Shields,
Harper & Co., a California corporation, was established
in 1917. The company began by selling hoses to Standard
Oil of California (now Chevron). Throughout the ensuing
decades the company added many products and services
including tanks, dispensers, nozzles, valves, fittings
and in recent years to include payment systems, POS,
software for facility management and security, along
with field service technicians and software installers.
The company also offers technical services such as CAD
drawings and environmental analysis.
Our
Headquarters in 1948
Our
Headquarters in 2006
The company moved to
its current Oakland, California headquarters in 1948.
It presently has six of its own locations covering the
western U.S. with 12 other shipping locations through
two affiliates in the east and midwest.
Employee Ownership
Shields, Harper was closely
held from 1917 through 1959 when it was acquired by
the Symington Wayne Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange
traded manufacturer of dispensers. In 1968 Wayne was
acquired by Dresser Industries. Shields, Harper became
a division of Dresser. In 1970 Dresser sold all of its
distribution operations including the Shields, Harper
division to two of its employees. The company became
an ESOP (employee owned company) in 1992. More than
80% of the company's employees own stock in the company.
Serving the Entire
Industry
Shields, Harper continues
to be a leader serving every facet of the petroleum
handling industry. Its integrated systems are installed
in airports, fleets, commercial and retail sites throughout
its market area. Contractors, architects, designers
and engineers depend upon the expertise of Shields,
Harper's well-trained and technical staff to help them
specify equipment and design systems appropriate for
the highly regulated areas in which they operate.