Barrett Paving Materials Inc.

Road construction was far from Samuel E. Barrett’s mind when he began a small roofing business in Chicago, Illinois, in 1854. As his operation expanded, Barrett realized that America’s growing cities were literally stuck in the mud, and he saw the need for innovative solutions for the country’s burgeoning road system.

The demand for paved streets and sidewalks led Barrett to experiment with roofing tar as a treatment for brick, stone and wooden block pavements. The concept was a success – and Barrett Paving Materials was born.

Paving and road construction

In 1927, Barrett constructed a stationary mix plant in Jamesville, New York, marking the beginning of the company’s evolution into the modern asphalt paving and road construction business. Over the next 50 years, the Barrett paving organization built a network of manufacturing plants throughout New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Illinois.

Rapid expansion

In 1979, Barrett joined Colas, Inc., ushering in a new era of productivity. With the backing of the largest road building company in the world, Barrett began a series of major acquisitions, including:

The Brewer Company (1987)

Midland Asphalt Materials (2000)

Spring Creek Corporation (2000)

Penn Can Asphalt Materials (2002)

IA Construction Corporation (2003)

Southern Ohio Paving (2004)

Oswego Asphalt (2005)

Adirondack Asphalt (2005)

Terry Asphalt Materials (2006)

Strawser Construction Inc. (2008)

Base Construction Technologies Inc. (2008)

The addition of these valuable assets, along with several smaller acquisitions, transformed Barrett Paving Materials Inc. into the company it is today.