For over 125 years and four generations, The Geiler Company has served the plumbing and piping needs of the tri-state. The Geiler family believes that value and dependability is of paramount importance to our customers. That's what has made Geiler one of the area's oldest family owned businesses.
Joe's first son, William, in front of the Harrison Avenue storefront.
(circa 1900)The company's namesake, Frank Geiler, was born in 1843, in what was then Strasbourg, Germany, in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, and immigrated to this country. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the 28th Ohio Inf. Regt. In June, 1861, participated in numerous Civil War actions, was eventually wounded and discharged. He married Emma Mick of Hamilton, Ohio, and moved to the "Over-the-Rhine" district in Cincinnati. They had four children. The youngest child, William, began practicing the plumbing trade in 1885 at 63 Bremen Street (now Republic Street). He was joined by his older brother, Joseph, in 1890. "Joe" eventually took over the business from William, who chose to become the chauffeur for a wealthy couple. Around 1900, Joe moved the business to the then rural suburb of Westwood. A picture from the time shows Joe's first son, William, in front of the Harrison Avenue storefront. This location housed the first Geiler Company office.
"Bill" Geiler grew up in the business, and after a stint in the Army Signal Corps as an airplane mechanic in WWI, returned to the company. In 1923, Joe decided to sell the business to Bill and then took the rest of the family to west San Diego, never to return. In that same year, William R. "Jack" Geiler was born. The Geiler Company grew with the suburbs of Westwood, Cheviot and Western Hills, repairing and installing the plumbing and heating for the many residences and apartments in the area. Geiler branched out into the commercial districts as well. One prominent customer was James Gamble and his numerous properties. Another good customer was Coney Island amusement park, including the original plumbing for Sunlite pool.
Bill's son, Jack joined the firm after WWII. He brought with him an engineering degree from Tri-State college, as well as modern ideas and an increased emphasis on larger commercial projects. One innovation Jack introduced was 2-way radios in the vehicles - something he learned as a navigator on a B-24 bomber. Prominent projects include the 580 Building, the Federal Reserve Building, Riverfront Stadium, the original Convention Center and numerous projects at the old Norwood G.M. Plant. The Company outgrew the Harrison office on Harrison Avenue, despite buying all of the property around it, so the company moved to its current facility on Glenway Avenue in 1960. Also, Geiler expanded into air conditioning, process piping and refrigeration.
The 1980's saw Jack's sons, Reid, Steve and Dave entering the business as well as some tough times in the industry. Geiler survived by falling back on its old customers and recognizing that customers value good service.
Currently, the company consists of three interlocking and complimentary division: Mechanical Contract, Commercial Plumbing & HVAC, Residential Plumbing & HVAC. Geiler has developed a cadre of sales, project, and service managers and lead service and installation technicians having a combined 389 years of experience in mechanical contracting and systems design and servicing. This arrangement has the versatility and flexibility to handle any customer's needs in a timely and cost effective manner without sacrificing the quality expected of The Geiler Company.
