leadership lessons from failure.
• 35:40–38:18 – Partnership dynamics and being “number two.”
• 42:22–45:19 – Industry reflections, mentorship, and the unique perks of the business.
• 46:56–48:18 – Passing on the value of curiosity to his son.
• 51:43–53:22 – Controlled future growth and excitement for fatherhood.

Core Takeaways

• Success doesn’t happen alone. Partnership, openness to learning, and community are key.
• Adaptability fuels growth. Embracing virtual leadership and systems allowed All Out to flourish nationwide during the pandemic.
• Humility wins. Growth in business (and life) is accelerated by humility, willingness to learn, and the ability to divide responsibility.
• Personal life and business are intertwined. True satisfaction and resilience are found by aligning business with family needs, personal growth, and values.
• Curiosity is golden. Remaining open to learning, people, and new ideas creates unseen opportunities.
• There are many paths to success in pavement. “No shortcuts,” strong work ethic, learning from others, and knowing your goals are essential.
• Gratitude and perspective matter. Both hosts stress gratitude for their journey, their families, and the privilege of working in a resilient, opportunity-rich industry.

Where to Find Marco & All Out

• LinkedIn: Marco Menna
• All Out Parking Lots: Website (URL not specified)
• Open to conversation and best-practices sharing

This episode offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial growth, humility, and real-life leadership for anyone in the asphalt business or blue-collar industries—layered with friendship and big-picture wisdom.