Russell Standard Expands with Terminal in Seaford, Delaware
BY Lindsay Matush, Vario
Matt Johnson is the president and CEO of Russell Standard, a company that provides asphalt materials, road preservation treatments and industrial asphalt solutions for the Mid-Atlantic region. Since taking the helm in 2004, he’s made it his mission to strengthen the company’s well-earned reputation for quality, partnership and innovation. His work these days focuses on getting the company back to its roots with innovation in the asphalt and paving materials departments, gearing these materials toward preventive maintenance.
“Many contractors in [Delaware] were driving to Maryland, Pennsylvania or New Jersey to pick up material. [Russell Standard’s lease of operations] will dramatically cut down on transportation costs by having a location in the state they can get the same material from. And the DOT was already having materials delivered from there. So, it’s really the local contractors that will benefit.”—Matt Johnson
See, Johnson is no outsider. He’s spent most of his life around or working in the business. Now, as CEO, he’s using his talents to refocus the company. This is a story about family, business, and the desire to establish one’s legacy after three generations of success in the paving industry.
Lessons in Life, and Business
Founded in 1929, Russell Standard has remained a family-owned business dedicated to quality and advancing the asphalt materials space. Building on the company’s nearly 100-year legacy, Johnson represents the 4th generation of his family to lead the business.
His great-grandfather, Niles Russell, established the Tri-State Culvert Company in Pittsburgh just before the Great Depression. The company sold drainage products, trucks and construction equipment. Later, Russell would expand into coal trucking, a retail coal business and a successful topsoil supply operation.
During World War II years, Russell Standard became a major supplier of liquid asphalt for the road construction industry. Over the years, the company would expand its footprint with hot-mix asphalt (HMA) plants throughout Pennsylvania. Russell also directed the expansion into the company’s first emulsion plant in Mercer, Pennsylvania, in the early 1970s.
This is when Russell’s son, Ed Russell, continued a steady focus on paving and materials.
Next, Matt Johnson’s father, Jim Johnson, expanded the paving operations while adding a second emulsion plant in Chambersburg and a facility in Akron, Ohio. He also put his stamp on things by repositioning the firm as the go-to contractor for paving.
Matt Johnson has been in the business since he began riding along with his dad when he was five years old. As a teen, he helped maintain the grounds around the plants. Late in high school and into college, he worked on the paving crews. Russell Standard is in his blood.
“Growing up as a kid, it was always cool to be around the equipment and that continued until I was in college,” he said. “Once I was old enough to be in the field, I started working on the road crews. It was so cool to finally work with all the equipment, see the material go down, and know I was helping to build something lasting.”
His experience has helped him to never lose sight of where he’s come from. The hours in the truck and office working with his father have made a strong impact on who he is now.
“I learned a lot about family philosophies, the history of why things were done, and why we still do things,” he said. He spoke with pride of how the family business has built a reputation for treating its people well and being fair with customers. “We’ve always done both of those for generations. The people part of the business has always been important because, without those people, we really don’t have a business.”
In addition to the big-picture learning, there was plenty to learn about managing the day-to-day.
“It really gave me a good understanding of how we do things,” Johnson said. “What’s important on jobs, being well organized, and having everything you need on hand when you need it so crews aren’t waiting. The equipment is there when they need it. So we’re efficient moving from job to job. And what we do is so seasonal, you have to be ready to go to minimize any disruption.”
But one lesson stands out the most:
“It’s a difficult, demanding job,” he said. “That’s one thing I think about all the time. I think that was a huge benefit of growing up in the field was getting an appreciation for how hard the job is.”
A Renewed Emphasis on Materials
Since taking over the top post in 2004, Johnson added plants in Greensboro and Black Mountain, North Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; and Reading, Pennsylvania. Today, his work is focused on getting the company back to its roots as a leading innovator of asphalt and paving materials geared toward preventive maintenance.
“I really like businesses where you bring in raw materials and turn them into something else,” Johnson said. “We’ve always had a manufacturing focus—we made materials and placed them. And that’s where I focus the business now—we’re mostly a materials business although we still do some contracting on projects that call for our own products.”
Safety Culture in the Workplace: How Generational Differences Present Challenges, Opportunities
The company’s commitment to innovation is evident in its founding of The Lab in 2017 to support both the material science and contracting sides of the business. Then in early 2020, Russell Standard made a significant investment in a new, state-of-the-art facility. It’s a nationally certified, AASHTO-accredited laboratory and is equipped and accredited for testing involving performance graded (PG) asphalt binders, asphalt emulsions and asphalt cutbacks. This is where the company focuses on research and development and custom blended solutions for customers.
“Our world-class lab is constantly working to ensure our material is meeting or beating specifications and operates with a near-obsessive drive to solve our customers’ biggest problems and innovate new solutions along the way.”
