MANSFIELD — No formal education, twice unemployed, Herb Rupp had a knack for overcoming life’s obstacles.
Harbert Edmund “Herb” Rupp was born on Aug. 1, 1891, in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, the son of Henry D. Rupp. Although Herb never got past the sixth grade, he was incredibly intelligent, inquisitive, and hard-driving.
Herb and his wife Anna Belle (Cox) arrived in Mansfield in 1919 when the Aultman-Taylor Company lured him away from J.P. Morgan’s International Harvester company. International Harvester was a dominant American manufacturer of agricultural machinery, trucks and construction equipment.
Herb was an inventor and engineer, but when Aultman-Taylor went bankrupt, he found work again in Mansfield at the Barnes Manufacturing Company. Barnes was focused on pumps and bathtubs. Unfortunately, after just a couple of years, his tenure there ended as well.
Seeking work to feed a family that would eventually include five children, Herb partnered with Barnes’ head salesman James C. (J.C.) Gorman, who was also freshly out of work, to form the Gorman-Rupp Company in 1933.
It started with a $1,500 investment from Ohio Brass industrialist Frank Black and a handshake between Herb and James. They began work out of a garage on Alta Road in Mansfield utilizing Rupp’s original design of Diaphragm Pumps and the philosophy of Jim’s father: “If we don’t take care of the customer, someone else will.”
Their straightforward mission statement was:
“To provide a quality product, competitively priced, delivered on time, backed by reliable service, at a profit that provides an equitable return to our shareholders, as well as providing our employees with competitive wages and benefits.”
Rupp’s pump design gave the duo a quality product with a revolutionary concept: how to make a centrifugal pump prime itself without valves or orifices.
Rupp was hailed as a genius in the field.
“From every story I’ve been told of my great grandfather, he was one of the most intelligent, and ornery men you’d ever meet,” said a chuckling Matt Barkett, Herb’s great grandson and a sales rep at Gorman-Rupp. “He didn’t take no for an answer. He would just say, ‘That’s just a problem, we’ll take care of that.’ “
Between James Gorman’s salesmanship and business skills and Rupp’s designs, the company flourished. It took a significant leap during World War II, and was hailed for its support during the war effort.
Gorman-Rupp Company was honored with the prestigious Army-Navy “E” Award for excellence in production quality and quantity. Only 5 percent of U.S. manufacturing plants received this award, which recognized the company’s efforts in overcoming obstacles, low absenteeism, and avoiding work stoppages.
“They had common sense back in that day,” said Gayle Gorman Green, James’ granddaughter. “You’re going to build a quality product, take care of your customer, and sell it at a competitive price. Those attributes still work today.”
The company Herb co-founded continues to grow long after his death.
Today Gorman-Rupp is one of the leading pump manufacturers in the world. It makes pumps for the construction, agricultural, fire, and municipal markets. The company has 11 subsidiaries, 20 global locations, and employs 1,450 workers worldwide. It sells to 140 countries, is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and has recorded 52 consecutive years of annual dividend increases.
Despite its worldwide reach, Gorman-Rupp is still headquartered in Mansfield, and employs fourth-generation family members of both men to this day.
Herb Rupp’s youngest child was a son named Mickey, who later achieved national acclaim as a race car driver and builder. Mickey finished sixth in the 1965 Indy 500, but soon left racing to focus full-time on building kart kits.
A chip off the old block, his designs included innovations such as step frames, improved braking systems, and eventually four-wheel independent suspension.
“Everything I’ve ever accomplished, I owe to my dad,” Mickey Rupp said of Herb. “Boy, was he a hard-nosed German. You did it right, or you didn’t do it at all.”