Deon Coote: The Director Behind Elite Roads
Deon Coote is the Director of Elite Roads, a business he founded in 2011 with only a single paving crew. Fifteen years later, Elite Roads is one of Victoria's most trusted names in asphalt paving, road profiling and road construction. It's a company built from the ground up, the same way Deon built his own career.
Learning the trade
Deon left Billanook College at the end of Year 11 and was employed within the week. "I loved to work," he says. "School just wasn't it for me."
His first job was at Tarrawarra Estate in the Yarra Valley, where he spent two years turning his hand to whatever the property needed, from planting vines to working with cattle and maintaining the grounds. He loved working outdoors and took pride in doing every job properly, no matter how small. However, it wasn't until a family connection introduced him to Reynolds Asphalt in Wheelers Hill that he found work he genuinely enjoyed and a craft he wanted to master. He worked every role on the crew, from pulling a rake on fresh asphalt, to operating plant and machinery, before moving to a paving company in Silvan to expand his skill set.
From there, Deon stepped up to a supervisor role at Citywide running asphalt paving operations, then spent five years as Paving Manager at Bitu-Mill. They were years he still speaks highly of. He learned the commercial side of the business and helped deliver major projects including the M1 upgrade and the resurfacing of CityLink.
Starting Elite Roads
By 2011, Deon had spent fifteen years mastering every level of the industry. Building something of his own felt like the natural next step. There was no safety net and no backup plan. "I backed myself," he says. "There were plenty of hard years early on, but the persistence paid off."
Today, Elite Roads employs more than 80 staff and delivers asphalt paving, profiling, survey and machine control, and transport services across Melbourne and Victoria, working with government agencies, local councils, head contractors and private developers on some of the state's most demanding major road construction projects.
Innovation, people and long-term relationships
Deon is a perfectionist, and the business reflects that. Elite Roads has invested heavily in 3D machine control and survey technology, one of the most advanced capabilities in the Australian road construction industry, delivering millimetre-perfect results while reducing material waste. That same drive has seen the company invest in AI to lift productivity and accuracy across the business, an investment few in the sector have been willing to make. "If we're going to do a job, we do it properly," Deon says. "That's why we've invested in the technology we have. The results speak for themselves."
He is equally committed to people. Through the Elite Roads cadetship program, engineering students gain hands-on experience on real projects, and the company hires from all backgrounds. If someone is eager to learn and willing to put in the work, Elite Roads will invest in their growth. It is the same philosophy behind the company's client relationships, many of which stretch back years and are built on delivering quality work, every time.
Away from the business
Deon is a devoted father to two young boys and a volunteer assistant coach of their soccer teams, passing on the same values of hard work and commitment that shaped his own path. He is also a lifelong motorsport enthusiast who remains closely involved in the racing community, and in a fitting crossover of work and passion, Elite Roads has paved several race tracks over the years.
The road ahead
From a single paving crew to a team of more than 80, Deon's ambition for Elite Roads hasn't slowed. His focus is on leading from the front, continuing to innovate and investing in the people and technology that lift the standard of every project. The goal has never been to follow the industry. It is to set the benchmark and to keep earning the trust of the clients who come back project after project.
