I got a letter from my grandfather in October 2013. It was two typed pages titled “some interesting notes on Catco formation and early years.”
I was familiar with the story. My grandfather, Bill Richards, got a petroleum engineering degree from Texas A&M and fought in the Korean War. Then he spent the next few decades hauling his family from one oil patch to another.
His favorite thing about the business was the people. Working alongside a customer to solve a tough problem. Finding a way to get it done.
Then a big conglomerate bought his employer, and the new regime was all about dollars. Not so big on problem solving. He got a little soured, got a little tired, and decided to retire.
He thought he’d left the industry for good, but he started hearing horror stories from his old customers. Long lead times and poor service. Specifically on a product where the long lead times just wouldn’t cut it.
That product was the catalytic heater. And (in my grandfather’s words) “without a lot of money – but lots of know how in taking care of customers – I started Catco.”
He started making Catco heaters behind a tractor dealership in Terrell, TX. His one-man, one-room operation began to grow. He enlisted the help of my dad and my uncle. Catco formed valuable partnerships with like-minded businesses to serve more of the industry.
In 1993 my grandfather retired from Catco, and the company continued to grow. By the time he wrote that letter, it had come a long way from the closet behind the tractor dealership. And while much has changed, the foundation has remained the same.
In his letter he dropped a line that summed it up well:
“I made a promise: that we would do what we said we would do.”
My grandfather passed away in 2016. I miss him.
But I think his legacy is alive and well.
I think he’d be pleased to see what’s changed. Most of all the team we’ve built, but others as well: the facilities, the technology, the size, the reach. And I think he’d be glad to see that some things — the commitment to do the right thing, teamwork, taking care of customers, an enthusiasm for problem solving and helpfulness – are still the same.
Flip the switch and the light comes on. Turn on the stove and you’re cooking in no time. Gasoline flows out of the pump. Our homes stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer without even having to think about it. We remain connected to each other and society via the internet.
Energy is everywhere, and our society needs it that way.
The societies that thrive are the ones who can count on energy being available when and where they need it. As more of how we live and work becomes dependent on energy, we need it accessible to everyone.
People need energy to thrive, and Catco is on the front lines of making sure all of us can count on it being there. For our energy supply to be truly resilient, we need to make sure it’s:
Our energy system does more than fuel our cars and power our devices.
It fuels dreams and powers our collective growth.
A world where energy is resilient is a better one. Catco is proud to help make sure that’s the world we get to live in.
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