More than 70% of our business comes from repeat clients and we are proud to have developed strong relationships throughout the construction industry. We understand the importance of maintaining their trust.
Barnhill Contracting Company’s success is built on the values, principles and vision of the man – Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. – whose name we proudly bear. Robert Barnhill built this company on a foundational belief that there is power in people. He was a motivator. A hard worker. A leader of leaders. His passion for people and his firm belief in the Golden Rule – treating others as you want to be treated – still drive us today.
We are firm, flexible and honest. We do the right thing, every single time. We empower our leaders in the field to be decision-makers. We are easy to work with – a core philosophy that is both intentional and deliberate. One that requires discipline. Grit. All of these qualities, along with our founder’s vision, have helped grow Barnhill Contracting Company into one of the Southeast’s leading contractors.
Mission
We are a family of builders, creating solutions that enable our partners to succeed, our communities to thrive and our employees to grow.
Vision
Barnhill will be the best place to work and build a meaningful career as our company continues to develop a highly engaged, high performing workforce while maintaining our core values.
Values
We embrace the following values: commitment, family, integrity, learning and development, and diversity.
Today our company is led by Rob Barnhill who serves as president and chief executive officer of the company. Rob represents the third generation of management and continues both his grandfather and his father’s vision of the business, leading the company to even greater levels of success. Bob Barnhill continues to serve as chairman of the board of directors. Rob and Bob have a clear vision for the future with the qualities that have always shaped the company.
We are true to our roots and giving back to our communities is part of our business. Our mission is to make a positive impact in our communities by supporting organizations and causes that are important to our business, communities, and employees. Each year at Barnhill Contracting Company, we set aside time and money to make investments that have a positive impact. We care about being good citizens. Giving back to our communities is consistent with our foundation, supports our employees, and is good for business. What we get back far exceeds our contributions.
Our success is built from the dedicated service of each and every one of our employees. Construction is hard work – long hours and immense pressure to meet critical deadlines – and we are proud to employ the most talented group of people in the industry. When you join the Barnhill team, you become part of the Barnhill Family.
Largest Contractors in NC
#2
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Largest Contractors in the Triangle
#2
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Largest Privately Held Entities
#33
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NC’s Largest Private Companies
#48
BuinessNC
Top Contractors in Region
#167
ENR Top Contractors in US
Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. and RW Long found Barnhill & Long Construction using surplus army equipment and machinery purchased from the government after WWII.
Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. purchases RW Long’s interest in the company and the company is renamed to Barnhill Contracting Company. Barnhill is awarded its first major project, a farm-to-market road from Ahoskie to Murfreesboro, NC.
Barnhill purchases its first asphalt plant and places it in Tarboro, NC. The company expands services to include private grading and paving operations in the Edgecombe County area.
Barnhill establishes a Profit Sharing Program for employees. The company has continued to contribute to the plan each year.
Barnhill purchases Cumberland Paving Company, which includes five asphalt plants located in Fayetteville, Lillington, Kenansville, Clinton and Dunn, NC.
Due to the slowing highway construction market, Barnhill moves into coal mining operations and forms Energy Producers, Inc. in Cowen, WV. The company purchases United Coal Company in Lost Creek, WV.
Barnhill ceases operations on their surface mines in WV and moves back into the road building business. The company forms a Commercial Building Division and is awarded its first contract to construct the Tarboro High School gymnasium. That same year, the Heavy Highway Division is awarded a contract to build the Raleigh Beltline, the largest contract awarded by the NCDOT at that time.
Robert E. Barnhill, Jr. is named President of the company. Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. becomes Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. The company is reorganized into a division concept and Cumberland Paving Company becomes the Southeast Division.
Barnhill purchases the assets of Outer Banks Contractors and forms the Northeast Division with offices in Kitty Hawk and Elizabeth City, NC.
Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. dies at the age of 79. To honor his legacy, the Barnhill family founds the Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. Memorial Scholarship. Robert E. Barnhill, Jr. becomes Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board.
