“A Little Bit About Us”, by Andy Kurth
During the summer of 1976 I was 18 years old and, although I was “between jobs”, I was working very hard on my skills as a sport fisherman and dedicated outdoors-man. Life was pretty good, except that whenever I spent any time with my older brother Ed, he would harass me about starting a welding business with him. At the time, Ed was employed as a pipefitter-welder at the Philadelphia Ship Maintenance Company. Over that summer Ed convinced me that the Kurth family had something to contribute to the mechanical trades. By the end of that summer, Ed’s obsession had become a burning desire to start a business.
The plan was for Ed to front the $1,600.00 to buy a new Lincoln 225A welding machine. My contribution was to allow said welding machine to reside in the bed of my beloved pickup truck; my ‘67 Chevy CST, midnight blue, completely-restored pride and joy. Ed would keep working at Phillyship, and I would go out and find work for us and the welding machine to do on the weekends. Oh well, I was getting tired of the beach and catching all those fish anyway!
Over the next couple of years we started doing more and more work for local businesses; from welding trash trucks to installing high pressure boiler systems and anything in between. As my pickup truck grew scratched and dented, our reputation began to build luster. Soon we were established; we were doing work that we enjoyed, for nice people (mostly), and, in addition to getting paid for it, it looked like we could build a respectable business around it. Certainly one of the great things about America. OK, I’m in!!!
The year 1978 saw us incorporate as Edward Kurth & Sons, Inc. By then, Ed Kurth Jr. was working full time at the business. Edward Kurth Sr. joined in full time too, bringing us his invaluable experience and reputation in the boiler business (after all, we had named the company after him!). Bob Kurth would soon finish his enlistment in the World’s Greatest Navy and he, too, would put his skills to work at the family business.
Since then, we’ve logged some significant milestones, including our 1982 accreditation by ASME and National Board which enables us to work on boilers and pressure vessels. We’ve acquired and maintained NJ State Plumbing and Electrical Licenses and a long list of qualifications which recognize our commitments to ethical business practices, jobsite safety, employee training and productivity. We built new facilities in 1980 and 1990; these now house all our operations at one location in Sewell, NJ. Several other family members are now employed by the business, including all of Edward Kurth Sr.’s five children. We’ve been privileged to work with some of the most talented people in our industry, many of whom, I am proud to say, are today’s senior employees here at Edward Kurth & Sons, Inc.
Over the past 40 years our little welding business has evolved into a respected specialty contracting firm, with focus on three main sectors of business; industrial boiler repair, metal fabrication and mechanical contracting. From among our customers, vendors and associates, we’ve made good friends numbering in the hundreds, and, as we continue to apply the simple business ethics we started with, we look forward to making many hundreds more.
