The earliest roots of our manufacturing firm began over 50 years ago in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California.  Working at a plumbing supply house just out of the U.S. Navy in World War II, my father, Lauren D. Walter Sr. decided to use his garage to earn a little extra money.  He soon learned that plumbers, called upon to repair ancient pipes and bathroom fixtures, often had difficulty locating parts made by companies that had gone out of business.  Sensing opportunity, he bought a hand operated lathe and began to turn out replacement parts in his garage.  As the years passed, a small shed in the backyard became a home to more lathes and milling machines. My brother, Lauren Jr. and I were expected to work in the backyard shop as part of the household chores.

However, what started out as a way to provide some extras for the family turned into a full-time career as it gradually grew through the years.  Walter Plumbing Parts Mfg. Inc. relocated itself to Pacoima, California in a building 10 times bigger than that backyard shed.

Unfortunately, Walter Plumbing Parts got away from its original family foundation by bringing on some outside partners.  Soon, the internal problems would prove to be too much and the company folded.  But that was only the beginning of the story.

Having worked with the company, and seeing the great potential, I bought all the company’s assets and brought back many of the employees. I used the same building and started fresh as Barry E. Walter Sr. Company.  A mouthful, indeed, but this would be a family business that stayed a family business.

After more than ten years in Pacoima, the business was relocated to Fort Morgan, Colorado, a small town of 15,000 just 80 miles NE of Denver. Six of our employees made the move with the company, four of those employees are still with us.

Now, after almost 20 years, Barry E. Walter Sr. Company has tripled the size of the original building in Pacoima.  It’s 30 times bigger than that first backyard shed my father used to make his first parts.  We still have the 2 original 1930’s Acme-Gridley multi-spindle machines from Walter Plumbing Parts, along with other second operation presses, lathes, and mills.  Today, however, the heart of the company's machines are the 6 CNC lathes and 4 CNC Swiss-style machines that drop off many parts complete in just 1-2 minutes each.

Just like my father over 50 years ago, I am still managing the actions of his company with Debra, my wife of 37 years, by my side. The only difference now, is there aren’t any outside partners involved…just family. With my two oldest sons, Barry E. Walter Jr. and Lauren E. Walter overseeing most of the daily operations, my other two sons, Franklin and Nathaniel work part time. 

Since moving to Fort Morgan, Barry E. Walter Sr. Company has grown from 10 employees to about 25. With all the growth we’ve seen over the years in our facilities, manufacturing capabilities, and products, our most noteworthy statistics are our employees’ experience and loyalty.  We have retained 2 key employees since 1987, and most others have been with us for 10 or more years.