Robert M. Thompson

2nd Lt.

5/2/56 – 3/4/59

U.S. Air Force

 

Robert M. Thompson

Aviation Veteran, Asphalt Industry Pioneer, and Legendary Philanthropist

 

Robert M. "Bob" Thompson is a prominent Michigan entrepreneur, military veteran, and philanthropist best known for building the state's largest asphalt paving empire and executing one of the most generous employee-payouts in corporate history.

 

Raised on his family’s farm in Jonesville, Michigan, Thompson earned his degree from Bowling Green State University in 1955 before entering the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a fighter jet pilot until 1959. Upon his discharge, he and his wife, Ellen, invested $3,500 of their savings to launch a modest road paving business alongside his uncle. Thompson bought out his uncle the following year and spent the next four decades aggressively expanding the Thompson-McCully Company through high-profile acquisitions, turning it into a Midwestern infrastructure powerhouse with roughly 500 employees and an integrated limestone quarry.

 

The Legendary Sale & Employee Windfall

In July 1999, after 40 years at the helm, Thompson sold the Thompson-McCully Company to the international construction group CRH, plc for $422 million. In an extraordinary act of appreciation, the Thompsons chose to split $128 million of the sale proceeds—nearly one-third of the entire value—directly with their 550 workers:

• Salaried Staff: Roughly 80 to 85 longtime management and salaried employees who lacked traditional retirement packages were made instant millionaires, receiving individual checks or annuities ranging from $1 million to $2 million based on merit and seniority.

• Hourly Workers: Hundreds of hourly and unionized laborers who already held company-supported pensions were awarded a cash bonus of $2,000 for every single year of service they had given to the company.

 

When asked why he chose to give away such an immense portion of his fortune, Thompson famously stated that it was simply "the right thing to do," adding that having the genuine esteem of the workforce who built his success was the ultimate reward.

 

Philanthropy & Education

Following the historic sale, the couple established The Thompson Foundation to direct their remaining wealth toward transforming educational opportunities for working-class families. Through their foundation, they have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to fund urban charter high schools in Detroit and establish extensive scholarship programs at Bowling Green State University and Michigan Technological University, helping thousands of students achieve higher education.

 

Thompson has received top sector distinctions, including the Engineering News-Record’s Award of Excellence and a lifetime achievement award from the Michigan Road Builders Association.

He and his wife Ellen, have three children and spent most of their lives in Plymouth, Michigan.