Background

The family history dates back to 1917 with the founding of Jackson Markus Supply by Peter Markus, great-grandfather of Wayland Industries’ Kevin and Andy Kurstin.

After World War I, Peter Markus recognized government and industry’s need for a qualified concern to redistribute the formidable stockpiles of surplus materials. To accomplish this, Jackson Markus Supply, known as J-M, established the marketing and distributing policy that continues so successfully today. Jackson Markus Supply was focused on brass, iron, and stainless steel plumbing fittings, construction materials, and flow control products for the petrochemical, oil, marine, food, and waterworks industries.

During the Depressions of the early ‘30s when inventories were literally dumped on the glutted market, and at the close of World War II, J-M again assumed a major role in surplus redistribution. Their national product was geared to fill the dual demands of the military and civilian economy.

Kevin and Andy Kurstin’s grandfather, Harold Markus was another early pioneer in the PVF industry, starting in 1933 in Tulsa, Okla., in the pipe and oil well supply business. Following service in World War II, Harold Markus took over Jackson-Markus Supply in Los Angeles in 1946.

In the early 1960s, Harold and his brothers Alvin and Arnold (great-uncles of Kevin and Andy Kurstin of Wayland Industries) expanded into stainless steel and nickel alloy weld fittings by starting Sun Weld Fitting, Co. With Sun Weld, they serviced a rapidly-growing market in refining, petrochemical, food processing, breweries, marine and other industries. They grew their business to become one of the largest manufacturers on the West Coast.

Recognizing the similarities between the plumbing, PVF, and electrical industries, Dan Markus, uncle of Kevin and Andy, founded Calpipe Industries to focus on applying his family’s leading marketing and distributing policy to the electrical industry.

After many years in the family business working for Jackson-Markus supply, Kevin and Andy’s father, Ron Kurstin, started RWK International in 1974, supplying industrial pipe valves and fittings. RWK grew to four distribution centers across the USA; however, in 1993 when the economy collapsed, RWK closed its doors.

Shortly thereafter, Ron Kurstin started Smith Cooper International. He brought in several of his employees from RWK International to head up marketing and sales and hired his uncle, Alvin Markus, as Vice President responsible for overseeing all engineering and quality assurance.

Over the next ten years, Smith Cooper acquired several other companies (Sharpe Valve, Sharon Piping, Flo-Rite Products, Fine Stainless) and merged them into one company. In 2015, Ron Kurstin retired, and the company was purchased by a private equity company. It continues to be a major manufacturer and importer of pipes, valves, and fittings to this day.

Kevin and Andy grew up around the PVF industry, starting work in their father’s warehouse at Smith Cooper as children. Working for their father’s company taught them valuable experience about working in the PVF industry and the key tenets to running a successful business. In 2019, Kevin and Andy founded Wayland Industries in the same entrepreneurial spirit as their great-grandfather, grandfather, and father before them. Ethical values, company culture, and treating customers the right way were central to their goals for their new company and essential to the present day operations and customer experience at Wayland.

Wayland Industries opens a second distribution facility in Pico Rivera, California in January 2020, in order to expand its coverage to the West Coast, increase inventory levels, and enable quicker lead times to the 11 Western States.

In March 2021, Wayland Industries moves from their original facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin into a 22,000 square foot facility in Cudahy, Wisconsin, in order to further expand its breadth and depth of inventory.

Wayland Industries opens a third distribution facility in Atlanta, GA in November 2022, further expanding its coverage to the Southeast and East Coast. With the addition of this facility, Wayland is able to ship to over 90% of the U.S. in 2 days or less via ground shipping.