Launching operations in Nashville during 1942, Boiler Supply Company, Inc.’s founder Wallace E. Lunn, Sr., P.E., envisioned a company servicing the industrial and institutional markets of Tennessee and surrounding states with emphasis on power generation and distribution. Initially, the principal level of business activity for Boiler Supply Company was in furnace installation and repair for field erected boilers. Affiliated with the A. P. Green Company as its primary supplier, Boiler Supply Company also distributed refractory and insulating materials around the Southeast and provided installation and design services.
Throughout its history, Boiler Supply Company has been committed to adjusting to changing market conditions. Boiler Supply Company was ready to adapt when commercial and industrial users began to transition from coal to fuel oil as the primary energy source after World War II. With the decline of refractory use and the spread of natural gas pipelines across the Southeast, Boiler Supply Company was well positioned to move forward with gas/oil equipment.
Entrance Into the Package Boiler Industry
Boiler Supply Company entered the package boiler industry in 1952 and began representing a variety of major manufacturers for sales and service of packaged boilers and related products. In the same year, Boiler Supply opened its first branch office in Knoxville, TN, to better serve the growing markets of east Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and southeast Kentucky.
Boiler Supply Affiliates With Cleaver Brooks
In 1962, seven years after becoming a Tennessee corporation, Boiler Supply Company affiliated itself with the largest manufacturer of packaged boilers in the world, Cleaver-Brooks. Since this affiliation, the company has provided sales and service for over 1,000 boiler installations and consistently ranks as a top seller of Cleaver-Brooks products.
Eddie Lunn Jr. Takes Over as CEO
Eddie Lunn, Jr. succeeded his father as president and chief executive officer for the company in 1978, overseeing Boiler Supply Company’s continued growth including its first expansion via acquisition: the purchase of Applied Industrial Company of Georgia in August of 1995. Cleaver-Brooks and other major manufacturers already represented in Tennessee appointed Boiler Supply Company of Georgia, Incorporated as their authorized Georgia representative.
Boiler Supply Company continued its steady expansion with other acquisitions including Allen Welding Company of College Park, GA in 2001 and Davis Boiler Repair Company of Nashville in 2003. Engaged in boiler and pressure vessel installation and repair, the addition of the companies provided enhanced service capabilities in their market areas.
Eddie Lunn III Becomes President of Boiler Supply
Eddie Lunn, III was appointed president of Boiler Supply Company in April of 2007, overseeing corporate operations, administration and strategic planning. Under his leadership, the sales, service and repair divisions were restructured to achieve more efficient manpower utilization and improve market penetration. A key element of the restructuring was the creation of an engineering group to provide technical support to all divisions.
Boiler Supply Company, Inc. has been successful in transitioning through numerous market developments, changing with the times to better serve its customers. The company offers many new aftermarket services, such as remote boiler room monitoring on a stand-alone basis or as part of a comprehensive planned maintenance and annual inspection service. Boiler Supply Company can now provide a complete, "turn-key" powerhouse including design, construction, equipment, maintenance, water treatment and operations. Boiler rental with long term leasing options are available as well as water treatment consultation and management.