Our History
United Pump was incorporated by Bruce W. Benton in November of 1971 as United Oil and Engineering, Inc.
The name was changed to United Oil Equipment, Inc. and the Company began daily operations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 1, 1973.
Its purpose was the distribution, servicing and installation of equipment used for the handling and marketing of petroleum products.
The Company leased an 1800 square foot building on a one acre site at 915 Appling Street from Murphy Oil Company. Two years later, United Pump purchased that facility and continued growth resulted in the purchase of an adjoining acre of land.
The construction of a new warehouse and shop building and the remodeling of the original building into o ffice space in 1979 and 1981 respectively provided United Pump with a modern facility of approximately 16,000 square feet on the two acre site.
In March of 1984
On August 15, 1984
The corporation’s name was changed to United Pump This new name more accurately reflected the Company’s role in both the petroleum and industrial equipment markets
In July of 1999
the company opened a D.O.T. registered truck tank and transport trailer repair facility in its existing shop facilities at the Appling St. location in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The department is referred to as the Tank Shop. It holds the “R” Stamp Certificate from the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and is authorized under this certificate to perform major welded repairs to cargo tankers built to certain ASME codes. The operation provides testing and inspection services required on over-the-road petroleum, chemical and dry-bulk cargo vessels. It enjoys a solid market leadership position and an excellent reputation for quality service.
On May 4, 2001
The company’s founder, Bruce W. Benton, Sr., died. He was active in the business until just a few days before his death. His leadership and personal commitment to the business led it through some difficult and exciting times. He was committed to continuous improvement and was never satisfied, knowing that there was always room for improvement.
On April 11, 2002
In an effort to re-focus the business in its strongest market, the board of directors closed on the sale of the Chattanooga Fueling Systems and Servicon Divisions to First Choice Services, Inc. based in Chattanooga. The Tank Shop was not part of that transaction and remains in operation today
On May 11, 2002
the corporate headquarters of the business was relocated to the Atlanta branch in Suwanee, Georgia. This move included the computer servers, all records and the accounts payable, receivable, payroll, purchasing and inventory management functions.
On July 30, 2004
Bruce W. Benton, Jr. completed the purchase of all outstanding shares of stock in the corporation. BJ, as he is known by his peers, first joined the business in May 1980 after serving in the U.S. Air
Force. He has worked in all facets of the business during his nearly 40 year career and has served the petroleum equipment industry through numerous committee and board positions with the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), The American Society of Petroleum Operations Engineers (ASPOE) and the Georgia Tank and Environmental Contractors association (GTEC). His sons Travis and Miles are also active in the business as the third generation.