A Brief History…
Larry Rumer became interested in the heating and air conditioning industry when he was a young man. He felt bad that his dad had to call someone to work on his oil furnace. So, in 1964, he decided to enroll in an adult vocational program in Jackson, Ohio. He traveled every week for many months to Jackson, leaving his young wife and small daughter behind to learn a new trade. After completing his education, he worked for Wheeling Heating, then owned by the Thoenens, and Hitt Heating owned by Ben and Katherine Hitt. He continued to learn as much as he could about how to service all types and brands, read all information he could get his hands on, learned how to use Manual J to properly size duct systems, attended sales courses and worked hard to be a valuable employee and provide for his family.
In 1975, he and his wife, Jeneane, decided to strike out on their own. What a scary proposition! Now he had two girls, Kellie and Stephanie, plus he and his wife to support. Working out of his home and garage on Clark Road in St. Clairsville, he soon outgrew that location. He purchased land about a quarter of a mile away and built a commercial building housing an office, sheet metal shop, garage, and storage.
In 1987, to provide better access to the western side of Belmont County and parts of Monroe, Noble, Harrison, and Guernsey counties, a Barnesville office was opened in Rogers Hardware at 110 East Main Street (currently Art Works), managed by son-in-law Sid Loudin, thus the current name Rumer-Loudin, Inc.
Sid grew in scope of knowledge in the hvac industry…geothermal….plumbing….commercial applications. In 1998, Larry sold the Barnesville branch to Sid, which was then located on Route 800 North of Barnesville, and then the St. Clairsville office in 2006. Larry stayed on part-time until 2008 when he fully retired…. Until 2015, when he decided to work in the field again.
Sid and Kellie had married in 1984. Kellie worked for the company for 11 years, then went on to earn two Applied Associates Degrees in Business Management and Retail Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership. She worked at VNA Home Support Services, Shamrock Conduit Products, and Belmont Technical College before rejoining the company in March of 2008.
Brandon Loudin, who has worked in the industry in some way since the age of 9, earned his Associate’s of Technical Studies Degree in Electronics from Belmont Technical College. He continues to install and perform repairs as well as size and sell systems. He represents the third generation who will be there to take care of customers well into the future.
Rumer-Loudin, Inc was the first in the valley to install geothermal systems. See our website for more information.
None of the longevity and success would be possible without great employees, many have been with the company 10, 15, 20, and 25 years. They work hard to ensure customers are well taken care of and their homes respected.
In February of 2012, the previous Shamrock Lube Express building was purchased as the future home of the Barnesville branch. Remodeling was completed and the Barnesville operations moved to 823 East Main Street in December 2012. St. Clairsville remains open at its current location of 67679 Clark Road.
Who knows what’s next?!
