Houston, Texas; November, 2016
Combining the delicate art of glassblowing with the reliable engineering of centrifugation, the oil testing industry applauds the acquisition of Miller-Weber, Inc. by L-K Industries.
Founded in 1930 as L-K Pump Valve Company, L-K Industries swiftly became a premier name in oil testing equipment. Their first centrifuge, the Melton, developed in 1957, still sets the industry standard for measuring basic sediment and water “BS&W” content in crude oil. The company expanded over the course of 85 years by continuing to manufacture state-of-the-art centrifuges and related oilfield testing equipment.
On April 16, 2015, L-K Industries was purchased by Houston native Eric Calderon. “At the age of 89, owner Joseph Hugghins decided to retire. He wanted to sell to a local, someone committed to preserving the company’s rich history and maintaining its Houston home.”
Calderon, an experienced petroleum engineer and Harvard Business School graduate, took two courses that changed the direction of his career – and his life. “HBS’s small business acquisition courses provided me with a dramatic, tangible opportunity to become a small business owner immediately after earning an MBA.” Professors Royce Yudkoff and Richard Ruback co-teach a second year case course called The Financial Management of Smaller Firms and a field course dubbed Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. Fondly known by MBA students as Rick and Royce, the partners do more than just teach theories behind buying small businesses; they have provided a handful of their former students with the financial backing to do so – Calderon included. The New York Times chronicled the success of their program, and their students, in their March 2016 article You’ve Bought a Small Business. Now What?
For Calderon, the Now What? meant building on the legacy of L-K Industries by adding another layer of industry-leading merchandise through the purchase of Miller-Weber, Inc. The iconic New York thermometer manufacturing company opened its doors in 1941 as the Charles Miller Precision Thermometer Company under the leadership of its namesake, a talented glassblower, and his wife Elizabeth. Three generations and a name change later, the company thrived by providing thermometer manufacturing and calibrating services across varied industries.
When Miller & Weber’s owner contemplated retirement, Calderon purchased the company, allowing L-K to offer a full range of liquid and glass thermometers and an accredited calibration service – all housed in Houston, Texas. In fact, the company, operating as Miller-Weber of Texas, offers the only manufactured products of their kind made in the southern U.S. The ISO/IEC 17025, accredited on-site laboratory, which opened its doors July 7th of 2016, offers exponential benefits to clients. “The acquisition of Miller-Weber allows us to expand our footprint,” says Calderon, “not only to clients in the oil business, but to those in diverse fields such as dairy, agriculture, and medicine.” The company has already begun providing thermometers to local hospitals and clients in the food service industry.
Miller-Weber of Texas Thermometers Manufactured in the Houston Facility
L-K Industries has enjoyed 86 years manufacturing centrifuges and related oilfield testing equipment, and continues to develop ground-breaking technology under the helm of Owner/ Engineer Eric Calderon. The recent acquisition of Miller-Weber, Inc. allows them to furnish clients with a complete array of thermometers, hydrometers, and related glassware, and an accredited on-site laboratory secures their position in the oil industry and the Houston community. Visit their website at www.lk-ind.com; contact them at (713) 926-2623 or sales@lk-ind.com.
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