The NC Legislature passes Senate Bill 914, allowing the Construction Manager at Risk delivery method. Barnhill's Building Division is awarded the state's first CM at Risk job, the ACT project at Edgecombe Community College.
Barnhill Contracting Company purchases the assets of Mac Construction in Shallotte, NC. This purchase adds an asphalt plant in Shallotte and the company forms the Brunswick Division.
Barnhill purchases the assets of APAC and forms the Coastal Division. The company now operates 15 asphalt plants throughout the state of NC.
Barnhill's Building Division is honored with a Pinnacle Award for Best Building Project for the Raleigh Convention Center.
Barnhill Contracting Company purchases the assets of Barnes Paving Company adding an asphalt plant and office in Lumberton, NC.
Bob provides leadership and direction for Barnhill Contracting Company. He grew into his leadership position—starting in the field and progressing into management. Since being named president of the company in 1987 and chairman of the board and chief executive officer in 2000, Bob has continued to provide a firm vision and legacy for the company.
Bob received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from East Carolina University. He is actively involved with several professional organizations including the Carolinas Asphalt Paving Association (Legislative Committee, past Board of Directors), Carolinas Associated General Contractors (past Board of Directors), Capital Associated Industries (past Board of Directors) and North Carolina Chamber (Executive Committee, Board of Directors). Bob is also very active in civic organizations around the state including the North Carolina Community Foundation (past Board of Directors), UNC Lineberger Cancer Center (Board of Visitors), Mary Frances Center (past Board of Directors), East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America (past Board of Directors), TriCounty Industries (past Board of Directors), United Negro College Fund (past Advisory Committee), Tarboro Community Outreach (past President, past Board Member) and the Global TransPark Commission (past Edgecombe Representative) and is a past member of the Board of Trustees of North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Bob’s recognitions include Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award (2018), Business North Carolina‘s Power 100 (2018), Triangle Business Journal CEO of the Year (2016) and he was inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2015.
Rob joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 1998 and worked on a management track that included all facets of the business. He trained with the Raleigh Division as an area manager and the Tarboro/Rocky Mount Division as an estimator and project manager before moving to vice president of the Raleigh Division. Rob was promoted to senior vice president in 2006 and to president of the company in 2010. Rob is responsible for the daily operations of the company, major operating divisions that perform site development, commercial building and highway construction.
Rob graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in economics and worked as a commercial lending analyst and commercial loan officer in the banking industry before joining Barnhill.
Rob currently serves on the Medical Foundation of North Carolina Board of Directors, the Carolinas Gateway Partnership Board of Directors and the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee. His past community involvement includes serving on the North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission, the Woodberry Forest School Advisory Council and the Rocky Mount Academy Board of Trustees.
Marty began his career with Barnhill Contracting Company in 1997 and was promoted to vice president of the Building Group in 2010 and in 2014 was named senior vice president. Marty has worked in all facets of the industry including preconstruction and estimating services, project management and business and project development. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Building Group which includes four operating divisions. He oversees the Group’s strategy, business development and operations. Marty also manages the Barnhill corporate relationship for the Building Group, which includes macro-level reporting for operations, profit, human resources and accounting.
Marty graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Design. Marty is active in the local community, serving on the board of directors of the Carolinas Chapter of the Construction Management Association of America, the board of directors of Preservation North Carolina and as an active member of the Carolinas Associated General Contractors and the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas.
Skip joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 1987 and has extensive experience in the construction industry. In 2010, he became Vice President of the Civil Group’s Southeast Division with the responsibility of all daily operations including business development, selection of bid projects, approval of completed bids, assistance with project management and long-range planning. In 2023 after the retirement of Allen Barnhill, Skip deservingly succeeded him as Senior Vice President of our Civil Group.
Skip is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. Skip is an active member of the Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association and Carolinas Associated General Contractors. He is also an active member of the Boy Scouts of America organization and is recognized as an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the organization.
Will joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 2012 as a Controller in the Accounting and Finance Department where he has worked on all accounting functions including financial, tax, job costing, payroll, as well as assisting with insurance. He was promoted to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April of 2022.
