Blades History

By 1922 the automobile was shaping the way America worked and played. Road building was not some luxurious option, rather it was a necessity demanded by the public. It was in that year that World War I veteran, Archie Lee Blades established an asphalt and tar distribution business. He worked closely with the White Motor Truck Company and with the Etnyre Company to develop mobile asphalt distributors to 'make' and maintain the byways of yesteryear. In 1925 the company built its first 'hot mix' plant and throughout the 1920's Archie Blades contributed, generally by trial and error, to the development of the asphalt lay down machine (paver).



Sons, Robert and Lee joined their father in the following decade. Both had graduated from Dartmouth College and each served overseas during the Second World War. During their careers, the second-generation owners moved the company into heavy/highway construction and positioned the firm as a highly reputable public works contractor in both New York and Pennsylvania.







Today, A.L. Blades & Sons, Inc. is recognized as a general contractor and construction material manufacturer noted for its competence, innovation and quality workmanship. Its success is evidenced by literally hundreds of projects ranging from site development to asphalt paving, from bridge rehabs to total replacements.