Colwell Construction Co

Write a Review706-745-6239

OPEN NOW - Closes at 5:00pm

Colwell Construction Company, Inc was started in 1948 by three brothers of the Colwell family in Northeast Georgia. Carlton Colwell, the President of the company today, along with brothers Bob, and Pat Jr. started what was originally known as Colwell Grading Company. At that time, operations were commenced with a single bulldozer. It was not long until Colwell Grading Co added a Caterpillar 25 to go along with the bulldozer, which was sufficient enough small jobs in the community that involved grading and clearing. The projects then included chicken houses, pastures, and family residential sites. As time went on, the brothers realized the demand for their services and future opportunities in Georgia. Colwell Grading Co successfully bid on their first Georgia DOT project in the 1960's. The project was Skeenah Gap Road in Union County and it consisted of grading approximately 5 miles. With only ten employees, the company did all facets of the project, including engineering, logistics, equipment operation, and management. Because of the success of the job, the project set an excellent precedent for future GA DOT projects. In 1964, Colwell Grading Co entered the aggregate business by purchasing a 18''x 24'' Universal Jaw Crusher and a Cedar Rapids Commander Plant. This was a dramatic stepping stone for the company's success and took Colwell Grading Co to another level in the aggregate industry. In 1968, Colwell Grading Co purchased the real estate of Welborn Mountain in Blairsville, Georgia. This was the first site that the company solely utilized to crush granite stone. This permanent site allowed Colwell Grading Co to produce various sizes of aggregates for the use of asphalt, surface treatment paving, road base, residential driveways, filtration, and erosion control. Crushing rock on Welborn Mountain boosted the company's success even more because simultaneously, road base application became a widespread method roadwork in Northeast Georgia. In 1972, Colwell Grading Company incorporated and then became Colwell Construction Company, Inc, which it is known as today. As the company kept growing it expanded and established a crushing plant in Dahlonega, Georgia. It was so successful that in 1982 Colwell Construction decided to open up a quarry in Ellijay, Georgia. As the population in Northeast Georgia skyrocketed in the 1980's, the demand for paving also took off. Colwell Construction was one of the first companies to introduce surface paving (also known as surface treatment) of secondary county and state highway projects. As a result of this pioneered opportunity, the company installed asphalt production facilities at its Blairsville and Ellijay quarries. Colwell Construction became a North Carolina state contractor in 1993 since its headquarters was logistically so close to the stateline. The company became involved in work all over Western North Carolina. With Colwell Construction now doing state work for North Carolina and Georgia, it was reaching unprecedented success. Throughout the years, Colwell Construction transformed more into an asphalt business. In 1999, Colwell Construction sold all the rock crushers to Vulcan Materials. However, the company proceeded in making asphalt with the Blairsville and Ellijay asphalt plants. In 2003, the company opened another asphalt plant between Murphy and Hayesville, North Carolina. In 2004, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc from Marietta, Georgia purchased Colwell Construction's asphalt plants in Ellijay and Blairsville. At this time, Colwell Construction has one asphalt plant in North Carolina. As to date, Colwell Construction is still doing grading, paving, concrete, building bridges, and selling asphalt mix all over Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina.