Robert and Ellen Thompson

The Robert and Ellen Thompson Foundation was established in 1999 in Michigan by Robert M. “Bob” Thompson and his wife Ellen A. Thompson. The Thompsons, along with Mr. Thompson’s uncle, Wilford McCully, started the Thompson-McCully Company, a contract road paving company, in 1959. McCully left the company in 1960 but Robert Thompson stayed on, developing the company until it became Michigan’s largest asphalt paving company. Mr. Thompson helped lead the paving industry during his 40 years in business, serving as chairman of the National Asphalt Paving Foundation (NAPA), and president of the Michigan Road Builders Association, the Michigan Asphalt Pavement Association and the National Center for Asphalt Technology. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are known for their exceptional philanthropy, especially in the area of education.