Johnson continued: “The Lab is a strength of ours. We’re always trying to innovate new or enhance existing products that focus on pavement preservation. And we’re extremely excited about two we’re getting ready to roll out to the market.”
- The first is a high-performance solution focused on the top-down preservation of longitudinal joints.
- Soon after, the company will be introducing an improved micro surfacing product to resist cracking.
Each is designed to give state and local agencies cost-effective and sustainably focused options for extending the life of their road networks. And will reinforce Russell Standard’s unique ability to manufacture material, lay material and test its performance to inform future innovations.
Expanding Opportunity
While managing production and innovation, Johnson also keeps an eye out for opportunities to expand. He recently found one in Delaware.
ICP Group’s facility in Seaford was the only asphalt and emulsion terminal in the state. After hearing the facility was for sale, Johnson and his team jumped in to negotiate its purchase. After lengthy discussions, ICP ultimately sold it back to its previous owner.
Recognizing its value to the region, Johnson’s team stayed on the offensive. In April, the company finalized a lease to take over operations at the facility from the previous owner. This move will bring Russell Standard’s proven dedication and laser-focused commitment to the Delaware Department of Transportation, counties and contractors throughout the state.
“It was a good growth opportunity to add an entire state that we had been servicing from our plant in Baltimore,” Johnson said. “This really allowed us to open up the entire state instead of just the fringes.”
Delaware now becomes the fifth state served by Russell Standard.
“We’re focused on growing the materials business where we can,” Johnson said. “So anything adjacent to us is attractive. Since Delaware is an adjacent state, it’s an easy place to tuck into what we’re already doing. Any time we can find something like that, we’d certainly be interested in it.
Until this point, most contractors in Delaware had been sourcing material out of state. This move establishes a local option for materials and emulsions that will greatly save on transportation costs for everyone involved.
“Many contractors in that state were driving to Maryland, Pennsylvania or New Jersey to pick up material,” Johnson said. “It will dramatically cut down on transportation costs by having a location in the state they can get the same material from. And the DOT was already having materials delivered from there. So, it’s really the local contractors that will benefit.”
Smart Moves with Lasting Benefits
“Our crews know what it takes to perform successful, long-lasting treatments to strengthen communities and make them proud,” Johnson said. “From start to finish, our work and the way we do business all comes back to our mission—to be the most respected partner in the region by serving our team and customers like family.”
And with state and local governments focused on expenditures, Johnson knows they also keep a close eye on sustainability. By adding the plant in Seaford to the mix, “This will cut down on the freight,” Johnson said. “And it will cut down on the number of trucks on the road. There’s a lot of benefit overall.”
When you couple this locally sourced material with the material innovations from The Lab, Russell Standard is making it easier for agencies to cut expenses while making their roads last longer and meeting sustainability initiatives. And that’s good for everyone.
“Good roads are safe roads,” Johnson said. “And the better that a state or local government maintains its infrastructure, it’s better for everybody. It’s safer for the public. It helps facilitate commerce. Everything gets into a truck at some point. Whether it comes in by ship or by rail, it ends up in a truck to get delivered. So, the better the roads are, the better the economy is.”
And that’s a fitting way to leave your mark.
During World War II years, Russell Standard became a major supplier of liquid asphalt for the road construction industry. Over the years, the company would expand its footprint with hot-mix asphalt (HMA) plants throughout Pennsylvania. Russell also directed the expansion into the company’s first emulsion plant in Mercer, Pennsylvania, in the early 1970s.
This is when Russell’s son, Ed Russell, continued a steady focus on paving and materials.
Next, Matt Johnson’s father, Jim Johnson, expanded the paving operations while adding a second emulsion plant in Chambersburg and a facility in Akron, Ohio. He also put his stamp on things by repositioning the firm as the go-to contractor for paving.
Matt Johnson has been in the business since he began riding along with his dad when he was five years old. As a teen, he helped maintain the grounds around the plants. Late in high school and into college, he worked on the paving crews. Russell Standard is in his blood.
“Growing up as a kid, it was always cool to be around the equipment and that continued until I was in college,” he said. “Once I was old enough to be in the field, I started working on the road crews. It was so cool to finally work with all the equipment, see the material go down, and know I was helping to build something lasting.”
His experience has helped him to never lose sight of where he’s come from. The hours in the truck and office working with his father have made a strong impact on who he is now.
“I learned a lot about family philosophies, the history of why things were done, and why we still do things,” he said. He spoke with pride of how the family business has built a reputation for treating its people well and being fair with customers. “We’ve always done both of those for generations. The people part of the business has always been important because, without those people, we really don’t have a business.”
In addition to the big-picture learning, there was plenty to learn about managing the day-to-day.
