Spaeth, Inc. – 100 Years and Starting
by Joey Welle
The year is 1913. Jim Thorpe is playing baseball for the Giants of New York, a young Winston Churchill is the First Lord of Admiralty, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a sophomore at West Point, and Ervin Spaeth was opening his doors as Kansas City Plumbing & Heating Company in Kansas City, MO on 8th and Holmes Street.
In September of 1917, as the United States was gearing up for World War I, Ervin Spaeth was under contract down at Fort Sill, Oklahoma working on the original Mess Hall, Barracks, and what he described as , warehouses. The Spaeth name actually played roles in the countries wartime preparations for both World Wars constructing and retrofitting chemical plants, packing plants, mills, including the Rock Island Railroad Roundhouse and the Union Carbide Plant in Oak Ridge, TN which housed R&D on the Manhatton Project.
In 1942, the company relocated to Oklahoma City, and in 1944 after the World War II return of Uncle Jim and Uncle Abe from honorable service in the Navy and the Marines, the company continued to be active in wartime and post-war construction with prestigious projects at Tinker Field, Clinton Sherman Naval Air Base, the Naval Ammunition Plant at McAlester, OK, and Forbes Air Base in Topeka, KS.
Midcentury, as Oklahoma grew, so did the family company. Many of Oklahoma’s most notable properties have been piped, heated, and cooled by Spaeth, including original construction at Oklahoma State University (Student Union, Library, (then) Home Economics 1 and 2, Ag Hall, etc.), the University of Oklahoma (Chiller Plant, (then) Student Union, Steam Plant), Hillcrest Hospital, Bell Aircraft, Southwestern Bell, Borden Plant, Callery Chemical Boron Missile Plant, U.S. Federal Building, 3M, Whiteman Air Force Base, Ladd Air Force Base in Alaska, Boeing plant, as well as many hospitals and schools throughout Oklahoma.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin. Continued success was dependent on learning new technologies as well as new economic conditions. As Oklahoma City faced its major economic downturn in 1982, now Spaeth, Inc. had to adapt to endure. With no major construction projects in sight, the company turned to the servicing and maintaining of equipment and to the technology side of heat and air known as controls. The company has never looked back. Kevin Spaeth, now President of Spaeth, Inc. having joined the company in May of 1978 remembers the change. “One minute we were hiring cranes to lift chillers off of railroad cars and the next we were buying service vans. Dad had to adapt to survive and do it by staying honest and doing what we were always good at, hard work.” Kevin, joined by brother Steve Spaeth, and brother-in-law Dean Gillmore overcame the economic downturn and navigated the company to growth. “Lots of outfits didn’t make it, but we were always learning, receiving certifications, joining associations, and we were lucky.” Says Dean Gillmore now Secretary of Spaeth, Inc. and Field Supervisor for daily operations.
The Spaeth Family now welcomes its 4th generation of ownership. Brian Spaeth, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma has been with the company since 2005 and joined as an owner in 2012. Brian mentions, “The general public now views heat and air as a commodity and not just a capital expense, and they may be right. As technology becomes more advanced, it allows energy resources such as heat and air to be more efficiently monitored and controlled. That is why I became LEED Certified and why our company is looking into the most state of the art controls systems, and looking to the future.”
The company celebrated their 100th Anniversary on Friday, September 27th with the support of friends, family, city and state officials, and long time customers from the area. “It was humbling to be invited to speak at this event.” says Jim Bartolotta, a founder of the Unified Group. “The way they have documented and showcased their history here, with vintage tools, ledgers, photos and even more unique memorabilia than I could have ever thought of is really very neat to be a part of.”
Senator Constance Johnson, in a State issued Citation of Congratulations, cited Spaeth, Inc.’s “longstanding reputation of friendly and efficient service.” Governor Mary Fallin provided the company with a Governor’s Commendation, thanking the company for its “valuable contributions to the Sooner State. I wish you continued success in the years ahead.” And to look toward those upcoming years, the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce dedicated a ribbon cutting ceremony on Spaeth, Inc.’s “Next 100 Years.” Also present was Labor Commissioner Mark Costello and CIB Director Janis Hubbard.
Today, with its first 100 years behind it, Spaeth, Inc. looks to the future. With a staff of 12 and currently growing, the company is capable of anything. Maintenance is still a key function, but just as much is, retrofitting, new installations, waste oil heaters, controls maintenance and installation, design builds, and energy consultation. So at this point, it is worth mentioning that only 3% of family businesses in North America survive to the 4th generation according to Joseph Astrachan, Ph.D., editor of the Family Business Review, but, Spaeth, Inc. is accustomed to beating the odds. Where will they be in another 100 years?
The year is 2013. . .
Spaeth, Inc. is officed at 2423 N. Oklahoma Ave. in Oklahoma City.