The year was 1884. Chester Arthur was president. Mark Twain published “Huckleberry Finn.” Coney Island introduced the first roller coaster. And the Myers family business in Eastern Pennsylvania opened its doors.

 

Over the course of 125 years, the United States has seen tremendous growth and change; a phenomenon evidenced in the evolution of this small business born outside of Lancaster County.

 

Sprung from the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Edward Myers cultivated his water well drilling company with little means and a lot of willpower. Despite the limited technology of the day, Edward grew his business with the help of family and the development of the area. When he retired, his son Charles set up business in Coatesville, PA and named it C.L. Myers. Shortly thereafter, Leroy Myers, Charles' son, joined the family business and changed the name to Lee Myers and Sons when he became the head of the company.

 

The well drilling tradition carried on for many years and many generations. At the age of 18, Leroy's son Barry transitioned the

 

 

 

 

 

company into a new phase of development, creating B.L. Myers and Sons. Barry's brother,Gregg, is currently Vice President and Secretary, and has over 34 years of well drilling experience, while David Myers — Gregg's nephew and Barry's son — is President and CEO of B.L. Myers Bros. today.

 

As a fifth generation family business owner, David lives his work every day. It is part of his history, and it's something he has passed on to his colleagues and to the next generation of Myers. In fact, a family culture exists for all employees — creating an environment in which the communication between management and workers is enhanced, problems are more openly discussed and solutions are achieved by talking directly to ownership. With 55 employees under his wing, including his son David Jr., David Sr. imparts the lessons he's learned over the years to others and combines this knowledge with their talents and trends in the industry.

 

Using the latest technology, B.L. Myers has evolved into a full-service water well drilling company. Their primary focus is geothermal, environmental and residential

water well systems, which improve operating performance, annualized cost and environmental impact. These systems have a higher

 

 

mitigating effect on greenhouse gas emissions and global  warming impacts that any other market-available technology. Their “Just Green It” mantra has only aided the company's ability to grow bigger and better.

 

What began as a one-man shop now employs dozens of workers and services thousands of customers each year. David Sr. acknowledges, “Our success in the current economy has been attributed to cutbacks, without compromising customer satisfaction while maintaining skilled and highly qualified employees.” B.L. Myers is headquartered in Glenmoore, PA, with divisions in Frederick, MD and Manahawkin, NJ. They are customers of Pumps, Inc and Aquaflow Pump & Supply, Co.

 

This article appeared in the Gould ITT November 2009 magazine.

 

 

 

 

  

I was in line yesterday waiting for my H1N1 vaccine behind a man with his two younger children.  A friendly dialogue transpired, as these things do, and the question was brought up “how did we ever survive at that age?”  Anyone from the 60's and 70's knows exactly where this was going.

 

Aside from the absence of the many vaccines our children get today, we did “kid” things. We shot bottle rockets at each other, had BB gun fights, raced go-carts and motor cross bikes (minus the helmet), scars were cool and as long as your mom didn't know, it was alright.

 

That philosophy is still alive and well in many aspects of our lives as adults. Some things are just too hard to give up.  But we are also so much better educated today about cause and effect and risk management. One would hope these suspect practices would eventually just fade away.

 

Well, that's not going to happen; we certainly realize this. Safety isn't fun, it requires forethought and planning and JSA's and SSHASP's and PPE (and a bunch more acronyms). BUT, loosing an eye still sucks so we continue to move forward.

 

This past year B.L. Myers Bros of PA experienced no OSHA recordable injuries or lost days. We worked fairly close to the same number of hours as in 2008 and did jobs 3 to 4 hours away from our PA shop.  Considering the nature of our job and the conditions in which we ask our employees to work (rain, mud, heat, etc.) this is a fairly big accomplishment for us.  Now is not the time to get complacent.

 

And it's not just us. Last year we saw the passing of several bills into law making the use of cell phones while driving illegal.  Last week, they signed a bill against the use of text messaging while driving a vehicle over

 

10,001 pounds (CDL).  Fines can be as high as $2,750.  Cell phone companies are putting out products with cool functions. Many jobs communicate with their employees through cellular communications and even our school district sends updates to the parents cell phones or through text messages.  It makes it a little difficult for us as employers to give the employees a tool and then strictly regulate how it is used.  But anything that takes your focus off the road has often proven fatal and that is the bottom line.

 

As we enter into a new year we must continue to reinforce the goal that everyone goes home each day at least as good as they arrived.  Working with each other to choose the safest way to complete a task, inspecting equipment prior to use, identifying potential problems and keeping an ever watchful eye on your surroundings are just the basics.  Try to remember that

if something appears to be unsafe, it probably is and your initial instincts

are generally correct.  Take the time to communicate with your safety department and supervisors and work smart!