One Year Later: Checking in with the Walkers

Like so many of you, we were touched by the story of 2012's driveway contest winner, Kingley's Angela Walker and family.



You might remember that their daughter Grace, although not defined by her disability, was diagnosed at birth with Cerebral Palsy and lives a life filled with doctor appointments and hospital visits. Grace’s main method of transportation is an adorable pink wheelchair which was hard to maneuver on their old dirt driveway.

We checked in with Angela to see how life has changed since Team Elmer's installed the new asphalt driveway last summer.

"We can now include Grace in everyday tasks like getting the mail, which we never could before. We also love that her wheelchair doesn't get dirty when we load it into the car."

The Walkers are most excited to use the new driveway to try out a technique to help build Grace's upper body strength. Grace will lay atop a special scooter and hold onto a hula hoop while her parents slowly pull her along. This activity wouldn't have been an option on the gravel driveway.

"We can't wait until the snow is completely melted so we can go outside and play!" said Angela.

We're giving away a new driveway worth up to $5,000!

How’s your driveway? Mud puddles the size of Long Lake? Cracks large enough to lose Rover? No driveway at all?

Thanks to Team Elmer’s, one lucky northern Michigan resident will win $5,000 toward a new residential asphalt driveway. The contest is open throughout the month of April and one winner will be randomly selected and announced later this spring.

New this year! Like Team Elmer's on Facebook and share the contest information for up to two additional contest entries!



Team Elmer’s commitment to excellence and its proprietary mix of “Esphalt” have earned numerous Awards of Excellence from both the Michigan and National Asphalt Associations. The company has provided thousands of asphalt driveways throughout Michigan and offers free estimates and a two-year guarantee on all residential asphalt services.

Contest Rules:

• CLICK HERE to enter.
• Contest entries must be received between April 1 and 30, 2013.
• Limit up to three entries per household. Residential addresses only.
• One entrant will be randomly selected to receive $5,000 toward an asphalt driveway. Award must be redeemed by August 31, 2014. Prize has no cash value.
• Contest is open to residents of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, or Wexford who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Team Elmer’s employees and their immediate family are not eligible.
• No purchase necessary. A purchase or payment of any kind will not increase your chances of winning.

Good luck! We can't wait to hear from you.

Click here to see how a new driveway can add beauty and value to your home.

Lighten up! It's almost Earth Day...

Still holding out on replacing your traditional lighting with a more energy efficient model? Team Elmer's is making the environmentally-friendly switch and finding it's a win-win.

The change, a switch in the diameter of the lightbulb from T12 to T8 bulbs, required an initial investment to replace the ballasts and lamps (the part of the light fixture that makes it work). Many utility companies may offer rebates that help offset the cost to upgrade materials. But the 20-50% energy savings mean that our costs are recouped in less than a year. 

In addition to the financial benefits, we've discovered other positive effects. Notably, the color of light is better. It's truer and closer to natural light, brighter, and helps elevate mood.

For those that suffer from headaches due to fluorescent light flicker – the retrofit will end those tribulations. Old fluorescent lighting cycles at 120 cycles per second (a flicker that some people’s eyes may detect and become fatigued, causing headaches). The new ballasts and lamps cycle at 1120 cycles per second, too fast for the eye to detect. No more headaches!

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, the perfect time to make the switch and save!