Patterson Pump Observes Anniversary of Purchase

Patterson Pump President Al Huber (left),
Gorman Rupp President Jim Gorman and CEO Jeff Gorman

Last week, Patterson Pump observed the 25th anniversary of the date when the business was purchased by the industrial giant Gorman-Rupp Company. Patterson Pump president Albert Huber recalled the time of the sale, in the fall of 1988.  "We didn't have much of anything," Huber said.  "It wasn't what we had, it was the people."  Since that time, the company has grown in size and production.  Patterson Pump was recently awarded a $70 million contract in New Orleans to provide equipment to construct pumps that would move water out of the city during floods.  Currently, Patterson Pump employs 365 people and Human Resources Director Charles Craig said that employees are moved to different areas within the company as necessary during slow time to avoid terminations.  "We look at laying people off as a management failure," said Craig.  Toccoa's Patterson Pump has more than 350,000 square feet of manufacturing space.  The company produces pumps for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, water pumps for irrigation, flood prevention and wastewater treatment and for industries to transfer liquids and process heating or cooling needs.