In 1990, Richard and Donald DuBreuil left their jobs as superintendents at Pike Industries and set out to build something of their own. They did not start with much: just their retirement savings, equipment stored in the backyard, and a kitchen table that doubled as the company office. Yet from that modest beginning, R&D Paving has grown into one of the largest asphalt companies in northern New England, recognized for its reputation, consistency, and family-centered ethos.
Today, the company is led by Richard’s sons, Matthew and Joe, who operate as 50/50 partners. For Matthew, the family ownership has been one of the company’s proudest milestones. “It began with my father’s and uncle’s families, but now we support 35 to 40 families, many of whom are relatives or close friends. Originally, we started to support two families with smaller jobs, but we’ve grown to support many, which has required us to reach this level.”
The scope of R&D’s work reflects that growth. While the company specializes in reclaiming, milling, and dirt work, its core lies in the asphalt industry, serving residential, commercial, municipal, and state markets. “We offer our services to the residential markets, commercial municipality, and state—anything from someone’s driveway to a commercial parking lot, to a town contract to repave any of their roads, to state contracts—those are the four areas that we work with,” says Matthew. “We offer paving, grading, milling, reclaiming, digging out, driveways, prepping, and shoulder gravel.”
“We offer our services to the residential markets, commercial municipality, and state—anything from someone’s driveway to a commercial parking lot, to a town contract to repave any of their roads, to state contracts—those are the four areas that we work with.”
Over 35 years, that offering has evolved to serve both small communities and major institutions. The company has maintained a long relationship with the town of Windham, where it has held contracts for 12 years. “It’s a town we bid on every year, with an aggressive and competitive bid where the town feels comfortable accepting us. We have a great relationship with the town. They would just prefer to work with us, but they do have to go out to bid each year. It’s a $1,000,000 contract, pretty much every year, and it utilizes a lot of what we offer.” The work spans reclaiming, dirt preparation, fine grading, and paving, and over time has generated further commercial and private opportunities in the region.
The company has also worked with the town of Hollis in southern New Hampshire for just as long. Here too, trust and consistency have made the difference. “They enjoy our business and really enjoy working with us to the point where we try to work something out each year, where it doesn’t necessarily go out to bid because they’re so happy with what we’re able to offer. We always put such a competitive price in, that the majority of the time we’re able to just submit a price, work with the road agent and the Board of Selectmen, put a good program together, and then they usually accept it and sign us up very early so that way we place them on the schedule, which is one thing they love.”
That early scheduling ensures projects are completed before summer, allowing towns to roll into peak months with fresh roads and minimal disruption. “We put them in early in the year, so by the end of April, middle of May, their town—which is another 3/4 of a million to $1,000,000 contract—is complete; their paving is all done, and they can roll into summer with new roads and no issue with traffic or having construction going on all summer,” Matthew says. He contrasts this with towns that delay bidding processes until summer, often creating months of disruption. “The town of Hollis does a great job of making sure that they get what they want with the company they want, and takes care of their citizens. It’s worth the money that they spend.”
Such relationships now extend across 26 municipalities, proof that R&D has become a trusted name throughout the state. Beyond municipal work, the company has also completed unique projects, such as the rebuilding of the running track at the University of New Hampshire. “This is already a big project, as if any records are broken or any championships are held there, the track has to be certifiable and up to standard in terms of specs for the title to hold,” Matthew explains. The company has now completed five such tracks across schools and universities, and the UNH track was even recognized in 2023 as the University System of the United States’ Top Outdoor Project.
Another notable contract is R&D’s ongoing work at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the only NASCAR track in New England. Each year, the company handles the majority of its paving requirements, ensuring that the facility meets the highest standards demanded by the sport.
The story of R&D Paving is also a story of continuity. Matthew recalls the values his father and uncle instilled in the company’s earliest years. “Our father and our uncle were adamant about hard work. You did what you had to do to make it happen, whether it’s to stay on schedule, to get better at what you do, or to keep the quality at the standards they wanted—it’s a matter of doing what you have to do; the hard work, the perseverance, and making sure all goals are met.”
That ethic carried into the next generation, as Matthew and Joe grew into leadership roles while ensuring clients felt the same confidence in the company. “I think people can honestly say that we’re very consistent with our work ethic, quality and attitude—people remember when my brother and I were on the job sites at a very young age, and here we are still on the job sites. We still have uncles working for us and anyone we bring in is going to work the way that we’ve always worked over the last 35 years.”
Culture has become central to the company’s success. For Matthew, the consistency clients value is matched by an internal culture that draws employees in. “Consistency is what a lot of people enjoy with us. We’re building a culture that is unique to the industry, where people want to come to work. They enjoy working for us and with us—we work side by side. We’ve become more of a presence on social media, not just our quality of work, but also what we do after work, whether it’s taking the guys to a Red Sox game, a Celtics game or axe-throwing. We’re building a culture that people want to be part of—at the end of the day, we need people who want to pave, we have to get roads in better shape. We want people who want to do it and enjoy doing it.”
That commitment has allowed the company to expand carefully. In 2025 alone, R&D is set to handle a significant workload, with two paving crews, a reclaim/mill crew, and a grading crew in operation. “We’re booked, and I’m trying to see how I can accommodate every customer and everyone that calls in. We’ve been able to establish another crew when it comes to the dirt side, so now we have two paving crews, a reclaim/mill crew and a grading crew, and we’ll build off that next year, where we can allow even more to be done in the same amount of time,” Matthew says.
Operating in New Hampshire means working within a limited season, which makes growth a necessity rather than an option. “Unfortunately, in New Hampshire we’re seasonal—we only have so much time to get it done, so when there’s a large demand for us to do work for many people, the only way we can accommodate everybody is to grow. We can’t come up with any more days, the season’s not going to get any longer, so we just have to grow.”
Still, growth for R&D Paving must remain sustainable. As Matthew stresses, expansion will never come at the cost of the company’s identity. “We’re not going to grow to the point where people don’t recognize us—being a company that people are accustomed to and they can relate to over 35 years by keeping a lot of things the same, we don’t want to outgrow that. We’ve got to pace ourselves, which we are doing and we will continue to do. Each year will be some sort of growth, but at a rate that’s determined by how comfortable we are with the people who are available to hire. They’ll allow us to build and grow.”
Thirty-five years on from its kitchen-table beginnings, R&D Paving stands as proof of what hard work, perseverance, and family values can achieve. From small-town contracts to university tracks and NASCAR facilities, the company has built its reputation one project at a time—always with an eye on quality, consistency, and the people who make it possible. As it looks to the future, R&D remains focused on sustainable growth, strong relationships, and the culture that has defined it from day one.
