COVER STORY
Advertorial
PAVING
CARLSON’S
WAY
Carlson Readies for Next Decade
Behind Growing Paver Line
I
f there is one thing the Pacific
Northwest is known for, it’s the leg-
endarily dreary weather. Rain and
overcast skies dominate the forecast
for half the year, made even more op-
pressive by the shortened days of winter.
Thankfully, there’s also some good cof-
fee.
But even against this backdrop,
the spirit at Carlson Paving Products
couldn’t be brighter.
Acquired by Astec Industries in
2000, Carlson is currently building a
cutting-edge factory near its Tacoma,
Washington headquarters. As they wit-
ness the construction of the company’s
impressive new facility, the Carlson em-
ployees brim with confidence and ex-
www.callape.com
By Travis Colwell
citement. For them, the new structure
symbolizes the next chapter in the com-
pany’s already-impressive history.
“This represents one of the largest
projects by Astec Industries,” explains
Travis Colwell, Marketing Coordinator
for Carlson. “Our roots have always run
deep in Tacoma, and we are thrilled to
be able to expand our company right
here in our hometown.”
The growth of Carlson and the expan-
sion of its manufacturing footprint has
been not only been a testament to the
men and women who build the com-
pany’s leading products, but also gives
form to the company’s emergence as an
international leader in commercial pav-
er platforms.
[6]
Since its entrance into the market 2008,
Carlson’s commercial paver lineup has grown to
include platforms like the CP100 II and newly
debuted CP60 and CP65 international pavers.
Laying the Foundation
The story of Carlson’s growth and
eventual factory expansion started in
the mid-2000s as the company looked
into new opportunities to expand its
product line. Since the early 1980s,
Carlson had been known for one prod-
uct above all others – the front-mount
asphalt screed. The global market
leader in front-mount platforms, Carl-
son looked at new product possibilities
through the same lens it had when de-
signing new generation asphalt screeds,
explained Colwell.
“Whether the first front-mounted hy-
draulic extensions to be put on a screed,
or the first manufacturer to introduce a
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