MECO remains committed to a philosophy which places people and relationships first - whether a customer, an employee or a supplier.
History of MECO
MECO, Inc. of Savannah was founded in 1952 by Mr. Matt Matthews and Mr. Jim Nettles as a subsidiary of Metal Equipment Company - a manufacturer of storage tanks for the petroleum industry. MECO Savannah provided a full range of petroleum handling equipment, including pumps, truck tanks, meters, valves and fittings to oil jobbers in Georgia and South Carolina. A team of salesmen traveled Georgia and South Carolina, calling on oil jobbers in their territories, distributing hand pumps, hoses, nozzles, valves and fittings from their vehicles.
Frank Futrelle, Rentz Woodruff and Mike Scudder were employed by Mr. Matthews during the fifties and were instrumental in the early growth and success of MECO. As the business prospered in each of the territories, offices were opened in Augusta, Atlanta and Florence to better serve the customers in each region. Frank opened the Augusta office in 1959, Rentz opened the Florence office in 1964 and Mike opened the Atlanta office in 1965. Over time, each man would assume ownership of these operations. During the seventies, a second generation began their careers at MECO and additional offices were opened and new ownership opportunities arose.
MECO, Inc. of Florence was founded in 1964 by Matt Matthews and Rentz Woodruff. The partners constructed a new facility consisting of office, warehouse and shop space at 904 South Church Street. Jack Brantley accompanied Rentz from Savannah to Florence to serve as General Manager for the new company. Matt would eventually sell his interest in the company to Rentz. Taylor Woodruff joined the company in 1978 as a retail/commercial salesman and was named President in 1989. Chris Brantley joined the company in 1985 and assued the position of Service Manager in 2005. Tim Brantley joined in 1988 and is a Lead Technician and key employee in the Service Department. Jimmy Griffin, our Install Superintendent has accumulated over 50 years of experience in the field - all at MECO Florence! In 1997, MECO Florence established a branch in Fayetteville, North Carolina to better serve the company's great customers in eastern North Carolina. Bob Baskin, our Service Manager in the Fayetteville office, brings over 35 years of petroleum equipment experience.
Today, there are 12 MECO offices located throughout the Southeast. It is a unique business model, which offers customers the strength of a large sales and service company combined with personal service that comes with local ownership.