Will is a graduate of Appalachian State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Risk & Insurance before getting a Master of Science in Accounting from East Carolina University. Before his career with Barnhill, Will worked in public accounting for twelve years. He is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant and an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association.
Justin Barnhill was promoted to the position of Vice President of Equipment and Plants in early June of 2021. Justin has been with Barnhill Contracting Company since 2007, starting as a Foreman. Proving his leadership skills, he was then promoted to an Assistant Equipment Manager in 2012, and then an Equipment Manager with plant support in 2017.
He is a 2005 East Carolina University graduate with a Construction Management Degree. In this role, Justin oversees all company equipment operations and plant support for the asphalt divisions. We continue as a company to work on succession planning through our Values Basked Leadership program to make sure we have trained leaders for future positions. This is a very important position that touches all parts of our company and Justin has the skills to meet this challenge.
Tom joined Barnhill in 2013 as a Special Projects Manager in the Information Technology Department where he led efforts in selecting and implementing enterprise resource planning software, applicant and employee onboarding software, and employee communications software as well as a myriad of business analysis applications. In 2020, he was named Vice President of Information Systems, with responsibility for all aspects of integrating and supporting technology across the company. His outstanding interpersonal skills and unique ability to understand business challenges make him an integral part of our Barnhill team. With these qualities paired with his leadership skills, Tom was tapped to transition to Vice President of Human Resources and Safety a year later in 2021. He believes that our employees are the fiber of our organization and strives to preserve Barnhill’s legacy as a family-values company.
He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and is an active member of the North Carolina Technology Association and the Eastern Carolina Chapter of InfraGard.
Kelly began his career with Barnhill Contracting Company in 1995 in the Heavy Highway Division. He quickly transitioned to the Grading Division, taking on the role of Area Manager in Raleigh in 1999. He has spent most of his life in the construction industry, first under the wing of his father, Jesse Barnhill, Sr. and under his uncle, Robert Barnhill, the founder and patriarch of Barnhill Contracting Company. He was deservingly promoted to Vice President of the Raleigh Division in 2022.
Kelly is an active member of the Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association and past board member of the Wake Technical Community College Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program.
Shannon began his career with Barnhill Contracting Company in 1993 as a project manager/estimator in the Tarboro/Rocky Mount Division. In 2015 he was promoted to vice president of the Civil Group’s Northeast Division. As the leader of the Northeast Division, Shannon is responsible for all daily operations of the division including business development, selection of bid projects, approval of completed projects, assistance with project management and long-range planning.
Shannon is a member of the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association and a past member of the Board of Directors and Executive Carolinas of the Gateway Partnership. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Randy Fichera leads our Building Group’s Commercial Services which specialize in ground-up core and shell office projects, renovation/adaptive reuse projects and “streamline” delivery of fast-track projects including corporate interiors, large complex upfits, mission-critical renovations and life sciences renovations. The Commercial Services work extends throughout all major metropolitan areas of North Carolina.
Bold and energetic, Randy anchors his team with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit. He focuses on delivering projects where being nimble, flexible and adaptable is essential and has built a team that can hit the ground running, quickly and efficiently. Randy brings wide-ranging experience and has built an impressive portfolio with repeat clients. Randy is an active member of several industry associations including the Carolinas Associated General Contractors, the Carolinas Associated Builders and Contractors, CoreNet and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). Randy graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in construction management and joined Barnhill’s Building Group in 2006.
Barry has more than 38 years of experience in the construction industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Barnhill Contracting Company. Barry has proven success with general contracting, agency and guaranteed maximum price construction management and design-build project delivery systems.
Barry leads all construction services for the Building Group’s four operating divisions, assigning project managers and superintendents to projects and moving labor from job to job. Barry is also responsible for all field operations, including quality compliance, purchasing, subcontractor relations, schedule adherence, safety management and client relations.
Barry is a member of the Construction Management Association of America, the Design/Build Institute of America and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.
