As Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. grows in Colorado, one of Barry E. Walter Jr.’s roles, aside from chief operating officer, is chief reminding officer. “When we do hire new people as we grow, they need to understand the history of the business,” Barry Jr. said.
The business essentially started with one machine in his grandfather’s garage in southern California. After serving in the Navy during World War II, his grandfather worked in several plumbing supply houses. He put together the first stem catalog as a resource for plumbers to identify the stems.
A skilled manufacturer and engineer, Barry Jr.’s grandfather told the owner of one supply house that he could make the plumbing parts himself. “His boss bought him a machine and he put it in his garage and that’s how my grandfather got started,” Barry Jr. said.
His grandfather founded Walter Plumbing Parts and worked with various partners throughout the original company’s history, but it eventually went bankrupt. “My grandfather could make and build anything, but he was not a good businessman,” Barry Jr. said. “He sold the last partner most of his shares and retired when he no longer had the majority. My father was working for the company when the last partner filed for Chapter 11 and locked the doors.”
Barry Jr.’s father saw great potential in his father’s drawings and original valve bodies and parts and decided to buy the assets of the company and start over as Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. in 1986.
“We moved to Colorado 26 years ago with two CNC machines and we recently took possession of our fourteenth machine,” Barry Jr. said, adding that he joined the company around the time of the move.
First and foremost a manufacturer, Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. offers superior quality plumbing parts to wholesalers around the country, with a focus on long-term relationships and extraordinary service. “We will continue making and supplying parts for today and parts for the future, with a constant focus on technology and people to increase our capabilities and effectiveness,” Barry Jr. said.
Since moving to Fort Morgan, Colorado, the company has grown from five employees to a team of approximately 30. “We go through 6,000 pounds of brass a week and we have an amazing service team of rock stars who make IMARK members the parts heroes to their customers.”
A family business, Barry Jr. works with his three brothers, Lauren, Franklin and Nathaniel, and father (Barry Sr.). “Both of my parents still own the business,” he said. “My dad is no longer in charge, but he still consults with us and does R&D on new items like thermostatic cartridges. Along with my three brothers, I have Director of Operations Melissa Vondy, Primary Operations Team Leader Abi Aguirre, Warehouse Team Leader Ken Stickley, Customer Service Team Leader Brenda Hofman and Secondary Operations Team Leader Jesus Rojas.”
Very culture-driven, the management team treats employees like partners. “We want people to show up, feel safe and be fulfilled by what they’re doing,” Barry Jr. said. “When I took over running the business, I became very intentional in how we behave, even little things like vocabulary. There are no bosses, employees, managers, etc. We have team leaders and team members instead. We do several unique things like PTO for volunteer time, an hour off for an hour of time served at a local nonprofit.”
The company treats customers and vendors like partners as well. “IMARK is made up of independent wholesalers and that’s who we align with,” Walter said. “We’re not trying to get rich, quick. We’re not interested in selling something today if we can’t build a relationship. Twenty years from now, our companies should still be growing together.”
Core Values
Look no further than its core values to see how Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. conducts business:
- Family First
- Serve Others
- Build Relationships
- We Value Small Business
- American-Made Matters
IMARK Plumbing members can use the helpdesk@barry-walter.com to send photos of parts that need identification. The company makes about 17,000 different parts and is constantly expanding with new parts every month to fulfill customer needs.
Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. ships parts to IMARK members from coast to coast and plans to open a new location in the near future to serve its East Coast customers even better.
For more information, visit barrywalter.com.
Barry E. Walter Sr. Co. is a family-owned and operated business. Pictured (l-r) Franklin Walter, Lauren Walter, Barry Walter Sr., Barry Walter Jr. and Nathaniel Walter.
IMARK Plumbing members can use the helpdesk@barry-walter.com to send photos of parts that need identification. The company makes about 17,000 different parts and is constantly expanding with new parts every month to fulfill customer needs.