About
A partnership in 1920 between Edward F. Regenhardt
and William H. Harrison's led to what is today
Delta Companies Inc. The partnership worked
throughout the states of Missouri, Illinois and
Arkansas building roads and crushing rock locally
for the construction jobs.
William Harrison's sons, Arthur, Charles and
Edward and Regenhardt's sons, Ted, Edward and
William, Sr., took over ownership of the company
in the 1930s. In the early 1950s, ownership passed
to Donald L. Harrison and William Regenhardt, Jr.,
Thomas Regenhardt and Joe Regenhardt.
The company became one of the largest concrete
paving companies in the Midwest between 1952-1966
due to its work on many miles of interstate
highways in Missouri and Illinois. In August 1959,
the company paved over a linear mile in one day on
I-57 in Scott County, MO, becoming only the ninth
highway-paving contractor in the nation achieves
such an accomplishment.
In 1962, Delta Asphalt, Inc., was formed to
provide the Missouri market with asphalt and
contracting services. Southeast Missouri Stone
Company was established in 1964 providing
aggregates for the region. During the mid 1960s,
as the interstate program ended for the area, the
company began converting from predominantly
concrete construction into the vertically
integrated company it is today - asphalt, ready-
mix and aggregates.
From 1966-1980, a division of the Delta Companies,
the D.L. Harrison Company built five sections of
the Pan American Highway in the republics of
Guatemala and El Salvador. Terrorism activities in
El Salvador prompted the sale of the company to a
local business in 1980.
New Orleans needed the company's services in the
1980s. The streets in the city's famed French
Quarter required resurfacing before the World's
Fair and the Delta Companies provided most of the
project work.
Delta Concrete was formed in 1987 and the Delta
Companies entered the ready mix business. In 1998,
they expanded, adding additional ready mix plants.
In 1993, the companies became part of COLAS, Inc.,
based in Morristown, N.J. Since then, the Delta
Companies have grown significantly - starting with
the 1997 purchase of Baughn Construction in
Arkansas, which added asphalt plants in Tuckerman
and Black Rock.
Clinton Materials Companies were purchased in
1999, adding six ready mix plants in Southeast
Missouri, a limestone quarry in Williamsville, MO,
and Brown Sand & Gravel in Dexter.
In 2002, Delta Asphalt of Arkansas purchased two
additional asphalt plants in Searcy and Heber
Springs and a construction operation.