Summers-Taylor

Summers-Taylor was founded in 1932 in Elizabethton, Tenn., originally as a general maintenance and construction contractor under the name Taylor Construction Company. Named after its founder, Lines R. Taylor, the business initially served two large German-owned rayon mills that had located in the town during the 1920s. The company was given license number 00000069, meaning it was the 69th contractor of any kind to be licensed in the state of Tennessee. The advent of World War II and the eventual nationalization of the two rayon companies led to additional work for Taylor Construction, accelerating its growth. The company also won contracts to build local schools, hospitals and retail stores.