L/B Water Service, Inc

LB Water was founded in 1970 by Lehman B. Mengel, an entrepreneur and visionary who saw the need for an exceptional supplier of water and sewer products to contractors and municipalities in the local Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania area. Because he had been a successful contractor and business man for over thirty years, Lehman understood the importance of company pride and enthusiastic customer service—principles that are still at the core of our corporate culture today.

Growing the business took time and hard work but we are proud to say that six of our original seven core manufactures are still our primary vendors today. This says a lot about our integrity, dedication, and commitment.

Jim App, Walt VanNuys and Bill Everly, Sr. eventually purchased the company and led LB Water into new markets while staying true to Lehman's original vision and philosophy.

In 1984 we opened a full-service location in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, giving us the opportunity to be closer to our customers in the area. The new location also allowed us to forge new business partnerships and continue to execute our mission of providing expert knowledge and service to the waterworks industry.

Our Ephrata, Pennsylvania, location opened in 1994, enabling us to provide better service and quicker responses to our customers’ orders. In all locations we continued t o work diligently and intensified our employee training as we became recognized as industry experts by engineers and customers alike.

Location number four, in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, was founded in 2000. The reputation of the LB Water brand, coupled with a broadening product line and 30 years of expert experience, enabled us to quickly establish Ebensburg as a premier location and distributor of choice in the area.

In April of 2002, the company was sold to the employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The employees now own 100% of LB Water, giving them an increased sense of pride, commitment, motivation, and security. 

LB Water expanded further west to Stoneboro, Pennsylvania, in 2003. This move marked a step outside of our existing footprint.Our dedicated and committed staff, working in a market without an established client base, was able to bring the LB Water fundamentals  -- industry expertise, inventory and customer service -- successfully to the northwestern Pennsylvania market.

In 2005, LB Water joined the Distribution Group. Through this very beneficial partnership, we have made new friends from distributorships across the country, gained new opportunities to meet with potential long-term suppliers, and developed new relationships with previously unknown manufacturers.

In 2007 we extended our reach beyond the borders of Pennsylvania into Frederick, Maryland - a new state and a host of new business opportunities and the ability to serve the metro areas of Baltimore and Washington, DC.

LB Water continued its reach into western Pennsylvania in 2012 when our Oakdale, Pennsylvania facility opened just west of Pittsburgh. This location serves the Pittsburgh metro area and parts of West Virginia and Ohio.

In 2013, LB Water opened its first location in Virginia.  The new location is known as LB Water Richmond, in Chester, Virginia. It is LB Water’s eighth location overall, marking a milestone in the company’s five-year expansion plan. This location serves central, southern and eastern Virginia.

Today, LB Water continues to forge strong business partnerships and continues to execute our mission of becoming the supplier of choice to our customers, and to the waterworks industry. 'We Make Water Work'