A Brief History
Pioneers of the Pumping, Water and
Wastewater Industry
The Beginning
Smith & Loveless was founded in 1946 by
B. Alden Smith & Compere Loveless as a
sales engineering firm representing several
manufacturers in the wastewater industry.
Early in their association, Smith &
Loveless recognized the need for complete
factory-built wastewater pump stations and
began manufacturing this equipment. Their
first three stations were built for the
municipal wastewater system of Salina,
Kansas. These units were fabricated in a
converted barn less than three miles from
the present plant location.
 As demand
for this equipment grew, Smith &
Loveless built its first manufacturing
plant, a modest present plant site.
Sales increased rapidly and within a short
time, Smith & Loveless had sales
representatives throughout the United States
and Canada. Because of this rapid growth, it
was necessary to expand the plant five times
in four years.
The present site in Lenexa, Kansas, (a
Kansas City suburb) was selected in 1957. By
1958, the new manufacturing facility was
ready for production. This present plant has
been expanded several times, more than
tripling the original manufacturing and
office space. (Over 100,000 square feet or
10,628 m2 of manufacturing space.)
 Late in 1959, Smith &
Loveless was acquired by Trans Union
Corporation, which was based in
Lincolnshire, Illinois. This acquisition
complemented markets served by other
divisions of that firm, as well as providing
additional capital for expansion and
research and development, ensuring Smith
& Loveless’ leadership in the
wastewater industry.
1980's
1990's
A New
Century
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