1900
The American Rolling Mill Company (formerly ARMCO, now known as AK Steel) was founded in Middletown, OH as the first fully integrated steel mill in the United States. A few years earlier, James Watson and Stanley Simpson had been granted a U.S. Patent for corrugated metal pipe (CMP) as an alternative to masonry or vitrified clay tile.
1909
ARMCO research engineers developed a hot-dipped galvanized steel that provided improved resistance to corrosion and spurred the widespread use of metal pipe. This grade of steel was to become the industry standard for more than 40 years.
1941
ARMCO Drainage & Metal Products was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of ARMCO Steel, after having consolidated 23 corrugated steel pipe manufacturers, beginning with Dixie Culvert in 1915. The proliferation of the automobile and development of the nationwide highway network spurred demand for new and innovative products. ARMCO Drainage & Metal Products responded with a portfolio of new products and manufacturing processes. The ARMCO sales force also developed the tradition of “driving specs” into the marketplace. As consultants to the highway and railway industries, ARMCO published the first “Handbook of Drainage and Construction Products,” which is still published today by the American Iron and Steel Institute.
1960
Realizing the increased dependence on the subsidiary as an outlet for steel, ARMCO formed the Metal Products Division and soon developed the highly automated HEL-COR conversion process to manufacture CMP. This replaced conventional riveting and allowed ARMCO to produce large diameter storm sewer pipe.
1965
The sanitary sewer market was a logical adjacency to storm sewer. ARMCO, recognizing that steel was not the proper material for the market, formed a joint venture with Ashland Oil Company in 1965 to create the Truss Pipe Company.
1980
By the mid-1970s, after ARMCO had purchased Ashland’s interest in the company, Truss Pipe virtually displaced vitrified clay pipe in the small diameter sanitary sewer market. With the success of Truss Pipe, and the awareness that new materials were being introduced into construction markets, ARMCO renamed the business the Construction Products Division in 1980 and continued to develop new PVC sanitary pipe products.
1985
Leveraging the unique position of its highly educated sales organization and their specification-driving capabilities, the company developed the Allied Products business unit. In 1985, an agreement was executed with The Tensar Corporation to market geogrids to civil engineers and the site construction market. Today, Tensar continues to be a cornerstone product for the Allied Products Division and CONTECH continues to be the largest U.S. distributor of Tensar products.
1986
CONTECH Construction Products Inc. was founded on July 1, 1986, when Robert Gage led a management buy-out of the Construction Products Division. For the next decade, CONTECH continued to maintain the strong tradition of “driving specification” into the marketplace for a variety of material types including steel, aluminum, and PVC plastic, with an unwavering goal to be the leader in each of its markets. CONTECH continued to aggregate the corrugated steel pipe industry with over a dozen CSP acquisitions between 1986 and 1996.
1988
The acquisition of the Drainage Products operations of Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation made CONTECH the leading producer of aluminum corrugated pipe products, aluminum box culverts, and aluminum structural plate. During this period, CONTECH also continued to invest in and expand its portfolio of plastic pipe products for storm drainage and sanitary applications in diameters up to 36”. Partner relationships were on the rise as the sales organization identified and executed against strong growth opportunities in geotextiles and other Allied Products. Through a combination of investments, acquisitions, and divestitures, CONTECH became “more than just a steel pipe company.”
1997
CONTECH acquired by Butler Capital.
1999
Butler Capital hired Pat Harlow as CONTECH’s new President to build a more diversified construction products business. CONTECH began its acquisition-led strategy with 15 successful transactions: one-third strengthened the core drainage business and two-thirds diversified the company into higher growth markets with high margin products, sold through the national direct sales team.
CONTECH continues to gain mindshare and marketshare with its diverse customer base by delivering new site solutions to the same civil engineers and contractors that value other CONTECH products. Key acquisitions included:
| | 1999
Keystone Retaining Wall Systems: A leader in developing, marketing, and licensing segmental retaining walls to highway, commercial, and residential markets |
| | 2000
Continental and Steadfast Bridge Companies: The two largest pedestrian bridge manufacturers in the U.S. |
| | 2004
Vortechnics: A technology and industry leader in the fast-growth environmental stormwater quality market |
| | 2005
Stormwater Management, Inc: The only major stormwater filter products company in the fast-growth environmental stormwater quality market |
| | 2005
BridgeTek and CON/SPAN: The largest and fastest-growing precast three-sided concrete arch bridge sales organization and design firm in the U.S. |
| | 2005
Armortec: Industry leader in hard armor solutions for demanding erosion control and marine application |
2006
In February, Apax Partners Worldwide completed their acquisition of a majority ownership interest in CONTECH. In addition, CONTECH announced a market-focused realignment of its business. The new organization consists of four operating divisions: Bridge Solutions, Drainage Solutions, Earth Stabilization Solutions, and Stormwater Solutions, as well as the new national sales organization, CONTECH Sales, which is responsible for selling all of the company’s products. The organizational realignment enables CONTECH to better serve its customers and more effectively accommodate expected rapid future growth.