Vaughn & Melton was founded in Middlesboro, Kentucky, by Robert W. Vaughn and Lewis N. Melton in early 1967. They chose the small-city environment to offer engineering services because they were not previously available in that area.

Before the end of 1968, the team grew to seven and the number of engineering services was expanded. The Greeneville (Tennessee) office was opened in 1969 and mechanical engineering and design were added to the services offerings. By 1971, the firm had grown to 16 professionals and additional services were added, including environmental engineering.

At the end of its first decade, Vaughn & Melton moved into a new headquarters and added related engineering and design services. From 1974 to 1977, the company more than doubled, greatly increasing its capacity and adding services to the coal industry. In 1983, bridge design was offered swelling our employee count to more than 60. By 1985, the number had grown to over 100 professional, technical, administrative and clerical people. And in the following year, the Asheville (North Carolina) office was opened. During this period, industrial and structural engineering capabilities were expanded and architectural services were offered for the first time.

In 1989, the various offices of Vaughn & Melton were brought together under one corporation, Vaughn & Melton, Inc. Although each office continues to operate as a decision-making entity, the complete engineering and architectural capabilities of the various offices are available to support each other.

The decade of the 1990s brought another doubling of Vaughn & Melton staff size. In 1996, two additional corporations were added to the Vaughn & Melton, Inc. holdings, Tunnel Management, Inc. and Flynt Engineering Company. Tunnel Management, Inc. was formed as the Cumberland Gap Tunnel Authority to manage, operate, and maintain the $250 million twin tunnels on US-25E for the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Flynt Engineering Company was a civil engineering and land survying firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. These two acquisitions added 80 new employees.

Vaughn & Melton grew again in 2001, with the acquisition of Niles and Associates of Lexington (Kentucky) and Davis-Quilllin Engineering and Architects in Knoxville (Tennessee). The Niles firm, possibly Kentucky's oldest aerial mapping firm includes its still-active founder, Robert H. Niles. Similarly, Lanny Davis architect, engineer and founder of Davis-Quillin, joined the Knoxville (Tennessee) staff in an advisory capacity.

Today, with more than 200 employees, Vaughn & Melton offers a wide range of engineering and architectural services for the people, communities and industries of the Southeast. Vaughn & Melton is proud of its record of continuing growth and quality of service to its clients. The growth and reputation of the firm are the direct result of individual and cooperative efforts of the staff, and the future of the company depends on the continuation of those efforts and strict adherence to the highest standards.