Meet Our Durham Plumbers
Quality Services from Our Family to Yours
Acme Plumbing Co. is a family owned and operated company built on tenets of honesty, integrity, and quality service. With every project that we receive, we demonstrate our commitment to our clients, who are like family to us.
Professional Services with Community Ideals
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 1952, W. L. “Dub” Tilley, Jr. and his wife, Shirley, joined the company full time and the name was changed to Tilley’s Acme Plumbing & Heating Company and then, simply, Acme Plumbing & Heating Company. In 1957 the business was incorporated.
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 merged with Paschall Brothers Plumbing which resulted in a 20-year lease at 326 West Geer Street (now Common Ground). 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 its current location at 636 Foster Street.
Commercial Plumbing & Construction
Acme has been involved in a wide range of plumbing and heating projects with contracts ranging up to $1.6 million and higher. 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 1992, Gerald Byrd joined the company; Corey Jacobs joined in 1999. These two manage the projects with assistance from the Project Foreman. The crews usually consist of a lead plumber and journeyman or apprentice. Jobs are manned as needed by these two-man 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 division started the business as “Switzerland Air” and then “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 “Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.”
Fourth-generation Laurence T. Tilley joined the service team in 2013 and is leading the company’s efforts to re-invent itself as good old Acme Plumbing Co.. Laurence Tilley, William Becking, Norval Cunningham, Efrem Whitehurst, Clay Seekamp, and Michael Villines—assisted by Lee Ann Tilley and Christina Buyna—will soon be taking care of Acme’s loyal Durham customer base with newly-branded trucks and uniforms.
