FROM THEN TO NOW

With 8 children at home, Ralph Porter ventures out to start Porter Supply Co., a heating supply company. Our first location in Addison, Illinois is just 8,000 sq. ft., and the first year’s sales total $310,000.

Ralph’s son, Jim Porter, joins the family business. He drives a used pick-up to make deliveries while Ralph works back at the office. It isn’t long before Ralph’s other son, Bud Porter, joins his brother as a delivery driver in 1983.

Building on our initial success, Porter Supply Co. expands to own an adjacent lot, making our first location total 18,000 sq. ft.

Porter Supply Co. announces the shift to 24-hour service, allowing us to help our customers on their schedule.

Ralph retires from Porter Supply Co., with Jim and Bud buying the family business. Today, they serve as CEO and President. With this purchase comes a new name, Porter Pipe & Supply, and a new location totaling 40,000 sq. ft.

The Porter Pipe Chicago Will Call is established with an 8,000 sq. ft. facility in the city’s South Loop. Today, it is one of the highest production and service level branches in the company.

Porter Pipe reaches a milestone 100 team members, and we open our third location in Hammond, Indiana, expanding our reach to the Northwest Indiana region.

Porter Pipe is joined by Bulldog Cartage, our shipping, handling and storage solution, and Porterfab, our state-of-the-art shop space. Together, we make up what is now known as the Porter Family Companies.

In less than a decade, the Porter Pipe family doubles in size for a total of 200 team members. This same year, we establish a new facility in Rockford, Illinois, allowing us to serve customers across Rockford, Eastern Iowa and Southern Wisconsin.

The Porter Pipe headquarters in Addison begins FASTLANE service, the fastest way to get materials to customers. We also open our fifth location, a full-service distribution center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Today, three generations of Porter family members are a part of Porter Pipe, including six of Jim’s children and one of Bud’s.