Road construction was far from Samuel E. Barrett's mind when he began a small roofing business in Chicago, Illinois in 1854. As his fledgling operation quickly expanded, Barrett realized that America's growing cities were getting stuck in the mud, and he saw a need for new and innovative solutions to the country's burgeoning road system. The demand for paved streets and sidewalks led him 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.
In 1903, the Barrett Manufacturing Company initiated experiments in Jackson, Tennessee, which eventually led to the development of TarviaTM. Tarviated roads were a cost-effective solution for creating and repairing the roads that Americans and their Model T's so desperately needed. Barrett's advertising campaign of "good roads at low cost" reached out directly to American consumers, telling them how TarviaTM could improve not only their roads, but also their lives. Improvements to rural highways contributed directly to the success of the automobile, while also generating commerce between rural communities and distant cities.
During World War I, Germany controlled much of the world's chemical industry, causing a worldwide shortage of such commodities as dyes and drugs. To combat this problem, in 1920, Barrett and four other American chemical companies merged to form the Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation. Allied instantly become one of the largest companies in the world, ready to lend its industrial might to America's national defense if that became necessary. Paving materials were handled by the Barrett Division of Allied Chemical and Dye Company.
In 1927, Barrett constructed a stationary mix plant in Jamesville, New York, marking the beginning of its evolution into the modern hot-mix 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.
In 1979, Barrett was purchased by 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 in 1987, Midland Asphalt Materials and Spring Creek Corporation in 2000, Penn Can Asphalt Materials in 2002, IA Construction Corporation in 2003 and Terry Asphalt Materials in 2006. The addition of these valuable assets, along with several smaller acquisitions, has transformed Barrett Paving Materials into the company it is today.
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