About UsHistory of a Family Business:The C. I. Thornburg Co., Inc. was founded by Charles Irving Thornburg in 1931 in Huntington, WV. Mr. Thornburg, a post depression entrepreneur, capitalized on the commercial building boom in the Huntington area by starting the firm as a Fire Sprinkler Contractor. The C. I. Thornburg Co. existed and thrived until World War II, at which time commercial building slowed, and the steel pipe used in the construction of fire sprinkler systems was rationed. During the War and shortly thereafter, Mr. Thornburg horded his ration of steel pipe, found other sprinkler contractors that had a pipe shortage and made a profit re-selling the pipe to the needy contractor. Thus the “supply” side of The C. I. Thornburg Co. business was born. Mr. Thornburg’s company operated successfully both as a contractor and a supply house. In 1957, at the age of 34, a young engineer, E. Webster “Web” Morrison, was working for a local precision optics company in Huntington, WV. Having two small sons at home, and aspiring more for his family, Web was on the outlook for opportunity. After searching for a year, Web found his opportunity to be with the small contractor/supply house owned by Mr. Thornburg. Mr. Thornburg was looking to sell his business. Web Morrison sought the assistance and financial resources of six of his friends and business associates and purchased The C. I. Thornburg Co. from Mr. C. I. Thornburg in 1958. A newspaper report from the Huntington Advertiser dated Wednesday, June 4, 1958 reads as follows: “The C. I. Thornburg Co., with business in excess of $1,000,000 a year, was purchased today by the Standard Investment Co. of Huntington. A purchase price was not disclosed, but principals in the transactions stated it was in six figures.” The original seven stockholders were Web Morrison, Andy D’Antoni, David Fox, Jr., Andy Houvouras, Leo DiPiero, Claude Modesitt and Don Modesitt. Mr. Morrison was the only stockholder to work at the new enterprise, and was named President. Further in the June 4, 1958 Huntington Advertiser article, Mr. Morrison was quoted, “We intend to expand as time goes by. Nothing planned now, however.” Expand they did. From the only location at 2837 Collis Avenue in Huntington, WV Web Morrison and his staff, led by Joe Dawson, Jack and Bob Bazemore, Bill Anderson, Harold Jackson and many others, grew the business from just over $1,000,000 to over $5,000,000 by 1975. In 1975 the Company expanded it’s presence into Kentucky by opening the first Branch in Lexington. Tom Robson became the first Branch Manager at the Lexington Branch located at 741 Fox Industrial Road, just off New Circle at Old Frankfort Pike. This Branch has since relocated to a new facility, built specifically for CITCO, just across New Circle Road at 741 Enterprise Drive. The other major milestone in the Company history was the purchase of the stock from the six stockholders giving Web and his wife Adelle complete ownership. This series of transactions was completed in 1978. At that time, Web and Adelle’s two sons, Ed and Alan, having both graduated from Virginia Tech with Engineering degrees, were working at the Company. The future seemed bright and well planned. The Huntington Branch relocated in 1990 in Huntington to its current location at 4034 Altizer Avenue, the former location of Branchland Pipe & Supply, an oil and gas supply distributor owned by the David Fox, Jr. family. A third Branch location was added in 1996 in Anmoore, WV. This Branch was relocated in 2000 to its currect location near I-79 in Bridgeport. The fourth location in Bowling Green, KY was added in 1998 to better serve the customers in Western Kentucky. In 2004 The C. I. Thornburg Co., Inc. purchased assets of Water Works and Industrial Supply, Inc. (WWISCO) and incorporated its operations into existing branches. WWISCO had operations in Huntington, WV, Lexington, KY and Fairmont, WV. In 2006 The C. I. Thornburg Co., Inc. opened a Control Design and Manufacturing facility in Huntington. This provides the ability to design and construct basic control panels and sophisticated telemetry and control systems internally. Efficient design and manufacturing along with experienced builders and programmers result in quality solutions for the municipal customers of The C. I. Thornburg Co., Inc. In December of 2008 The C. I. Thornburg Co., Inc. will open a fifth branch in Nashville, TN. The company’s five full service branches serve the municipal water and wastewater industry in all of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Southern part of Ohio with well over 100 employees. The third generation of Morrisons joined the company. Ed’s son Edward W. (Eddie) Morrison, III and Alan’s son Jeff have both joined the company and hope to continue the legacy of success and growth. Our Mission:
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