About HMI

Hammond-Mitchell, Inc., specializes in heavy civil construction, is a Class A Contractor licensed to conduct business in the state of VA and holds a WV General Engineering Contractor License.

From 1968 until today—

HMI was incorporated in Alleghany County, Virginia on February 29, 1968 by John B. Mitchell, Sr. and the late Frank H. Hammond, III. While both Mitchell and Hammond were graduates of VMI, each was on a different career path. Mitchell, the resident engineer at Gathright Dam for the US Army Corps of Engineers and Hammond, operating a private surveying company in Alleghany County, together saw the need to develop a professional construction company to work for individuals, corporations and municipalities in the area.

Through the decades, HMI has maintained its original mission of delivering superior construction services across the Alleghany Highlands and beyond. We provide a wide range of construction services utilizing a team of seasoned employees, subcontractors and engineering partners. Each project is constructed with the highest consideration for safety, quality, value and the environment. At the same time, we strive to build relationships with our employees, clients and partners to ensure each project is completed in a timely, safe and professional manner.

Today, Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. operates as a Virginia S-Corporation with; Blair Mitchell President, John Quantz Vice-President and Deborah Garrison Secretary. We are a fully bonded, VDOT pre-qualified and SWAM certified company, with a well-qualified staff of over 40 employees and a full fleet of heavy construction equipment, ready to take on the next project.

earthwork at original Gathright Dam project

bridge construction at Gathright dam in the 60s

two workers at the 1968 gathright dam construction

The Project that started it all—

Gathright Dam at Lake Moomaw circa 1968
One dump truck, one backhoe and two men

Board of Directors

John B. Mitchell, Sr, P.E.

Owner
Chairman of the Board
John B. Mitchell, Sr. serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. John Mitchell is a 1963 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute where he earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army. Following his service, he and his former VMI classmate, Frank H. Hammond III, founded Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. in 1968. The following year, he earned his license as a Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For over 4 decades, John Mitchell’s leadership and construction expertise ensured HMI’s success. In 2006, the board of directors named John (Blair) Mitchell, Jr. President of HMI. At that time, John Mitchell, Sr. moved to the position of Chairman of Board of Directors. Since then, he has enjoyed spending his time pursuing his passion of ranching and farming, as well as spending time with his wife Maudie, his children, and his grandchildren.
John B. Mitchell, Jr

Owner
Board President
John (Blair) Mitchell, Jr. is an owner and serves as the President of Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. Blair has over 38 years of construction experience, serving in every role within HMI. Blair oversees daily operations and provides strategic direction for the company.
John M. Quantz

Board Vice President
Project Engineer
John M. Quantz currently serves as Vice President of Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. and works as Senior Estimator and Senior Project Manager. He has been with the company for 34 years and has extensive experience in various aspects of heavy civil construction. Mr. Quantz earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1995. He also serves on the board of directors for BARC Electric Cooperative, Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District, Allegany County Farm Bureau and on the session of Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church. As owner and operator of Mountain Ridge Farm in Alleghany County, he enjoys working with vehicles, machinery and cattle on the small beef cattle operation. Other hobbies include property maintenance, off-roading, and spending time with his wife, three children and grandchildren.
Deborah J. Garrison

Board Secretary
Office Manager
Deborah is an administrative professional who brings over 36 years of experience to Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. in the areas of Office Management, Human Resources, Accounting, Sales and Marketing. She joined HMI in 2005 as an Administrative Assistant following her position as Voter Registrar for Highland County, VA. In 2014, she was appointed as HMI Corporate Secretary and Office Administrator, responsible for the company’s financial health with efficient day-to-day management .
Away from work, Deborah enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, quilting, reading, and the occasional get-away with old friends.

Senior Management

Russell L. Hughes

Project Manager
Russell L. Hughes has over 35 years of industrial construction experience, with extensive knowledge and experience in the Westrock Covington Papermill. Russell oversees our construction crews and projects in the Westrock Papermill in a variety of job scopes and sizes.
In his personal time, Russell enjoys spending time with his wife, Teresa and their family, hunting, fishing and cheering for the West Virginia Mountaineers!
Benjamin C. Turner

Project Manager
Ben has been a Project Manager for Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. for 5 years. He has extensive construction and management knowledge that he brings to the company and contributes to HMI’s success in a variety of ways. On top of Estimating and Project Management, Ben is the subject matter expert on our scheduling and GPS software. Ben also assists with financial analysis and planning.
Away from work, Ben is a proud husband and father of three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, attending Covington Bible Church, golfing, fishing and working with his hands.
John P. Reed, Jr.

Project Manager
John currently serves as an Estimator, Scheduler, and Project Manager for Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. John earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute in 2019. Before coming to HMI, John spent 4-years as an officer in the United States Army, serving domestically and abroad in logistics and procurement.
Outside of work, John enjoys spending his time with his wife, McKenna, and volunteering as an Alleghany Highlands High School Wrestling Coach.
Cindy L. Quantz

Administrative Assistant
Cindy is our Administrative Assistant: Cindy joined Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. in February of 2017. Cindy brought with her over 30 years of experience in data entry and accounts payable. Cindy graduated 6th in her class at Covington High School in June of 1984 and is also a graduate of JRTC with top honors of her class in stenography. Cindy began her career with Kmart in the fall of 1984. She started as a cashier and worked her way up to Office/HR Manager. She left her position at Kmart to become an accounts payable associate for Celebration & Associates in Hot Springs until 2009 when the housing market crash affected her position. She then began working at the Springs Nursing Center as the Payroll Coordinator in 2010. After a couple of years, she had the opportunity to be an Administrative Assistant for Pepsi Beverages in Low Moor. After the Low Moor location closed in 2014, she worked for the Omni Homestead Resort in the Human Resources department. She then was asked to return to Pepsi Beverages in the Roanoke location. Cindy loves exploring new placed and reading. She found her love of quilting during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic when she taught herself to sew face masks!