About

Meet Cornelius Friendly, President of Pave America Inc.

The dream of Pave America began in 1984 when Cornelius Friendly worked a summer job in Altamonte Springs, Florida on the Jamestown Apartments construction project. He began as a laborer and within 2 weeks he became a foreman at age 16. He quickly learned to read blueprints and the layout process. This ignited his love of “Construction”.

After accepting a football scholarship to Purdue University in 1986, Cornelius majored in Building Construction Technology. After 2 years, Cornelius received news that his mother was in the hospital, ill with cancer. He made a tough decision to transfer to UCF where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science with a Minor in Health Sciences. During his tenure at UCF, Cornelius was the 1st ever track athlete to qualify Nationals in the 60 meter sprint. He also brought NFL scouts to UCF after clocking 4.31, 4.29, and 4.27 40 yard dash times run on grass during Pro Day. During this time at UCF, Frank Hubbard of Hubbard Construction donated $250,000 to the UCF Football Program in recognition of Cornelius Friendly and Gordon King for being Outstanding Scholar Athletes having GPA’s above 3.5 and being leaders on the football field.

This was a great experience for Cornelius because he was able to develop a mentorship from Mr. Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard always told Cornelius to be successful in Construction you must do 3 things; 1) Always be Honest and Truthful, 2) Outwork everyone around you, and 3) Put God and Family 1st. These words have stuck with Cornelius throughout his life.

After completing his time at UCF, Cornelius began his career in Construction throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. He has worked on and managed many Commercial and Residential projects. While owning his own company he has facilitated a Federal tree grant in conjunction with the city of Ocoee where he managed the installation of trees and sidewalks at 7 Parks owned by the City. He has partnered with Wharton Smith Construction at The St. Cloud Marina project and Rollins College, Hubbard Construction on the 429 and Orlando International Airport Projects, Odebrecht Construction at OIA, and contracts with Lynx CFRTA, the City of Orlando Wastewater Dept. and Parking Authority, and Williams Contracting.

In 2004, Cornelius met Malcolm David and Dan Herbon. He was recommended to them for his expertise in Concrete, Masonry, and Landscaping to assist with renovations on some potential investment properties. This was the beginning of a relationship which has lasted almost 20 years. In 2018, Dan with his experience in Banking and Finance, Mal with his experience in Accounting, Acquisitions, and Management, and Cornelius in all facets of Construction decided to form a Construction Company. This was the birth of Pave America Inc, specializing in Concrete Construction and Exterior Beautification.