Mendota Heights’ Bituminous Roadways celebrates 75 years in business

Mendota Heights, Minnesota-based Bituminous Roadways, Inc., a local asphalt contractor, will celebrate 75 years in business this year. With a humble beginning of a three-man crew in 1946 to more than 200 employees during the 2020 paving season, BR has much to celebrate.

“I am proud of the company, where we’ve come from and our future,” said BR CEO/President Kent Peterson. “When I became president of the company in 1996, we had two asphalt plants, now we have four. The company has seen a tremendous amount of growth throughout its history.”

BR started in 1946 when Al Wendell began residential paving operations out of an asphalt plant in south Minneapolis. As the company grew, Al hired more estimators, including Palmer Peterson in 1958. Al and Palmer became fast friends, one might even say more like father and son.

When Al passed away in the late ’60s, Palmer bought the company. Palmer’s son, Kent, worked at BR during the summer months throughout high school and even into his college days. Eventually, Kent would be named president of BR in 1996 and would run the company since. The Petersons consider BR a three-generation, family run company.

Today, 75 years later, the company services mainly industrial and commercial customers throughout the seven-county metro area. Some of the more notable projects BR has been involved in are Target Field, TCF Stadium, Topgolf, Canterbury Park, TCO Performance Center and more recently, the Omni Hotel.

Bituminous Roadways, Inc. has been in business for 75 years with a mission of providing superior asphalt pavement solutions. Core competencies range from commercial asphalt production, installation, paving, repair and patching to concrete and cracksealing. Projects include roadways and highways, parking lots, trails and pathways, outdoor athletic surfaces and more.