Bill is responsible for all aspects of information technology across the company. He began his career at 15 years old in a family-owned fuel business where he worked his way up from stock boy to IT tech, auditor, operations manager, and then facilities manager with the responsibility of acquiring property and overseeing construction and state compliance for the petroleum side of the business. He later became managing partner and Chief Operating Officer of WebPoint IT Solutions, which was the Internet Service Provider for his first employer. He has spent the past twenty years managing the growth of that company, which became one of the largest outsourced technology companies in eastern North Carolina. In July 2016, Bill merged WebPoint into Infranet Technology where he continued to serve as a partner and Chief Operating Officer until joining Barnhill in July of 2021.
Bill also has a long family history with Barnhill. His mother worked for Barnhill for over twenty years and his father worked alongside many of the Barnhill team as well, working for the NC DOT for over 34 years. Bill believes strongly that technology should be a tool that complements great people, allowing them to do their jobs more efficiently instead of being a roadblock for productivity.
Greg’s career began in the United States Air Force in 1988 as a pilot, leading various organizations throughout the Air Force, retiring in 2016 as a Brigadier General. After retiring, he then moved back to his hometown of Roanoke, VA and worked for a local construction company as a Special Projects Executive, Director of Equipment and Director of LEAN Construction. Over his 5 years in construction, he worked at the corporate level and in both Civil and Building construction.
Greg graduated from Virginia Military Institute where he played football and earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Greg has a passion for coaching and continuous learning and will lead Barnhill’s Leadership & Development journey as we continue to grow and live by the values that have made Barnhill successful.
John began his career with Barnhill’s Building Group in 2000, where he was instrumental in delivering complex projects across the state. In 2019, he was tapped to lead the Group’s eastern region, which specializes in delivering projects east of I-95. John has a diverse construction background which includes extensive experience in electrical construction and the fabrication of historic reuse building materials. As vice president of the division, John is responsible for all daily operations including division strategy, business development and project selections.
John is an active member of the North Carolina Hospital Engineers Association, the Carolinas Associated General Contractors, the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas and the Construction Management Association of America. He is a licensed electrical contractor and commercial general contractor in the state of North Carolina and currently serves on the East Carolina University’s Construction Management Department Advisory Board.
Chris joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 1986 and worked as the chief estimator and project manager in the Raleigh Division before his promotion to vice president of the division in 2006. In 2017, Chris was tapped to lead the Civil Group’s Highway Division where he is responsible for the daily operations of the division including business development, selection of bid projects, completed bid approval, and long-range planning.
Chris is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is an active member of the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association.
Thumper joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 2006 as Vice President of the Civil Group’s Coastal Division and has more than 28 years of construction experience. In his role as vice president, Thumper oversees the day-to-day operations of the Coastal Division which includes long-range planning, business development, project management and oversight of estimating.
Thumper is a graduate of East Carolina University where he earned a degree in business administration. He is an active member of the Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.
Bruce originally joined the company in 1997 after working as a NCDOT inspector on a Barnhill job. Mr. B and Allen Barnhill immediately spotted his potential and hired him as a Grade Foreman on Hwy 210 in our Heavy Highway Division. About a year and a half later an opportunity opened up in the Southeast Division for managing paving crews, and Bruce acquired that position. He began to take on more and more of the asphalt operations and shifted into an Area Manager role.
Bruce is well respected in the asphalt industry and a precise leader. He currently serves as a Board Member on the Sampson County Community College Heavy Equipment Operator Program. As Vice President of the Civil Group’s Southeast Division, Bruce will oversee all operations, striving to use innovation and think outside of the box.
Will joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 2006 and as an area manager in the Greenville area. He was promoted to vice president of the Civil Group’s Rocky Mount/Greenville Division in 2015. Will’s responsibilities include oversight of the day-to-day operations of the division including bid selection, approval of completed projects, business development, project management and long-term planning.
Will is a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia and currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association.
Will graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. In 2005, he received a certificate through Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business Executive Finance Program.
800 Tiffany Blvd, Suite 200
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
NC General Contractors License No. 3194 Serving North Carolina and the Southeast
