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Howland Pump & Supply of Ogdensburg buying Hulbert Brothers company

Posted 12/12/17

OGDENSBURG -- Howland Pump & Supply Co. Inc., an Ogdensburg-based plumbing and heating supply corporation, has entered into an agreement to purchase Hulbert Brothers Inc., Hulbert Tri-Lake Supply …

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Howland Pump & Supply of Ogdensburg buying Hulbert Brothers company

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OGDENSBURG -- Howland Pump & Supply Co. Inc., an Ogdensburg-based plumbing and heating supply corporation, has entered into an agreement to purchase Hulbert Brothers Inc., Hulbert Tri-Lake Supply Inc. and Hulbert Supply Co. Inc.

The three corporations have four New York based branches along with two in Vermont.

Dale Miner is the president of Hulbert Brothers, Inc. (Malone and Plattsburgh), Betsy Miner is the president of Hulbert Tri-Lake Supply, Inc. (Saranac Lake and Lake Placid) and Doug Hulbert is the president of Hulbert Supply Co., Inc. (Burlington, VT and Brandon, VT)

The transaction is anticipated to complete in 2018.

Stephen C. LaRose, Ogdensburg, Richard P. McDonald, a Lisbon native and Parishville resident and Timothy E. Sherry, of New Hartford, are the owners of Howland Pump & Supply, whose headquarters will remain in Ogdensburg.

LaRose, the majority owner, is the president of the company, with McDonald and Sherry involved in the purchasing functions.

Howland Pump & Supply operates nine locations: Howland Pump & Supply, Ogdensburg, Potsdam Plumbing Supply, Gouverneur Plumbing Supply, Utica Plumbing Supply, Watertown Supply Company, Massena Plumbing Supply, Oneida Plumbing Supply, Utica Plumbing Supply in Rome, and Howland Pump & Supply in Malone.

The Hulbert locations will be known as Hulbert Supply, with the Malone locations being merged in 2018. After the merger in Malone, Howland Pump & Supply Co. Inc. will own and operate 14 locations.

"We are honored and humbled by the faith shown in us by Dale Miner, Betsy Miner and Doug Hulbert, their Board of Directors and John Peria the Chairman of the Board," LaRose said in a prepared statement. "Hulbert Supply was established in Plattsburgh in 1947 by Donald Hulbert. Today the business is managed by three of his grandchildren, Dale, Betsy and Doug. They have done a great job and I look forward to working with them.

"We believe that the Hulbert employees are the biggest asset that we have acquired. We look forward to the future with a great deal of excitement; hungry for success yet humble in our approach.”

The history of Howland Pump & Supply Company dates back to 1855. Babcock Pump was founded in 1855 by A. Babcock and was one of the leading manufacturing companies in Ogdensburg. In 1910, Joseph C. Howland purchased the company and changed the name in 1922 to J.C. Howland Pump Works. In 1937, the name was changed to Howland Pump & Supply by Homer Howland, the son of Joseph C. Howland.

Ken McDonald bought into the company in 1961 and took over the business in 1971. Ken and Dawn McDonald moved the Ogdensburg location from King Street to their current location on the Ogdensburg-Canton Road in 1984. The business expanded to Potsdam in 1976 and Gouverneur in 1983 where Russ McDonald was the first manager.

In 1992, Gouverneur Plumbing moved to their current location on U.S. Route 11. In 1984, the business purchased Utica Plumbing Supply and Watertown Supply Company. Watertown Supply moved to their current location on Bradley Street in 1995. Utica Plumbing moved into their new building on Whitesboro Street in 2003. In 1990, Massena Plumbing Supply was opened on the South Raquette Street location where they current operate.

In 1993, Oneida Supply was purchased on West Railroad Street and in 1998 the Rome operation was opened on Erie Boulevard. In November of 2010, Stephen C. LaRose, Richard P. McDonald, and Timothy E. Sherry purchased the business from Dawn C. McDonald and Laura E. McDonald-Hills. In 2011, the Malone location was opened on State Route 11 just outside of Malone.