H.B.Mellott: An Adaptable Businessman

In 1927, Herman Benjamin Mellott (H.B.) started a lumber company with a World War I army surplus truck.  In the late 1930s, construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike fueled demand for aggregates, and H.B. saw an opportunity to enter the quarry business.  When World War II lowered demand for aggregates, H.B. quickly adapted to the changing times and used his equipment to process coal.  Within a few years, Mellott employed over 200 people at several coal operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  In 1948, H.B. placed his son Herman Jr. in charge.

Tragedy and Perseverance

On July 16, 1948, while flying from Charleston to Chicago  for an equipment show, the small plane--carrying H.B., Herman Jr., a superintendent, and the pilot--crashed, killing all aboard.  Operations were taken over by H.B.'s widow, Amy, and his twenty-one year old son, Paul.  Amy and Paul faced enormous challenges.  H.B. died without a will or a life insurance policy.  Further, the coal industry was entering a period of low demand and low prices. To pay estate taxes, the coal-related properties and equipment were sold and all efforts focused on the quarry business.  To this end, H.B. Mellott Estate, Inc. was incorporated in 1952 with Paul Mellott in charge.

Growth and Success in Aggregates

In 1954, Paul Mellott continued his father's success through adaptability when he opened a ready-mix concrete operation at the company's home base in Warfordsburg, PA.  The following year he opened a silica sand deposit which complemented the existing quarry and concrete operations. Paul's brother Forrest joined HBM in the summer of 1958, and business boomed with the beginning of construction of the new interstate highway system.  Paul and Forrest added four quarries to the operation in the 1960's and 70's.  They developed Beaver Creek Quarry in Hagerstown, MD in 1965, and leased a quarry in Frederick, MD in 1966.  Further quarries were added: Hancock, MD in 1968, Rockdale Quarry of Hagerstown in 1975, and Big Cove Tannery, PA in 1936.

The Emergence of Portable Crushing Plants

The third generation of Mellotts came onboard when Paul's oldest son Paul Jr. joined Mellott Company in 1974.  His other sons, Herman and Brian, started full-time the following year.  The three sons were exposed to all facets of the company and became very involved in Mellott Company in the newest business: custom portable contract crushing operations. The initial venture into this type of work had been made on various road jobs in 1966, but in 1975 Mellott began to crush for customers in quarries with their first new portable crushing plant.  By 1977, there were four portable plants in operation, and the business has grown over the years to include, up to 22 plants operating in the field.

Mellott Company: A Total Supplier to the Aggregates Industry

Today, Mellott Company is a world-class, total supplier to the aggregates industry.  It is a family-owned and operated business that was born from ingenuity and an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing conditions and efficiently meet customers' needs.