About Us
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, INC. was founded in 1961 as a materials distributor, serving the highway & heavy and commercial construction industry in the upper Midwest. CMI has sales offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities in Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Contractor, public agency and vendor relationships have been developed through CMI's engineering services, large inventories, "hands on" field assistance, and diversified manufacturing and fabrication capabilities at all three locations.
In 1961, CMI had three employees and an ambitious name. Hopes were high and inventories were low. In February, Len Shope was the founder and the guiding visionary. His sights were set high and he was a fierce competitor. Bob "RJ" Nagle joined Len at CMI in April of 1961. He brought his unique personality and invigorating spirit to CMI. In July of 1961 Wynn Binger joined CMI. He balanced the leadership team with his youth, and engineering background. For nearly two decades, this trio was the backbone of CMI.
In 1966, CMI moved to its current Minneapolis location at 6725 Oxford Street. Also, the first Cedar Rapids facility was opened. Long term employment at CMI is very typical and two current employees joined CMI/Minneapolis in 1970; Gerry Forkrud in sales and Bob Timpane in engineered sales. Wynn replaced Len as president in 1972. In 1978, CMI opened a new sales office and warehouse in Cedar Rapids, and on January 1, 2006, moved to a new facility at 345 49th Ave Dr SW. In 1985, the current Des Moines facility, at 5210 NE 17th Street was added. The Des Moines location was remodeled and expanded in 2009. Also in 1985, two University of Northern Iowa graduates joined the CMI team; Dick Galligan, who became Construction Materials fourth president in 2011 and Ray Marvin, who is now vice president located in Des Moines.
The Construction Materials leadership team consists of Dick Galligan (President) located in Cedar Rapids, Ray Marvin (Vice President) located in Des Moines, Duane Jaeb (Secretary) located in Minneapolis and Chris Stebral (Treasurer) located in Cedar Rapids.
Through membership in many industry associations, strong contractor and agency relationships, and prompt sales and service, CMI remains committed to the industry that it has served for over 45 years. CMI is proud of its achievements and recognition as an industry leader. CMI's dedicated employees look forward to their roles in the future as participants in this dynamic and challenging industry.
Minneapolis, MN
Cedar Rapids, IA
Des Moines, IA