Our History
A History of Innovation
From the humble beginning of one tractor and two dump trucks, C.W. Matthews and two local businessmen formed a company in 1946 after he returned from the World War II Pacific Theater.
Their goal was to provide grading services for farm ponds. In 1954 Mr. Matthews formed C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. and three years later made the pivotal decision to enter the plant-mixed asphalt business.
The next decade was busy with defense work for the Armed Forces, concentrating on reconstruction of runways and taxiways at military bases throughout the Southeast.
In 1967 the founder's oldest son, Bob, graduated from the University of Georgia Law School. Following military service and a tour in Vietnam, he returned to work in the family business as president and established branch offices in North Carolina and Florida. The next expansion was the acquisition of a bridge and culvert company and a sizeable grading contractor, transforming C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. into a multi-faceted general contractor in highway and heavy construction. Bolstering its position as one of the leading producers of plant-mixed asphalt, the Company began acquiring single plant operators in addition to erecting new asphalt plants at strategic locations around metropolitan Atlanta and north Georgia.
A few years later, in a position to accept more challenges, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. devoted assets, management capabilities, and skilled workers to the daunting task of improving Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport through the Midfield Terminal Expansion Program. Additionally, the MARTA rail system and the $1 billion expansion of Atlanta's freeway system provided opportunities for growth and expansion. C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. continued its substantial market presence in the private sector through providing stone base and asphalt paving for the residential and commercial projects resulting from Atlanta's explosive population growth.
In the 1990's the Company aided in the construction effort of readying Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games through the addition of high occupancy vehicle lanes on I-75, constructed at night in order to maintain traffic flow during daylight hours.
The dawn of the 21st century provided opportunities in the brown field rehabilitation of the old Atlantic Steel plant site in downtown Atlanta. Today the Atlantic Station development and the adjoining 17th Street bridge are a testimony to the Company's dedication to quality, safety, and expedited project delivery.
Beginning in 2002, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. served as the managing partner of a three-company consortium for the construction of the 5th Runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the largest public works project to date undertaken in the State of Georgia.
A thirty-eight year veteran of CWM, Bill Hammack has served in numerous capacities during his career including the company's Chief Operating Officer for the previous fifteen years prior to assuming the role as president in July of 2005.
In early 2009, CWM began operating a new liquid asphalt storage facility which it constructed in Rockmart, Georgia. The facility is for internal use and has a capacity of 391,000 barrels in 11 tanks. The facility also has a plant that can produce 30 tons per hour of Polymer Modified Asphalt (PG Grade 76-22). The truck loading facilities are state of the art with computer automated self-loading capabilities. The control building for the facility contains a complete physical properties laboratory for quality control testing.
Ethics, honor, quality, and commitment to excellence continue to be a Matthews' tradition as the Company moves forward into the 21st century.
