Historical Profile

In 1918, Metropolitan Coal and Ice was founded by William Curran. Not long thereafter, (late ‘20s, early ‘30s) market changes forced a migration from the coal and ice business into that of a heating oil distributor; thus Suburban Oil was formed, and was originally located in Forest Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago.

As the need for fuel oil was highly seasonal, to help even out the revenue stream over the summer months, in 1936, the company moved into the asphalt sealcoating and road oiling business. Sealcoating soon led to asphalt production and paving services and the company moved into asphalt production and paving business prior to World War II. Our first asphalt plant was installed, operated under the name Suburban Oil Company / Road Division, which was later changed to Curran Contracting Company. By this time, Roy, Henry and Jim Curran (2nd generation) were part of the company's operating management.

Over the next several decades, Curran Contracting Company developed a solid and successful track record, and began to generate a loyal customer following, based on their reputation for quality of workmanship and timely completion of paving projects. We continued to operate our asphalt business from that single plant and location all the way into the ‘60s. Eventually, in order to be more competitive and be closer to the source of the aggregate raw materials, the company relocated operations, management and production to the town of Crystal Lake, in northern Illinois.

In 1961, the company acquired Stahl Construction Company in DeKalb. IL. Henry Curran’s son Bill Curran (3rd generation) headed up that operation, while brother Jack Curran ran the Crystal Lake operation. The DeKalb facility continues to serve the city of DeKalb, greater DeKalb county, and surrounding counties to this day -- now under the Curran Contracting banner.

In 1983, thanks in large part to the company's involvement in the rebuilding of Illinois Route 41, Curran Contracting acquired and situated a portable asphalt plant in Lake Bluff, IL. Based on the demand experienced by the Lake Bluff operation, the plant became a permanent fixture at that site, and today contributes substantially to the company's revenues and operations. It was during the ‘80s and ‘90s that the 4th generation of the Curran family took over the reins of hands-on management.

One of the more recent acquisitions (April, 1998) has been that of a former competitor -- Skokie Valley Asphalt, based out of Grayslake, IL, and with a secondary location in McHenry, IL. With this addition, Curran paving operations can now effectively service the vast majority of Chicagoland's North, Northwest and West Suburban regions (coverage map) -- extending up into extreme Southern Wisconsin (approx. 5-10 miles in), West to the edge of Boone and Ogle counties, and South into Kane & DeKalb counties. We also serve a large portion of Northern Cook County, and all of Lake County and McHenry County.

As of December 2001, Curran Contracting Company now owns and operates five full-function asphalt plants, and has the expertise, the personnel and all the strategic, physical and fiscal resources to handle even the most demanding of paving projects.

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