THE TAMKO^® STORY
TAMKO Building Products, Inc. is the nation’s leading independent manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing products, waterproofing, composite decking and railing systems, and cements and coatings. With more than 60 years in the industry, TAMKO’s success is the direct result of teamwork, enduring relationships with customers, suppliers and employees, and its commitment to Six Sigma continuous quality improvement with its foundation based on the total quality management principles of Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

The Second Generation Of Leadership
In 1944 at the age of 69, E.L. Craig began a roofing business in an old streetcar barn in Joplin, Missouri. Mrs. Mary Ethel Craig named the company TAMKO – from the first letters of the five states they anticipated as their sales territory: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. She later assumed the leadership of TAMKO in 1954 due to Mr. Craig’s health, although he continued as Chairman of the Board until his death in 1960. The Craigs’ daughter, Ethelmae, directed TAMKO's operations during the '50s and has continued as TAMKO’s chairman to this day. In 1960, Ethelmae’s husband, J.P. Humphreys, became TAMKO's president.

Expansion and Growth
Over the next 33 years, J. P. (“Jay”) Humphreys led TAMKO’s success with his entrepreneurial vision of growth for TAMKO with the addition of manufacturing plants in Phillipsburg, Kansas (1969); Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1974); Knoxville, Tennessee (1978); Frederick, Maryland (1978); and Dallas, Texas (1985) and the expansion of the TAMKO organic shingle and built up roofing product lines to include fiberglass shingles and rolls and the AWAPLAN single ply polyester roll roofing products. In addition, Jay Humphreys set the course for TAMKO’s continued success with his vision of quality process management built on the continuous quality improvement principles of Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

For a more detailed map of TAMKO Sales Districts and Territories in pdf file format click here.

Continual Process Improvement
In 1981, Mr. Humphreys was introduced to the concepts of Deming “total quality” management. He was so impressed with Deming's concept of continual process improvement that he immediately led its implementation throughout TAMKO. Today, the Deming continuous quality improvement methodology has indeed stood the test of time as it still serves as the foundation of all TAMKO’s continuous improvement efforts.

TAMKO Today
Following Jay’s death in 1993 David Craig Humphreys (Jay and Ethelmae’s eldest son) assumed TAMKO’s leadership as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1994 – the same year that TAMKO Asphalt Products, Inc. changed its name to TAMKO Roofing Products, Inc. to reflect the company’s focus on roofing products. Since 1994, TAMKO’s expansion has continued at a dramatic pace. The addition of new manufacturing plants expanded TAMKO’s production capabilities for additional organic roll products as well as asphalt cements and coatings at Green Cove Springs, Florida (1994); additional glass mat production at Ennis, Texas (1996); additional fiberglass built up roll roofing at Naples, Texas (1997); polyester mat, cements and coatings, and waterproofing at Columbus, Kansas (1998); additional dry felt at Butler, Alabama (1998); the MetalWorks metal shingle production facility at Joplin High Street (2003) and many additions and modifications at existing plants to increase capacity for the production of Heritage laminated shingles, the cornerstone in TAMKO’s residential roofing product line.

Beginning in 1999, TAMKO also entered the plastic composite decking business with its purchase of composite manufacturing equipment in Lamar, Missouri. Since 1999, TAMKO through its Epoch Composites subsidiary, has rapidly expanded its production of EverGrain and Elements decking lines with the addition of multiple production lines in its original Lamar plant site (Lamar South), the construction of a new decking production facility with multiple production lines at a new site also in Lamar (Lamar North – 2004), and the acquisition of a new facility in Chilhowie, Virginia (2004). In addition, in 2002 TAMKO added a composite plastic shingle manufacturing plant at Lamar South to produce Lamarite, the premier synthetic slate and wood shake shingle product line. Most recently, TAMKO has added extruded railings to complement its decking product line. In addition, TAMKO has embarked on further vertical integration of key raw materials with production of glass fiber at its joint venture facility (“MW/MB”) in Clarksville, Tennessee.

TAMKO has continued to build on the success of the Deming quality principles with the launch of a comprehensive Six Sigma program across the company beginning in 2002. Six Sigma at TAMKO is a business strategy and management philosophy for the urgent pursuit of perfection to achieve increased profitability with a goal of near perfection. Six Sigma projects have saved millions of dollars, refined and improved numerous processes, and have enabled TAMKO to become a world class company.

On June 1, 2006, TAMKO Roofing Products Inc. changed its name to TAMKO Building Products Inc. to more accurately reflect the breadth of products and services TAMKO provides. TAMKO not only manufactures roofing but also EverGrain and Elements composite decking, TAM-Rail railing systems, waterproofing materials, window and door wraps, asphalt cements and coatings, insulation facer, and many of its own raw materials such as glass mat, dry felt, processed asphalt, paper cores, polyester mats, and crushed limestone.

Today, TAMKO remains headquartered where it began in Joplin, Missouri while operating manufacturing and warehouse facilities across the country in order to serve its customers across the nation. While the processes, facilities and products have been adapted to meet the competitive challenges and to serve our customers over the years, TAMKO has never wavered from E.L. Craig’s original vision to serve our customers’ needs with quality, dependable products. Commitment to this vision and to the continuous improvement of all TAMKO’s products and services promises that TAMKO’s future will be as exciting and successful as its past.

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