Robert M. Thompson, Honorary Member
Mr. Robert M. Thompson spent his boyhood
living and working on the Thompson family farm in Jonesville,
Michigan. In 1952, he enrolled at Bowling Green State University
and participated in ROTC. Upon receiving his baccalaureate
degree in 1956, Robert was commissioned as a lieutenant in
the Air Force and became a jet fighter pilot. After his discharge
from the Air Force in 1959 as a captain, Mr. Thompson and
his wife invested $3,500 of their savings to start a chip
seal road paving business with his uncle, Wilfred McCully.
In 1960, Thompson bought his uncle's share of the company
and soon expanded into the asphaltic concrete paving business.
The firm grew further from 1969 through the 1980's by purchasing
Ann Arbor Construction, Richardson Asphalt Paving of Jackson,
Globe Construction of Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids Asphalt, Woodland
Paving of Comstock Park, and Spartan Asphalt Paving of Lansing.
In 1993, the firm began operations at its own limestone quarry
and developed its own asphalt cement storage facility. Today,
the Thompson-McCully firm is one of the largest asphalt paving
companies in the Midwest with about 500 employees and generating
about $160 million of revenue per year.
Mr. Thompson's leadership has been recognized
by his election as President of the Michigan Asphalt Paving
Association from 1986-88, and as President of the National
Asphalt Paving Association in 1992. He currently serves as
President of the Michigan Road Builders Association. Robert
is a member of the Michigan Tech President's Club and was
recently presented with the Michigan Tech Civil and Environmental
Engineering "Golden Level Award". Robert and his
wife, Ellen, have three children and live in Plymouth, Michigan.
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