A Short History of Acme Plumbing Co.

We have been serving the Triangle area through four generations of the Tilley family. Acme Plumbing Co. was started by W. Laurence Tilley, Sr., under the name of S & T Plumbing in 1947 with Mr. Smith. In 1952, W. L. “Dub” Tilley, Jr. and his wife, Shirley, joined the company full time, buying out Mr. Smith and the name was changed to Tilley’s Acme Plumbing & Heating Company and then, simply, Acme Plumbing & Heating Company.

The business originally worked out of the Tilley residence, first on North Duke Street and then in 1952 to the family garage on what is now Olympic Drive. In 1964, the company acquired Paschall Brothers Plumbing which resulted in a 20-year lease at 326 West Geer Street.  Paschal Brothers had two (2) service plumbers, so now Acme P&H now offered repair and replacement services.  In addition to its offices and popular parts counter, Acme included a bath accessory shop, “The Bath Boutique.” In 1983, Acme purchased property around the corner and moved to 636 Foster Street.  

In addition to the do-it -yourself parts counter, a designer showroom was created as Acme went into the kitchen and bath remodeling business.  Larry Tilley joined the commercial department, and Lee Ann Tilley took charge of the showroom.  In 2013 their son Laurence Tilley joined the business.

In 2021, after 37 years on Foster Street, the business left downtown to make way for the GeerHouse apartments.

Commercial Plumbing & Construction

Acme has been involved in a wide range of plumbing and heating projects with contracts ranging up to $2.0 million. When the heating market began to shift more toward air and away from hydronics, our company decided to evolve into a business primarily focused on both plumbing and piping.

In 1984, W. L. “Larry” Tilley, III, now president, joined the business. He brought with him the expertise of a professional engineer to further strengthen the business’ commercial design/build capacity. Then, in 1999, Corey Jacobs joined the company, Seth Lubinski  joined in 2006, Laurence T Tilley 2013 and Justin Whittington in 2019. These four manage the projects with assistance from the Project Foreman. The crews usually consist of a lead plumber and journeyman and/or an apprentice. Jobs are manned as needed by combining these crews. Currently, there are 10 crews available.

Residential Service Plumbing

The service business grew with the help of Larry’s wife, Lee Ann, and Bill Drummond who joined the company in 1986. Business ventures that came and went were our “Designer Showroom” and the accompanying kitchen and bath remodeling division which closed in 1996. In 2000, a new residential HVAC division started as “Switzerland Air” and then transitioned to the franchise “One Hour Heating & Air,” taking on HVAC service and installations until the summer of 2013. From 2003 through 2013 the service plumbing division operated as the franchise “Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.”

Fourth-generation Laurence T. Tilley joined the service team in 2013 and led the company’s efforts to re-invent itself as good old Acme Plumbing Co. In 2020 Laurence transitioned to the commercial side of the business. Today the service department is managed by Anthony Rogers with the help of a part time dispatcher.

Today’s service team consists of eight (8) Lead service technicians, one (1) Jr. Technician and two (2) Apprentices.

Deep Roots in the Community

With deep roots in the community, we strive to provide the best plumbing services to our residential and commercial clients. Experience for yourself why we’re the trusted name in plumbing services. Call us at (919) 688-1348 or contact us online to schedule service!