Today the music was pumping, the burgers were sizzlin’ and the Carolina sun was blazing as the Manufacturing Express rolled into the Calder Brothers Corporation in Taylors, South Carolina. With summer winding down and Labor Day approaching, this lively event captured the spirit and camaraderie that define the team at Calder Brothers, proving that hard work and celebration go hand in hand.
Calder Brothers Corporation, makers of Mauldin Paving Products, is a titan among family-owned businesses. The visionary leadership of Robert Calder and his four sons—Wayne, Glen, Cameron, and David — transformed a small manufacturer into a national powerhouse. In 1994, the Calder family acquired Mauldin Brothers Company, a small manufacturer of commercial asphalt paving products. By integrating the latest technology, engineering and innovations, the Calder brothers have propelled a respected 60 year-old company to the forefront of the asphalt paving industry. Today, Calder Brothers manufactures more than 300 advanced machines annually for the North American residential construction market.
Calder machines pave the roads we take to work each day. The same roads that buses take our kids to school on every day. Our towns and cities are connected thanks to the infrastructure built by the Mauldin equipment Calder Brothers manufactures. That work is what makes supporting families possible. So it makes sense that the company is a family operation.
Each Calder brother maintains a hands-on role across departments, from operations to design to engineering. Their leadership sets a new standard among businesses that are not just owned by a family but driven by one. “You can’t knock the meaning it has for an employee to see a company’s owner digging into the work the same way they do. My brothers and I are on the shop floor every day, which helps to create a sense of camaraderie in the business that we’ve always felt is important to create,” says Glen Calder, VP of Operations.
Calder Brothers has steadily grown to support over 100 employees, a significant achievement in an industry facing a severe shortage of skilled workers. The company’s greatest pride lies in the supportive environment they’ve built for both current and future employees. “It’s crucial to grow responsibly,” says Glen Calder. “Our goal is to ensure our employees have what they need for a strong future and to secure our own future by making Calder a desirable workplace.” Calder Brothers partners with state-based trade programs to address the skills gap, offering training opportunities to high school students in fields like welding and mechatronics. This initiative has not only prepared the next generation of manufacturing workers in South Carolina but also led to the hiring of over a dozen skilled graduates into the Calder team.
In an industry that constantly evolves, companies like the family-owned and operated Calder Brothers are a paradigm of the resilience and adaptability of modern equipment manufacturers. Their ability to evolve and grow with a commitment to their people is the foundation of their success. From the shop floor to the front office, collective trust and commitment drives every member of the Calder team as they pave their way to the future.