“It really gave me a good understanding of how we do things,” Johnson said. “What’s important on jobs, being well organized, and having everything you need on hand when you need it so crews aren’t waiting. The equipment is there when they need it. So we’re efficient moving from job to job. And what we do is so seasonal, you have to be ready to go to minimize any disruption.”
But one lesson stands out the most:
“It’s a difficult, demanding job,” he said. “That’s one thing I think about all the time. I think that was a huge benefit of growing up in the field was getting an appreciation for how hard the job is.”
A Renewed Emphasis on Materials
Since taking over the top post in 2004, Johnson added plants in Greensboro and Black Mountain, North Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; and Reading, Pennsylvania. Today, his work is focused on getting the company back to its roots as a leading innovator of asphalt and paving materials geared toward preventive maintenance.
“I really like businesses where you bring in raw materials and turn them into something else,” Johnson said. “We’ve always had a manufacturing focus—we made materials and placed them. And that’s where I focus the business now—we’re mostly a materials business although we still do some contracting on projects that call for our own products.”
Safety Culture in the Workplace: How Generational Differences Present Challenges, Opportunities
The company’s commitment to innovation is evident in its founding of The Lab in 2017 to support both the material science and contracting sides of the business. Then in early 2020, Russell Standard made a significant investment in a new, state-of-the-art facility. It’s a nationally certified, AASHTO-accredited laboratory and is equipped and accredited for testing involving performance graded (PG) asphalt binders, asphalt emulsions and asphalt cutbacks. This is where the company focuses on research and development and custom blended solutions for customers.
“Our world-class lab is constantly working to ensure our material is meeting or beating specifications and operates with a near-obsessive drive to solve our customers’ biggest problems and innovate new solutions along the way.”
Johnson continued: “The Lab is a strength of ours. We’re always trying to innovate new or enhance existing products that focus on pavement preservation. And we’re extremely excited about two we’re getting ready to roll out to the market.”
- The first is a high-performance solution focused on the top-down preservation of longitudinal joints.
- Soon after, the company will be introducing an improved micro surfacing product to resist cracking.
Each is designed to give state and local agencies cost-effective and sustainably focused options for extending the life of their road networks. And will reinforce Russell Standard’s unique ability to manufacture material, lay material and test its performance to inform future innovations.
Expanding Opportunity
While managing production and innovation, Johnson also keeps an eye out for opportunities to expand. He recently found one in Delaware.
ICP Group’s facility in Seaford was the only asphalt and emulsion terminal in the state. After hearing the facility was for sale, Johnson and his team jumped in to negotiate its purchase. After lengthy discussions, ICP ultimately sold it back to its previous owner.
Recognizing its value to the region, Johnson’s team stayed on the offensive. In April, the company finalized a lease to take over operations at the facility from the previous owner. This move will bring Russell Standard’s proven dedication and laser-focused commitment to the Delaware Department of Transportation, counties and contractors throughout the state.
“It was a good growth opportunity to add an entire state that we had been servicing from our plant in Baltimore,” Johnson said. “This really allowed us to open up the entire state instead of just the fringes.”
Delaware now becomes the fifth state served by Russell Standard.
“We’re focused on growing the materials business where we can,” Johnson said. “So anything adjacent to us is attractive. Since Delaware is an adjacent state, it’s an easy place to tuck into what we’re already doing. Any time we can find something like that, we’d certainly be interested in it.
Until this point, most contractors in Delaware had been sourcing material out of state. This move establishes a local option for materials and emulsions that will greatly save on transportation costs for everyone involved.
“Many contractors in that state were driving to Maryland, Pennsylvania or New Jersey to pick up material,” Johnson said. “It will dramatically cut down on transportation costs by having a location in the state they can get the same material from. And the DOT was already having materials delivered from there. So, it’s really the local contractors that will benefit.”
Smart Moves with Lasting Benefits
“Our crews know what it takes to perform successful, long-lasting treatments to strengthen communities and make them proud,” Johnson said. “From start to finish, our work and the way we do business all comes back to our mission—to be the most respected partner in the region by serving our team and customers like family.”
And with state and local governments focused on expenditures, Johnson knows they also keep a close eye on sustainability. By adding the plant in Seaford to the mix, “This will cut down on the freight,” Johnson said. “And it will cut down on the number of trucks on the road. There’s a lot of benefit overall.”
When you couple this locally sourced material with the material innovations from The Lab, Russell Standard is making it easier for agencies to cut expenses while making their roads last longer and meeting sustainability initiatives. And that’s good for everyone.
“Good roads are safe roads,” Johnson said. “And the better that a state or local government maintains its infrastructure, it’s better for everybody. It’s safer for the public. It helps facilitate commerce. Everything gets into a truck at some point. Whether it comes in by ship or by rail, it ends up in a truck to get delivered. So, the better the roads are, the better the economy is.”
And that’s a fitting way to leave your mark.