The year was 1915, and the President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson. Gasoline was 19 cents per gallon, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one in the World Series. America was facing uncertain times, drawn into a war waging in Europe that would inevitably become World War I.
Against the odds, entrepreneurs Ben Many and his brother-in-law George Bishop, Sr. started a fledgling basement waterproofing business in St. Louis, Mo., that they named the Western Waterproofing Co. A century later, that company would grow to become the nation’s largest specialty contractor in building restoration and preservation.
Owned and operated by third generation Bishop family members, Western celebrated its momentous 100th Anniversary on May 16 with an extravagant cocktail reception and gala at the historic St. Louis Union Station in Downtown St. Louis. To mark the occasion, Western unveiled its new name, logo and tagline to the nation.
Today, the Western Construction Group, its 30+ branches and member companies, which had been doing business under their original names (Western Waterproofing Company, Brisk Waterproofing, Peoria Roofing, Western Facades and Harry S. Peterson Co.), will be known as Western Specialty Contractors—Confidence Through Performance.
“In the past, Western was mainly perceived as a waterproofing company due to its extensive experience in waterproofing. But as Western evolved over its 100-year-history and branched out, we want to increase awareness of a larger breadth of services to a wider variety of industries that current and potential customers may not necessarily be aware of. In order to broaden our exposure in the industry and provide customers with a clearer, more concise understanding of our combined capabilities, we have embarked on a major rebranding effort to mark our 100th Anniversary,” said Western CEO, Benjamin Bishop, Jr.
Western’s new logo is an evolution of the former logo, keeping the Western name and a refreshed water drop icon with an updated blue color. A Web site and video highlighting the 100th anniversary and rebranding efforts have also been developed.
Although the company’s name and logo may have modified, its dedication to quality service, employee safety and family values have remained as constant as when the company was founded 100 years ago by Many and Bishop.
