OUR HISTORY

Joseph Fisher started Fisher Tank and Welding Company in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1948.  Once steel became available at the end of World War II, the backlog of tank repairs, particularly in refineries, was overwhelming and he saw the need for effective and honest steel tank repair services and was prepared to answer the call.

Soon the Fisher Tank team was not only repairing oil tanks, we were building new tanks as well.  As the industry boomed, the need for storage tanks grew.  Refineries, manufacturing plants, chemical production facilities all needed tanks.  In 1951, Fisher Tank Company was incorporated in Chester, Pennsylvania.  As suburbs exploded around major cities, there was a huge need for water storage tanks to serve those new communities and our first welded steel water storage standpipe was erected in West Point, Pennsylvania in 1956.  The 100-foot tall standpipe held 250,000 gallons of water.

The company continued to grow steadily, adding equipment, personnel and capabilities to effectively serve such local refiners as Sun Oil Company, Gulf Oil, Sinclair and Atlantic-Richfield, as well as a number of local water companies such as Philadelphia Suburban Water Company, Chester Water Authority and Media Water Company, and chemical companies like Allied and General Chemical Companies.

With the success of the company in the Northeast, the idea of growing the organization into the Southeast became a consideration.  In 1962, the company erected a multi-tank project for Colonial Pipeline in Belton, South Carolina.  The success of that project showed that a more substantial presence in the South was something to consider.

In the mid-1970s, the company purchased a 6-acre lot in Lexington, South Carolina, and in 1975 relocated a long-term employee to spread the name and explore opportunities in the South.  That effort proved successful and the following year, the first fabrication shop at that location was added to the office trailer already on site.  The company never looked back, and in short order, personnel were added, as was a new office building and expansion of the shop facilities. 

In the 1990’s when municipal water tanks became more competitive in the Northeast, the company expanded once again to include an office in Cropwell, Alabama, and hired an experienced tank guy who was an expert in the water tank business.  Through his efforts, the company became leader in the water tank business.

Later, in 1996, the company became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company.  The success of that effort led to the company becoming 100% employee owned in 2008.

The success of the South Carolina facility was a focal point in the move to a much larger facility in Leesville, South Carolina in the 2000’s.

In the 2010’s the company saw an opportunity for qualified tank builders on the West Coast and opened an office in Atascadero, California to identify and execute opportunities on the West Coast.

We are proud of our history and look forward to many more years of success.